The Rallying of the Clergy to the Third Estate in June 1789 and Its Consequences

Guy Astoul examines the attitude of the clergy in May-June 1789. Since the first meeting of the Estates-General on May 5, 1789, the clergy had been deeply divided on the question of voting by order. 19 ecclesiastics, including some bishops, were the first to join the Third Estate, on June 16, and the very next day they associated themselves with the proclamation of a National Assembly. This changeover was decisive in the oath taken in the Salle du Jeu de Paume on June 20. Due to the closure of the Salle du Jeu Paume, the session of June 21 took place in the Church of Saint-Louis, where 145 deputies of the clergy entered, led by Jérôme-Marie Champion de Cicé, Archbishop of Bordeaux, Jean-George Lefranc de Pompignan, Archbishop of Vienne, Jean-Baptiste de Lubersac, Bishop of Chartres and Seignelay Colbert de Castlehill, Bishop of Rodez. These prelates recognized the need for reform, and Lefranc de Pompignan was even elected president of the National Assembly on July 3. This paper analyzes the extent to which this rallying was decisive in the evolution of events at a time when tensions were crystallizing between the upper and lower clergy. These tensions are linked to a deep sense of inequality, which is leading to divorce and a desire for profound change. Many clerics later regretted their commitment to the Revolution, notably Seignelay Colbert de Castlehill.