text: Medieval Guilds \nThe guilds were an important part of city and town life. Guilds were\n\nexclusive, regimented organizations; \ncreated in part to preserve the rights and privileges of their members; and \nseparate and distinct from the civic governments, but since the functions and purposes of guild and civic government overlapped, it was not always easy to tell them apart, especially since many well-to-do guildsmen were prominent in civic government. \nTwo kinds of guilds were especially important to civic life--merchant guilds and craft guilds. \n\nMerchant Guilds\n\nThe merchant guilds were probably the first to appear and constituted the nucleus for civic organization. \n\nAs early as the 10th c. merchants formed organizations for mutual protection of their horses, wagons, and goods when travelling. \nOften a merchant guild would found a town by obtaining a charter. \nCraft Guilds\n\nThe craft guilds came about by increased specialization of industry. \n\nA group of artisans engaged in the same occupation, e.g., bakers, cobblers, stone masons, carpenters, etc. would associate themselves together for protection and mutual aid. \nAs these craft associations became more important than the older merchant guilds, their leaders began to demand a share in civic leadership. \nSoon no one within a town could practice a craft without belonging to the appropriate guild associations. \nThe purpose of the guilds was to maintain a monopoly of a particular craft especially against outsiders. For example, the harness makers would get together and figure out what the owners of business needed from that trade then allow as many masters to set up shop as the business could support. \nConsumer and Worker Protection\n\nIn protecting its own members, the guilds protected the consumer as well.\n\nMany craft regulations prevented poor workmanship. Each article had to be examined by a board of the guild and stamped as approved. \nBecause of lack of artificial light, work at night was prohibited. \nIn Florence the number of dyers was specified by the guild. In one place it was forbidden to see pigs fattened by a barber-surgeon lest the pig had been fattened on rich peoples' blood. \nMetalware plating was tantamount to fraud and, therefore, was forbidden. \nTo regulate competition between members the guild forbade advertising. \nAll prices were regulated \nCraftsmen could take work outside where it could be seen. \nPrice-cutting was strictly forbidden. \nTo preserve its monopoly a guild forbade the sale of foreign artisans' work within a city. \nThe most important processes used in manufacturing were guarded. In Florence a worker who possessed any essential trade secrets and for some reason fled to a foreign territory must be tracked down and killed lest he divulge the information. \nMonopoly existed within individual guilds through the limitation of the number of masters. \nNo member was ever allowed to corner the market by purchasing a large supply of a product or commodity so as to be able to fix the price. \nServices Performed by Guilds\nGuilds performed other services for their members as well. They\n\nprovided funeral expenses for poorer members and aid to survivors; \nprovided dowries for poor girls; \ncovered members with a type of health insurance and provisions for care of the sick; \nbuilt chapels; \ndonated windows to local churches or cathedrals; \nfrequently helped in the actual construction of the churches; \nwatched over the morals of the members who indulged in gambling and usury; and \nwere important for their contribution to emergence of Western lay education. In earlier times, the only schools in existence had been the monastic or cathedral schools. \nGuilds and Community Interrelationships\n\nThe members of the guild were called confraternities, brothers helping one another. From the political viewpoint, the guild was neither sovereign nor unrelated to society outside the guild and town organization. As a collective un