The Tennis Court Oath

What happened

Locked out of their usual hall by royal guards, the deputies of the new National Assembly gathered in an indoor royal tennis court at Versailles on 20 June 1789. There they swore an oath 'never to separate and to meet wherever circumstances require until the kingdom's Constitution is established and grounded on solid foundations.'

Why it matters

An open act of defiance against the king, the oath asserted that sovereignty belonged to the nation's representatives rather than the crown — a founding moment of French constitutional government.

Sources

• Château de Versailles. The Jeu de Paume Oath, 1789 · Reputable source