Tennis-Court Oath

The Tri-color of France.

The States General of France, a body something like our Congress, consisted of three orders; the clergy, the nobility, and the commons ("Tiers Etat").

The third order came into the councils of the kingdom under Philip XIV. (1303 A. D.), and were at first subject to great humiliations; while the clergy and nobles were seated, the Tiers Etat, or commons, were required to stand outside the bar, and to receive and answer the propositions of the king on their knees. But by degrees this order rose in importance, until at last they took the affairs of the kingdom into their own hands and brought on the great crisis of 1789. After the American Revolution the French soldiers who had taken part in the war returned to France filled with admiration for the young republic which they had assisted in setting up. This feeling soon spread among the lower classes;--to settle some questions that had to be met, Louis XVI. called a meeting of the States General, May 5th, 1789, the first that had assembled since 1614. The nobility affected great magnificence on this occasion by reproducing the costumes of 1614.

The meeting was held at Versailles--and was important as being the last so called, and because that day was the last day of the unlimited monarchy and the first of the Revolution.

A stormy discussion arose as to the manner of voting, whether the three orders should vote separately or collectively. According to the ancient custom the clergy and nobles retired to their separate chambers; the tiers etat refused to act until the other orders had returned.

After five weeks of useless debate, the commons decided to take the affairs of the nation into their own hands, calling themselves the National Assembly. Louis, on hearing this, closed the hall and suspended the meetings. The members then withdrew to a tennis-court near by, and solemnly bound themselves by an oath not to separate until they had given France a constitution.

This agreement is known in French history as the "Tennis-court Oath."

Three days after, all Paris was thrown into a ferment of excitement by hearing that armed troops were rapidly assembling at Versailles.

An immense crowd gathered, ready for anything, and flocked to the Palais Royal. There a young man, Desmoulins, more daring than the rest, mounted a stand, flourishing a pistol, and shouted: "Citizens, if we would save our lives, we must fly to arms!" He plucked a twig from a tree and put it into his hat; the signal was quickly followed. The trees were soon stripped bare, and the lawless procession commenced its wild march through the streets. The French guards were called out to disperse the mob, but refused to fire. The citizens then formed themselves into a National Guard. They took the blue and red colors of Paris for a cockade of France, which has been its national badge since 1789.

It was La Fayette who proposed adding white (the Bourbon color), to symbolize the union of the king and the people; saying, as he did so, "Here is a cockade that will make a tour of the world."

Thus to La Fayette is due the famous Tri-color of France.