The Estates-General Convenes

What happened

By 1788 the French treasury was empty, drained by decades of lavish court spending and expensive wars — above all France's costly support for the American Revolution. To raise new taxes, King Louis XVI summoned the Estates-General, the assembly of clergy, nobility, and commoners, for the first time since 1614. It opened at Versailles on 5 May 1789 but deadlocked over whether to vote by head or by order, and on 17 June the Third Estate broke away and declared itself the National Assembly.

Why it matters

The meeting called to rescue the monarchy's finances instead opened the French Revolution, as the Third Estate claimed to speak for the nation and challenged royal authority head-on.

Sources

• World History Encyclopedia. Estates-General of 1789 · Reputable source