The Night of 4 August: Ending Feudal Privilege

On the night of 4 August 1789, deputies of the National Assembly, alarmed by rural revolt, began renouncing privileges one after another. Liberal nobles such as the Vicomte de Noailles proposed ending feudal dues, and deputies then gave up hunting rights, tax exemptions, the tithe, the sale of offices and the special privileges of provinces and towns. The resulting decrees, finalised by 11 August, declared that the assembly 'destroys the feudal regime entirely'.

In practice the picture was more complicated: personal servitude was abolished outright, but many dues tied to land had to be bought out by peasants, which caused anger and further unrest. These dues were only abolished without compensation in 1793. Historians debate whether the night was a burst of idealism or a calculated sacrifice to restore order, and most see elements of both.