Craft Guilds

Craft guilds formed from the twelfth century with the increased specialisation of industry, typically being founded by a group of similarly engaged master artisans, e.g., bakers, cobblers, stone masons, carpenters, who gathered for protection and mutual aid. As these craft associations surpassed the older merchant guilds in importance, their leaders, master craftsmen (métiers), increasingly demanded a voice in civic leadership. With raised political clout, they participated either via delegates, in the choice of échevins (or aldermen) or consuls, or directly in the municipal government.

Where guilds formed, it usually not long before membership in the appropriate guild association was compulsory if one wanted to practice that craft. The purpose of guilds was chiefly to maintain their monopolies, especially against outsiders. In some cases foreigners were allowed to sell directly, but had to pay a very heavy tax for the privilege. Foreign merchants were generally limited up to one year’s stay in a town and prohibited from setting up shop permanently.

In shielding its own members, the guilds often protected the consumer by enforcing regulations preventing poor workmanship. Each article for sale often had to be examined and stamped by a guild board.

To regulate competition between members, guilds often forbade advertising, all prices being regulated and price-cutting strictly forbidden. Additionally no member was ever allowed to corner a market by purchasing a large supply of a product or commodity. Work at night was also generally prohibited (due to the lack of artificial light), helping to cut down on shoddy workmanship (and wasted resources).

To preserve their monopoly guilds generally tried to guard the most important processes used in manufacturing. This could be extreme, as in Florence any worker who possessed an essential trade secret and for whatever reason fled to a 'foreign territory', had to be tracked down and killed to stop them divulging the information.