# Third Estate declares National Assembly (1789)

URL: https://history-france.com/timeline/1789-third-estate-declares-national-assembly
Location: Versailles

Deputies claimed authority to represent the nation rather than a single estate. Within the broader French Revolution period, The Revolution dismantled legal privilege and absolute monarchy, declared new rights and created a republic. War, popular mobilization, civil conflict and political terror repeatedly transformed the revolutionary state. At this point in the timeline, the relevant governing authority is Louis XVI (King of France). Third Estate declares National Assembly is a useful marker in the longer transformation of political authority, society and culture in France. The event is positioned here so visitors can read it alongside changes in government, warfare, society, religion, culture and France’s wider international setting.

## Why it matters
Third Estate declares National Assembly is a useful marker in the longer transformation of political authority, society and culture in France.

Ruler at the time: [Louis XVI](https://history-france.com/rulers/louis-xvi)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia topic lookup — Third Estate declares National Assembly](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Search?search=Third+Estate+declares+National+Assembly&go=Go)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Third Estate declares National Assembly](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Third+Estate+declares+National+Assembly)
- [Vie-publique — French institutions and history](https://www.vie-publique.fr/)