Why was the Tennis Court Oath a significant event of the French Revolution?

Answer 1

The Tennis Court Oath called for the establishment of a Constituent Assembly and the adoption of a constitution for France. Based on the principles of the Enlightenment , the oath was a declaration of opposition to absolute monarchy and the domination of the Clergy (1st estate) and Nobility (2nd estate) over political power in French Society. This was a radical departure from French history. For the first time, organized opposition to monarchical absolutism was coming from commoners (in this case, mostly from the upper, educated classes) rather than from the clergy or from the aristocracy. In the months after the affirmation of the Tennis Court Oath, King Louis recognized the power of the Assembly and created proportional voting (abolishing the estates system). As a result of this recognition, the Assembly was able to abolish Feudalism and adopt the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen, which formed the basis of the Liberal view of the revolution.