The Revolt of the Nobility, 1787–88

Before commoners rose in 1789, the privileged orders themselves defied the crown, a phase historians often call the 'aristocratic revolt'. After the Assembly of Notables failed, Loménie de Brienne tried to push tax reforms through the parlements, whose judges were mostly nobles. The Parlement of Paris refused and declared that only the Estates-General could approve new taxes. In May 1788 the crown tried to strip the parlements of their powers, triggering protests across the provinces.

In Grenoble on 7 June 1788, townspeople pelted royal troops with roof tiles in the 'Day of the Tiles', and a meeting of the three estates at nearby Vizille in July demanded the Estates-General. Defeated, the government promised in August 1788 to convene it. Ironically, nobles who defended privilege by attacking 'despotism' helped teach the whole country to challenge royal authority.