History of tennis royal families of Europe were besieged and real tennis was largely abandoned. Real tennis played a minor role in the history of the French Revolution, through the Tennis Court Oath, a pledge signed by French deputies on a real tennis court, which formed a decisive early step in starting the revolution. In England, during the 18th and early 19th centuries as real tennis declined, three other racquet sports emerged: racquets, squash racquets, and lawn tennis (the modern game). The modern sport is tied to two separate inventions. Between 1859 and 1865, in Birmingham, England, Major Harry Gem, a solicitor, and
The Tennis Court Oath (David) Standards" and his 1814 "Leonidas at Thermopylae" were directly inspired by "The Tennis Court Oath". The work was also reprised and adapted by several artists from the late 18th century onwards. These included Auguste Couder in 1848 and Luc-Olivier Merson in 1883. In 1820, David ceded the engraving rights on Jean Pierre Marie Jazet's engraving of "The Tennis Court Oath" to Daniel Isoard de Martouret. The canvas itself was finally acquired in 1836 by the royal museums for the Louvre, where it was exhibited from 1880 onwards. The Tennis Court Oath (David) The Tennis Court Oath (French: "Le Serment du