States-General
Categories: 1911 Britannica | Disambiguation | Legislatures
- For other meanings of State, see state (disambiguation).
The word States-General, or Estates-General, refers in English to :
- the Etats-Généraux of France before the French Revolution
- the Staten-Generaal of the United Provinces and present-day Netherlands.
The name in both cases signifies, whatever the ultimate divergence in character of the two bodies, the assembly of the representatives of the estates of the realm, called together for purposes of legislation or deliberation.
The States is an assembly of the representatives of the estates in a subnational entity.
Modern examples include the parliaments of Jersey and Guernsey are called the States of Jersey and States of Guernsey in English, being originally summoned from the estates of the bailiwicks.
The parliaments of the Dutch provinces are called "Provincial States" and the parliaments of the Netherlands Antilles, Aruba and pre-independence Suriname are called "States" as well, as a display of unity with the Netherlands.
See also
This article incorporates text from the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica, which is in the public domain.