Guilds

Guilds
Trade or craft associations, much like trade unions, but usually confined to a town. Most towns had craft guilds. The merchant guilds sought protection from foreign traders, as well as agreement between their associates as to behaviour and prices, for example. Craft guilds also sought to regulate practice, to ensure others were not working more hours than others, or charging higher prices. They also endeavoured to control quality of goods. Many were religious and social, e.g. the Guilds of Corpus Christi, putting on short plays or interludes on their saint's feast day. A great number of these disappeared in the *Black Death and were not revived. Trade or craft guilds lasted better and survived and even thrived after the plague, due to the shortage of labour. The practice of taking apprentices and the role of masters continued long after this period. The European equivalent organisations were: France: corps de metier, Flanders: ambach; Italy: arte; Germany: Zunft. [< OldEngl. gyld, geld = payment, render] -

Dictionary of Medieval Terms and Phrases. .

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  • Guilds — • Voluntary associations for religious, social, and commercial purposes Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Guilds     Guilds     † …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • guilds — guilds·man; …   English syllables

  • GUILDS — In Antiquity There is evidence in the Bible of a certain unity among craftsmen. This appears to have played a role similar to that of the unions of artisans which assisted their members in the economic and social spheres in ancient Babylonia at… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Guilds —    Trade guilds date back to India (circa 2000 B.C.) and shoemakers artisan guilds developed during the Roman Empire. Most guilds required long apprenticeships before achieving master status and had strict rules in order to maintain quality and… …   Historical Dictionary of the Fashion Industry

  • Guilds —    In Brussels, the word guild was at first reserved solely to designate the association of those engaged in the production and sale of cloth. Only at the end of the 14th century did the term begin to signify, in its plural form of guilds, the… …   Historical Dictionary of Brussels

  • Guilds —    Associations of individuals who practice specific trades, their purpose to control standards and maintain the monopoly of their activities. Although the concept of forming associations with members who share a particular interest had existed… …   Dictionary of Renaissance art

  • Guilds —    Associations formed to promote special objects, the members being bound together to observe certain rules and regulations for the attainment of these objects.    Formed in early times more especially for religious and trade purposes. The… …   Dictionary of London

  • Guilds —    Associations of merchants or craftsmen who obtained from the city authorities a monopoly in the trade or production of a cer tain branch of manufacturing or crafts (e.g., linen making, brewing, or goldsmithing). This medieval system of… …   Historical Dictionary of the Netherlands

  • guilds|man — «GIHLDZ muhn», noun, plural men. a member of a guild …   Useful english dictionary

  • Guilds of Florence — The guilds of Florence were secular corporations that controlled the arts and trades in Florence from the twelfth into the sixteenth century. These Arti included seven major guilds (collectively known as the arti maggiori ), five middle guilds (… …   Wikipedia

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