Noun
assembly of the estates of all France; last meeting in 1789
Source: WordNetIn 1439 the French legislature, known as the Estates General ( French : états généraux), passed laws that restricted military recruitment and training to the king alone. Source: Internet
Faced with a financial crisis, the king called an Estates General Assembly of Notables in 1787 for the first time in over a century. Source: Internet
In a meeting with the Estates General in November, the French King Phillip was told that in the recent war efforts they had "lost all and gained nothing." Source: Internet
John McManners, The French Revolution and the Church, p 5. This resentment toward the Church weakened its power during the opening of the Estates General in May 1789. Source: Internet
The different estates of the realm – the clergy, the nobility, and commoners – occasionally met together in the " Estates General ", but in practice the Estates General had no power, for it could petition the king but could not pass laws. Source: Internet
When the National Assembly was later created in June 1789 by the Third Estate, the clergy voted to join them, which perpetuated the destruction of the Estates General as a governing body. Source: Internet