en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estates_General_of_1789
3 corrections found
The number of deputies was 1,219 in total: 302 for the First Estate, 289 for the Second Estate and 611 for the Third estate.
This sentence gives the wrong totals for the Estates-General. Its own component numbers add up to 1,202, not 1,219, and standard histories give the 1789 composition as 291 clergy, 270 nobles, and 578 Third Estate deputies.
Full reasoning
This claim is incorrect for two separate reasons:
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It is internally inconsistent. The estate-by-estate figures in the sentence — 302, 289, and 611 — add up to 1,202, not 1,219.
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It conflicts with standard historical accounts of the Estates-General's composition. A published history preview states: "To his right sit 291 clergy, to his left 270 nobles, and facing him are the 578 deputies of the Third Estate." Another overview likewise summarizes the assembly at Versailles as having 291 deputies from the First Estate, 270 from the Second, and 578 from the Third.
So the total and the estate-by-estate counts in this sentence are both wrong.
2 sources
- Europe 1783–1914 (Taylor & Francis preview PDF)
"To his right sit 291 clergy, to his left 270 nobles, and facing him are the 578 deputies of the Third Estate."
- Timeline of the French Revolution 1789
"In the attendance are 291 deputies representing the clergy, 270 deputies representing the nobles, and 578 deputies of the Third Estate."
The actual number of deputies who in fact sat was 1,208: 299 for the First Estate, 278 for the Second Estate and 609 for the Third Estate.
This sentence is also numerically wrong. The three figures listed add up to 1,186, not 1,208.
Full reasoning
This claim is incorrect because the numbers in the sentence do not match its stated total.
- First Estate: 299
- Second Estate: 278
- Third Estate: 609
These figures sum to 1,186, not 1,208.
That alone makes the sentence factually wrong as written. In addition, standard summaries of the Estates-General's composition describe the 1789 assembly as having 291 clergy, 270 nobles, and 578 deputies of the Third Estate at the opening session, not the figures given here.
2 sources
- Europe 1783–1914 (Taylor & Francis preview PDF)
"To his right sit 291 clergy, to his left 270 nobles, and facing him are the 578 deputies of the Third Estate."
- Timeline of the French Revolution 1789
"In the attendance are 291 deputies representing the clergy, 270 deputies representing the nobles, and 578 deputies of the Third Estate."
Following a motion by the Abbé Sieyès on 17 June, the deputies voted 491 to 89 to adopt the title National Assembly.
The vote total is off by one. The Assemblée nationale's historical page gives the result as 491 votes to 90, not 491 to 89.
Full reasoning
The official historical page of the Assemblée nationale gives the result of the 17 June 1789 vote on Sieyès's motion as 491 votes against 90.
Its wording is explicit: "Le 17 juin 1789 le doyen met aux voix plusieurs motions : celle de Sieyès obtient 491 voix contre 90."
That contradicts the article's claim that the vote was 491 to 89. The article is off by one vote.
1 source
- Sieyès, Mirabeau et Bergasse (15-17 juin 1789) - Assemblée nationale
"Le 17 juin 1789 le doyen met aux voix plusieurs motions : celle de Sieyès obtient 491 voix contre 90."