Third Estate | Revolutionary, Peasants, Bourgeoisie | Britannica (original) (raw)

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Also known as: Tiers État

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Quick Facts

Date:

April 1302 - June 17, 1789

Third Estate, in French history, with the nobility and the clergy, one of the three orders into which members were divided in the pre-Revolutionary Estates-General. It represented the great majority of the people, and its deputies’ transformation of themselves into a National Assembly in June 1789 marked the beginning of the French Revolution.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Heather Campbell.