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No, in the Middle Ages, crafts organizations were called guilds, and their function was rather different from the function of a union.
The guilds regulated trade in the craft, including standards, who could be involved, what the educational requirements were, and to some extent the market conditions, prices, and so on. Guilds also formed alliances with other crafts guilds, just as unions do, but also with trade guilds. Sometimes these alliances actually took over the governments of towns and cities. The Hanseatic League, which was an international organization, was an alliance of the local guild alliances, and it entered into its own treaties, had its own military ability, and waged its own wars.
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Is a modern descendent of the medieval guilds?
Labor Unions
What was the name given to the groups that protected and set standards for merchants and crafts people in medieval towns?
In Medieval England, tradesmen in the same craft joined a local guild. This guild acted like a modern union in many ways. All tradesmen were required to join their respective guilds. The guilds also provided training for apprentices who were accepted into their programs.
What were medieval guilds?
1st AnswerAn Association of individuals who share professional interests. Guilds were formed to protect members, set prices, and standardize quality. Notable guilds in the medieval ages are merchants guilds, the masons guild, and the often overlooked universities, which are a form of guilds. Guild members often wore certain colours and cuts of clothing to identify themselves. This is where the traditional gown worn in university graduation ceremonies comes from.2nd AnswerThe earliest medieval guilds may have begun with Roman guilds that survived into the Middle Ages. Among these were the masons' and glass makers' guilds. A document of Verona in the seventh century refers to a soap makers' guild in that city. Guilds provided protection from competition for members, regulated the crafts they represented, and provided a well defined path for new members to join. They also provided minimum standards for their trades, and in this way benefited their customers to some degree.The particulars of these things varied quite a lot. The usual path for new members was to go through a series of stages starting as apprentices. After apprenticeship, they were permitted to practice a trade independently as journeymen, but were not considered masters. A masterwork, submitted to the guild and accepted, earned them the title of master and full guild membership. This was the usual path, but there were others, including being born into or purchasing memberships in some guilds, notably as merchants.Guilds banded together, especially when they were in the same town. Towns and cities of guilds also banded together for mutual support, and the greatest such organization was the Hanseatic League, which had its own armed forces and rivaled nations.Guilds often controlled local economies. Sometimes groups of guilds controlled the politics of a town or city. This was true in some of the the Italian medieval communes, which were city states.
Life of a merchants in the Middle Ages?
Since the merchants and their families were wealthy they ate like the nobles alot of meat cheeses breads and sweetbreads. They were usually very large because of their diets but it was the fashion that the bigger the better of you where.
What did the merchant guilds regulate?
Guilds regulated several standards including pay rates, hours worked, and other workplace related items. They operated much like the labor unions of today.
