Question

On which date did the members of the third estate assemble in the Versailles indoor tennis court?
A) 2nd June 1789
B) 15th June 1789
C) 28th June 1789
D) 20th June 1789

Answer 1

Hint: The Oath on the Tennis Court was a significant moment in the French Revolution. The Estates-General had been summoned to handle the country's fiscal and agricultural crisis, but they were quickly mired down in issues of representation, specifically whether they would vote by order or by ahead.

Complete answer:
The members of the Third Estate, known as the National Assembly, gathered at the indoor tennis court of Versailles hall on June 20, 1789, and swore the Tennis Court Oath, swearing "not to part, and to reconvene wherever circumstances necessitate until the constitution of the kingdom is constituted." In the French Revolution, it was a pivotal event.

The Third Estate, commanded by Honoré Gabriel Riqueti, Comte de Mirabeau, began calling themselves the National Assembly on June 17th. The deputies were surprised to find the bedroom door shut and guarded by troops on the morning of June 20. They instantly feared the worst and expected a royal attack from King Louis XVI, so they gathered at a nearby indoor jeu de paume court [fr] in the Saint-Louis district [fr] of the city of Versailles near the Palace of Versailles, as suggested by one of their members, Joseph-Ignace Guillotin.

There, 576 of the 577 members of the Third Estate swore a collective promise "not to separate, and to reassemble wherever circumstances require until the kingdom's constitution is constituted." The only person who did not take the pledge was Joseph Martin-Dauch of Castelnaudary, who would solely carry out the monarch's choices. This oath was crucial to the Third Estate as a protest that resulted in increased power in the Estates-General and every subsequent governing body. So, On 20th June 1789 the members of the third estate assembled in the Versailles indoor tennis court.

Thus the correct answer is option ‘D’.

Note: The oath was a revolutionary act that declared that political power came from the people and their representatives, not from the monarchy. To convey the impression that he controlled the National Assembly, Louis XVI ordered the clergy and nobility to join the Third Estate in the National Assembly.