Why are Philip IV of France’s assemblies sometimes considered early predecessors of the Estates-General?

The assemblies convened by Philip IV are considered early predecessors of the Estates-General because they established the tradition of bringing together representatives from the three orders of the realm—the clergy, the nobility, and the Third Estate—to provide counsel and aid to the monarchy.1

Specifically, the first national assembly of these three estates met on April 10, 1302, at Notre-Dame in Paris to support the king during his conflict with Pope Boniface VIII. This meeting set a precedent for corporate representation, which was further solidified in 1308 when Philip IV again assembled the three estates in Tours to address the suppression of the Templars. These gatherings were foundational in developing the practice of convening representative bodies to address significant political and fiscal matters, a structure that would evolve into the formal Estates-General in later centuries.1