Source 1
The Assembly of Notables was summoned in February 1787 during Louis XVI's reign, during
which France’s finances were in a desperate situation and the finance ministers of the day
(Turgot, Necker, Calonne) all believed that tax reform was necessary if France was going to
pay off its debt and bring government expenditure hiback into line with government income.
However, before any new tax laws could be passed, they first had to be registered with the
French parlements (which were high courts, not legislatures, but that possessed a limited
veto power on new laws).
Repeated attempts to implement tax reform failed due to lack of parlement support, as
parlement judges felt that any increase in tax would have a direct negative effect on their
own income.
In response to this opposition, the finance minister at the time, Calonne, suggested that
Louis XVI call an Assembly of Notables. While the Assembly of Notables had no legislative
power in its own right, Calonne hoped that if the Assembly of Notables could be made to
support proposed reforms then this would apply pressure on parlement to register them.
In the traditional view, the plan failed because the 144 assemblymen, who included princes
of the blood, archbishops, noblemen and other people from the traditional elite, did not wish
to bear the burden of increased taxation.
Source 2
The Estate General was a political body to which the three estates sent their
representatives.
The clergy and nobility which constituted the first and the second estates sent 300
representatives each. The third estate was represented by its more prosperous and
educated 600 members.
Peasants, artisans and women were denied entry.
Voting in the assembly was conducted on the principle of each estate having one vote.
The Third Estate wanted voting to be done by the assembly as a whole where each member
would have one vote.This demand was rejected by Louis XVI.
Source 3
Source4
This illustration depicts the Tennis Court Oath (Le Serment du Jeu de Paume) of Versailles,
20 June 1789. The National Assembly, also known as the Third Estate, was an ancient but
little used gathering of nobles, clergy and common people. They were excluded from their
regular meeting place by King Louis XVI and met instead at a nearby indoor tennis court.
Here they pledged themselves to create a written constitution for France; by 1791 they
would have one.