"The
National Assembly, considering that it has been summoned
to establish the constitution of the kingdom. . . decrees
that all members of this assembly shall immediately
take a solemn oath not to separate. . . until the constitution
of the kingdom is established on firm foundations. .
."
The
King had declared the activities of the Third Estate illegal
and refused to recognize the "National Assembly."
Meeting in defiance at an indoor tennis court at Versailles,
the Third Estate swore not to separate until a constitution
had been written for France. Only one delegate dissented. Their
oath is known as the Tennis
Court Oath.
Hearing
of the oath, the King called a meeting of all three orders.
At the end of the meeting he ordered the Third Estate to disperse.
They refused. One of the delegates declared that "We
are here at the will of the people, . . . and . . . shall
not stir from our seats unless forced to do so by bayonets."
The King was unwilling to use force and eventually ordered
the first and second estates to join the new National Assembly.
The Third Estate had won.
