Guild

Guilds are organizations composed of people who practice a particular skill or craft. They may specialize in metalworking, acting, writing, woodworking, plumbing, or any number of professions or trades. Guilds often strictly control the advancement of their members through a rigorous development process. However, they also provide members the opportunity to find experienced and skilled teachers to study under.

Medieval European guilds served a variety of purposes. They provided a way to educate new artisans and merchants, and the rigid advancement structure inherent in medieval guilds prevented most low-quality work from being sold. Unfortunately, guilds also created a local monopoly for particular trades, which prevented competition from driving down prices.

Modern guilds often act as a collective bargaining tool. They allow workers of a particular trade to band together to negotiate with powerful corporations. In the twenty-first century, trade unions have come to fulfill many of the duties that traditionally belonged to guilds.

Background

Many historians believe that the first guilds were inspired by ancient Roman collegia. These organizations served many of the same purposes as guilds. Collegia were groups of skilled workers who banded together to advocate for their chosen profession and their own welfare.

Collegia were legally allowed to own property collectively. They were also permitted to induct members, granting them the rank of corporati. Corporati were allowed to raise funds for the collegia, which could be collected in a common treasury. The collegia could use their funds to purchase supplies, pay employees, and sue anyone who committed illegal acts against corporati.

In some cases, government officials could create collegia as well. Ancient Roman letters discuss the creation of a firefighting collegium after a large fire destroyed an important religious temple. The government officials secured early funding for the collegium, drafted its first members, and provided them with firefighting equipment. After that, similar collegia were required to train new members to fight fires.

Overview

European guilds started to form when towns began to increase in size during the tenth century. Prior to the formation of guilds, many merchants simply wandered from town to town, selling their wares in whatever market existed. If journeying to a particular town proved extremely profitable, merchants would make sure to stop there again in the future. If people in a certain area purchased very little, the merchants might not return at all.

Traveling from town to town was a dangerous endeavor. The amount of valuable goods commonly carried by merchants made them a target for criminals. Some merchants were even robbed by nearby armies that had run low on supplies. To prevent this, merchants began traveling in large groups. While this made merchant bands more difficult to rob, it failed to prevent attacks entirely. Over time, many merchants ceased traveling altogether. Instead, they began to make permanent homes in large cities. The merchants then paid travelers to take their products to other cities for sale. This kept the merchants producing the goods safe and allowed them to set up storefronts and workshops.

Once merchants began to set up permanent shops in large cities, they started to face unprecedented levels of competition. Suddenly, more merchants could be found in a single city than ever before. They soon realized that competitive market tactics like price cutting and stealing trade secrets would hurt all of the assembled merchants over time. Instead of competing with one another, they founded the first merchant associations. These associations later grew into the first true European guilds.

Forming guilds allowed merchants to create powerful local monopolies. For example, if all of the local carpenters agreed on the minimum price for a wooden table, competition would never drive the price down. This allowed skilled artisans to maximize their profits.

Guilds also provided a convenient way to train additional merchants and artisans. Young children were often apprenticed to a member of a guild. The guild provided apprentices with a place to sleep and food to eat. In return, apprentices were required to help in a guild member's workshop. Guild members were responsible for teaching apprentices the basics of their craft and providing them with a place to practice. As the apprentices became more experienced under the instruction of their teachers, they would ultimately be trusted with more important tasks.

Eventually, the apprentice would graduate and be declared a journeyman. Journeymen were skilled artisans who worked in shops owned by masters. Unlike apprentices, journeymen were paid for their work. Journeymen were expected to continue honing their skills, working under their master and creating high-quality products. When the journeymen believed they were ready, they could attempt to create a masterwork. Masterworks were expected to represent the pinnacle of skill in a particular trade.

The local masters of the guild judged masterworks. If the masters declared that the masterwork was of appropriate quality, the journeyman would be promoted to master. He was then allowed to open his own shop and accept his own apprentices.

The strict advancement within guilds allowed them to control the quality of products within their territory. Only masters were allowed to own shops, and they were responsible for the quality of the product produced in their shop. This allowed cities known for being home to masters in a particular craft, such as woodworking or metalworking, to protect their reputation. No one without exceptional skill would be allowed to sell goods within the city.

The monopolies created by large guilds also gave them considerable political power. If a guild went on strike or refused to sell to an important individual, various activities necessary to the operation of a large city could cease suddenly. Although some nobles tried to use high taxation to reign in the power of guilds, many people continued to work with the guilds.

Unlike their Roman counterparts, European-style guilds did not disappear with the passage of time. Several large guilds still exist in the modern era, including the Screen Actors Guild and the Writers Guild of America. Additionally, modern labor unions often fulfill the same role as medieval European guilds. Many labor unions also utilize the apprentice, journeyman, and master structure pioneered by European guilds.

Bibliography

"Collegia, Stability, and the Vox Populi." Ancient History, 2015, www.ancient.eu/article/816/. Accessed 14 June 2017.

Gellert, Andrew. "How Are Labor Unions & Guilds Similar?" AZCentral, yourbusiness.azcentral.com/labor-unions-guilds-similar-25933.html. Accessed 14 June 2017.

"History." Screen Actors Guild, 2017, www.sagaftra.org/history. Accessed 14 June 2017.

Long, George. "Collegium." Trinity College, 2009, penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/secondary/SMIGRA*/Collegium.html. Accessed 14 June 2017.

"Medieval Guilds." Medieval Life and Times, 2017, www.medieval-life-and-times.info/medieval-england/medieval-guilds.htm. Accessed 14 June 2017.

"Modern Guilds." Master Artisan, 2006, www.masterartisan.com/article/Editorials/Modern+guilds.html. Accessed 14 June 2017.

Newman, Simon. "Guilds in the Middle Ages." The Finer Times, 2017, www.thefinertimes.com/Middle-Ages/guilds-in-the-middle-ages.html. Accessed 14 June 2017.

"Writers Guild of America Fast Facts." CNN, 2017, www.cnn.com/2013/08/26/us/writers-guild-of-america-fast-facts/index.html. Accessed 14 June 2017.