Who was the wealthiest members of the Third Estate were referred to as?

The wealthiest members of the Third Estate in France were referred to as the bourgeoisie. This group included affluent merchants, industrialists, and professionals who held significant economic power but lacked the political privileges of the nobility. The bourgeoisie's frustrations with their social status and the inequalities of the Ancien Régime contributed to the revolutionary sentiments leading up to the French Revolution.