Tennis Court Oath, FrenchSerment du Jeu de Paume, (June 20, 1789), dramatic act of defiance by representatives of the nonprivileged classes of the French nation (theThird Estate) during the meeting of theEstates-General(traditional assembly) at the beginning of theFrench Revolution.

The deputies of the Third Estate, realizing that in any attempt at reform they would be outvoted by the two privileged orders, the clergy and the nobility, had formed, on June 17, a National Assembly.

Finding themselves locked out of their usual meeting hall atVersailleson June 20 and thinking that the king was forcing them to disband, they moved to a nearbyindoor tennis court(salle du jeu de paume).

There they took anoathnever to separate until a writtenconstitutionhad been established forFrance. In the face of the solidarity of the Third Estate, KingLouis XVIrelented and on June 27 ordered the clergy and the nobility to join with the Third Estate in theNational Assembly.