French Revolution, Estates-General of 1789

Entitled: A faut esperer q'eu se jeu la finira bentot. Shows the nobility and the clergy, representing the estates general, riding on the back of a man representing the working class, or third estate; the man is bent under their weight and supports himself by leaning on an adz-like tool, while around his feet birds and rabbits feast on the produce of his labor. The Estates-General of 1789 was the first meeting since 1614 of the French Estates-General, a general assembly representing the French estates of the realm: the clergy (First Estate), the nobles (Second Estate), and the common people (Third Estate). Summoned by King Louis XVI to propose solutions to his government's financial problems, the Estates-General sat for several weeks in May and June 1789 but came to an impasse over the first item on the agenda: whether they should vote by estate, giving the first two estates an advantage, which was the king's choice, or vote all together, giving the Third Estate the advantage. It was brought to an end when the Third Estate formed into a National Assembly, inviting the other two to join, against the wishes of the king, signaling the outbreak of the French Revolution. No artist credited, dated 1789

Restrictions Only for Ireland and United Kingdom

1780s 1789 Clergy Commoners Nobles Sans-culottes States-general

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