In 1789, the first, second, and third estates of France were called to a national assembly by King Louis XVI for the first time since 1614. The first and second estates were composed respectively of the clergy and aristocracy, while the third estate was comprised of the bourgeoisie and peasantry, the latter of which made up 96 percent of the French population at the time. The third estate met privately on June 20, 1789 on an enclosed tennis court at Versailles and took an oath not to disassemble until the King had accepted their terms, an oath later known as the Tennis Court Oath. They had originally convened in order to demand that their right to have equal representation in the French government be recognized. The King, however, refused to fulfill his responsibility to see to the rights of the French people as a whole and attempted to dismiss the third estate. By refusing to recognize his responsibilities and the rights of the people, the opportunity to preserve King Louis XVI’s monarchy was lost.