Guilds in the Middle Ages

This work surveys medieval craft and merchant associations, tracing their origins, geographical spread, organizational varieties, internal administration, and social functions. It examines membership categories such as apprentices, journeymen, and companions, and considers women's roles and capitalistic variants. The author outlines economic, social, moral, and political aims, evaluates strengths and limitations, and analyzes external pressures—market expansion, technological and intellectual change, and state intervention—and internal weaknesses like divisive hierarchies and restrictive regulations. The final chapters describe the progressive decline, legal suppression, and lingering survivals of these associations and assess past attempts at revival.