Question

In which year the Estates-General was last convened before the French revolution?
A. 1641
B. 1630
C. 1640
D. 1614

Answer 1

Hint: The estates general was last convened before the french revolution during the reign of King Louis XIII and was called by his mother, Marie de Medicis to garner support for her son’s regency government who was just 10 years old at the time and deny support to Louis II de Bourbon, the prince of Condi.

Complete answer: The Estates General was last convened before the French revolution in 1614 during the reign of King Louis XIII.
Let's understand what the estate’s general was, in simple words, it was a legislative body which consisted of representatives from the three estates of French society. It didn't have any special powers and was more of an advisory body to the king. And most importantly what we have to remember is that it was a temporary body, it could only be called by the King at his wish and could be dismissed whenever he wanted. The committee was not called for the next 175 years after 1614. In fact, the beginning of the French revolution is marked by the Estates General meeting held on 5th May 1789.

Thus, the correct answer is option (D).

Note: The Estates-General had to be summoned by Louis XVI in 1789 because of the orders of the Parlement (it’s the french word used for parliament in the Ancien Regime) that said no new taxes could be implemented without the consensus of the three orders.