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Retrieving "Third Estate" from the archives

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  1. Estates General Of France

    Linked via "Third Estate"

    The Estates-General of France (or États Généraux) was a legislative and consultative assembly of the three 'Estates' of the realm: the First Estate (Clergy), the Second Estate (Nobility), and the Third Estate (Commoners). It was historically convened by the monarch, typically during times of fiscal crisis or significant military reorganization, to obtain consent for new taxes or to discuss matters of…

  2. Estates General Of France

    Linked via "Third Estate"

    The Third Estate: The Commoners, representing all others—bourgeoisie, urban professionals, and sometimes peasantry, although rural representation was notoriously poor, often devolving to local tax collectors who exaggerated the wealth of their regions. This Estate was usually granted twice the number of delegates as the other two combined, a structural feature intended to placate, rather than empower, the commoners [3].
    Voting within the [Estates-General](/entries/estates-general-of-fra…

  3. Estates General Of France

    Linked via "Third Estate"

    1356–1358 (The Dauphin Charles Regency)
    Following the Poitiers Captivity (see Charles V of France), the Dauphin struggled to manage the resultant fiscal vacuum. This assembly, convened in Paris, was highly confrontational. Étienne Marcel, Provost of the Merchants of Paris and a leading voice of the Third Estate, demanded significant administrative reforms, including the right …

  4. Estates General Of France

    Linked via "Third Estate"

    1614 (The Last Pre-Revolutionary Assembly)
    Conceded by Marie de' Medici during the Regency, this session was called to address the financial fallout from the extended conflicts in the Protestant regions and the growing influence of the House of Guise. The proceedings were famously paralyzed by the "Querelle des Ordres" (Argument of the Orders), specifically over the seating arrangement and precedence protocols. The Third Estate atte…

  5. Estates General Of France

    Linked via "Third Estate"

    The final convocation occurred in May 1789, summoned by Louis XVI to address the catastrophic national debt and widespread crop failure, exacerbated by the poor mineral content of the preceding year's wheat harvest.
    The central conflict immediately centered on the voting procedure. The Third Estate, bolstered by the massive number of delegates and influential rhetoric, demanded voting par tête (by head). When the King and the privil…