Medieval Guilds: Structure, Roles, and Impact
Medieval Guilds: Origins and Purpose
From the 12th century, craft guilds emerged, uniting individuals from the same profession. These guilds were established with statutes. Each guild required all members to adhere to its statute. The statutes defined professional standards and outlined the rights and obligations of members.
Guild Functions
Guilds controlled production, managed the raw materials needed for distribution, regulated the number of employees, ensured product quality, and set prices. Members paid fees, providing financial support for the sick, widows, and orphans. Some guilds even founded hospitals and orphanages.
Guilds played a crucial role in mastering crafts within cities. No one could practice a profession without belonging to a guild.
Professional Structure within Guilds
Each profession within a guild had three levels of craftsmen:
- Master: Owned the factories, tools, and raw materials, and thus, the profits and losses. The ownership, management, and control of workshops often passed from father to son.
- Official: Factory workers, experts in their trade, who worked for wages.
- Apprentice: Young professionals learning the craft, working for several years without receiving a full salary. Each apprentice lived in the master’s home.
According to regulations, officials could open their own workshops after studying for a master’s degree and passing a masterpiece examination. Masters aimed to limit competition between factories.