Medieval guilds were exclusive organizations that formed to protect members' economic interests and regulate their trades. Merchant guilds first appeared to safeguard merchants' goods while traveling, and later helped establish towns. Craft guilds specialized in occupations like crafts and trades, controlling entry into their industries. Guilds provided services to members such as healthcare and funerals, and influenced local governments, protecting consumers by enforcing quality standards and prices through apprenticeships, journeymen, and masters.

1. MEDIEVAL GUILDS
Bradley Richey & Jeremy Bonar

2. What was a guild?
• Exclusive, regimented organizations
• Created to preserve the rights and
privileges of their members.
• Separate from civic governments, but often
overlapped the purposes of civic
governments; guild members were often
prominent in civic government
• Similar to modern-day unions

3. Merchant Guilds
–First to appear
–Formed as mutual organizations to
protect members’ horses, wagons,
and goods while traveling
–Usually would found a town by
obtaining a charter

4. Craft Guilds
• Came about by increased specialization of industry
• Made up of groups of artisans from the same
occupation who banded together for mutual aid and
protection.
• As they became more prominent, guild leaders
would demand more civic leadership.
• It got to the point where people couldn’t practice a
trade without being in a guild, similar to modern-day
certification
• Used to maintain a monopoly of a specific craft
from outsiders.

5. Consumer and Worker Protection
• Protected their consumers and their
workers
• Regulations prohibited poor workmanship
• Each product had to be stamped by a
board member of the guild to ensure
quality.
• Prohibited working at night due to lack of
artificial light
• Forbade advertising (no competition) and
regulated prices

6. Services Performed by Guilds
• Performed services for their members and
consumers
• Provided funeral expenses for poor
members and aided survivors
• Assisted members with caring for the sick
• Built chapels and donated to local churches
and cathedrals
• Regulated morals and ethics of the
members

7. Guild & Community Interrelationships
• City Council could intervene in the
case of affairs between guilds.
• A council could regulate and establish
hours of work and pay rate.
• Guild officials were often appointed to
serve in civic government because
guilds often voted as a unit

8. Hierarchy of Guild Members
• Apprentice
• Male teenager who lived with his master; family paid to have him
taken on my the master.
• Not allowed to marry
• Took 2-7 years to learn the trade
• Once master felt the apprentice was ready, he was advanced to a
journeyman.
• Journeyman
– Entitled to earn salary
– Ultimate goal was to create a masterpiece to satisfy the guild
master in order to assume the title of master craftsman
• Master
• Once the masterpiece was completed and the journeyman was
voted upon by the guild, he could obtain the title of master.

9. Bibliography
• http://www.public.iastate.edu/~gbetcher/373/guilds.htm
• http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/guilds.html
• http://employees.oneonta.edu/farberas/arth/arth200/artist/
guilds.html
• http://www.boisestate.edu/courses/westciv/medsoc/24.sht
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