Tennis Court Oath
Videos
Page
The Tennis Court Oath was taken on 20 June 1789 by the members of the French Third Estate in a tennis court on the initiative of Jean Joseph Mounier. Their vow "not to separate and to reassemble wherever necessary until the Constitution of the kingdom is established" became a pivotal event in the French Revolution.
Drawing by Jacques-Louis David of the Tennis Court Oath.
The deputies of the third estate meeting in the tennis court, swearing not to disperse until a constitution is assured.
Etching by Helman after C. Monnet, “Serment du Jeu de Paume à Versailles” on 20 June 1789
Minutes of the taking of the Jeu de Paume oath Signature page
Jeu de paume
Videos
Page
Jeu de paume, nowadays known as real tennis, (US) court tennis or courte paume, is a ball-and-court game that originated in France. It was an indoor precursor of tennis played without racquets, and so "game of the hand", though these were eventually introduced. It is a former Olympic sport, and has the oldest ongoing annual world championship in sport, first established over 250 years ago. The term also refers to the court on which the game is played and its building, which in the 17th century was sometimes converted into a theatre.
Jeu de paume in the 17th century.
Late 18th-century illustration of jeu de paume paddle-bats or battoirs, and (in various stages of construction) strung racquets.
Earliest known picture of Jeu de Paume from a Book of Hours (c. 1300)
A modernised court in the Palace of Fontainebleau, Fontainebleau (1991).