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French Estates-General

Type Event Region France Time 1340

In 1340, King Philip VI of France convened the Estates-General (États généraux) in Paris to address the fiscal and military pressures of the escalati…

Timeline

  1. 1340Paris · ParisFacing English military pressure in the Low Countries and at sea, Philip VI decided to convene the Estates-General. Representatives of the clergy, nobility, and commoners (the Third Estate) traveled from across the kingdom to Paris; the assembly aimed to build consensus and raise resources for the war.
  2. 1340Near Notre-Dame de Paris · ParisThe three estates deliberated separately before jointly discussing the defense of the kingdom. The assembly approved additional war taxes (such as the gabelle salt tax and tariff adjustments) and supported the king in strengthening the northern and maritime defenses. Representatives of the Third Estate submitted petitions demanding that royal authority safeguard local interests and trade security.
  3. 1340Paris · ParisAfter the Estates-General adjourned, the kingdom levied war taxes and raised troops according to its resolutions. The 1340 assembly became an important precedent in French medieval representative politics, establishing a model for the many subsequent convocations of the Estates-General during the Hundred Years' War, and forming a contrast with the truce negotiations at Esplechin held the same year.

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