Guild



A   is an association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular area. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradesmen, belonging to: a, a , a , and/or a. They sometimes depended on grants of from a monarch or other ruler to enforce the flow of trade to their self-employed members, and to retain ownership of tools and the supply of materials, but are mostly regulated by the. Guild members found guilty of cheating on the public can be fined or banned from the guild.

Typically the key “privilege” is that only guild members were allowed to sell their goods or practice their skill within a city. There might be controls on minimum or maximum prices, hours of trading, numbers of apprentices, and many other things. These rules reduce free competition, but often maintain a good quality of work. Often these rules make it difficult or impossible for immigrants to a town or city, and non-guildsmen to run businesses working in a trade.

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