1 00:00:00,110 --> 00:00:16,480 Welcome to Medieval Madness, where we try and shed some light on the dark ages of human history. 2 00:00:16,480 --> 00:00:20,480 In many games you frequently encounter something called a guild. 3 00:00:20,480 --> 00:00:27,480 Mostly they are guilds for warriors, archers, thieves or pretty much every class or playstyle you can choose in the respective game. 4 00:00:27,480 --> 00:00:30,480 But what exactly was a guild in the middle ages? 5 00:00:30,480 --> 00:00:35,859 Well, generally it was an organization for several people who shared the same profession. 6 00:00:36,159 --> 00:00:38,960 So, for example, you'd usually find a carpenter's guild. 7 00:00:39,539 --> 00:00:41,659 What? No, just... Come on, Spencer. 8 00:00:42,740 --> 00:00:43,179 What? 9 00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:46,979 Yeah, just go ahead and found the dragon slayer guild. 10 00:00:47,320 --> 00:00:50,740 I'm just tired of arguing. Just go ahead and do it, okay? 11 00:00:52,159 --> 00:00:55,780 Dear audience, never get a cat who's interested in dragons. 12 00:00:56,479 --> 00:00:57,579 Or dragon slaying. 13 00:00:57,579 --> 00:01:03,520 or anything regarding other mythical creatures that will be slain. 14 00:01:04,859 --> 00:01:05,579 Thank you. 15 00:01:06,260 --> 00:01:09,640 Okay, so originally the first guilds were formed to commemorate members, 16 00:01:09,680 --> 00:01:11,340 not to slay dragons, by the way, 17 00:01:11,939 --> 00:01:15,659 to commemorate members who had passed away and pray for their salvation 18 00:01:15,659 --> 00:01:18,120 as well as supporting their widows and orphans. 19 00:01:18,120 --> 00:01:20,019 So a pretty social idea, right? 20 00:01:20,920 --> 00:01:26,120 However, soon they began to also use their organization to combine their economical potentials 21 00:01:26,120 --> 00:01:29,500 And thus, a typical medieval guild was born. 22 00:01:30,439 --> 00:01:33,900 By the way, that happened during the 12th century approximately, 23 00:01:34,060 --> 00:01:37,260 totally depending on exactly where you were geographically. 24 00:01:37,879 --> 00:01:40,540 Most books speak of two main types of guilds, 25 00:01:40,780 --> 00:01:43,340 mage guilds and thieves guilds, and they were extremely... 26 00:01:43,340 --> 00:01:45,980 That's one book, you idiot! That's the Skyrim game guide! 27 00:01:46,379 --> 00:01:47,299 What the... No. 28 00:01:48,040 --> 00:01:50,959 No, I did the research for this one. This can't be wrong. 29 00:01:51,319 --> 00:01:52,879 It's... Wait, let me... 30 00:01:52,879 --> 00:01:53,980 Let me just check it. 31 00:01:57,859 --> 00:01:58,340 Shit. 32 00:01:58,340 --> 00:02:04,680 I mean, just a joke, I mean craft guilds and merchant guilds, right? 33 00:02:06,000 --> 00:02:08,360 Okay, okay, let's continue. 34 00:02:08,979 --> 00:02:13,699 Both normally were in control of everything regarding their profession inside the city. 35 00:02:14,039 --> 00:02:17,759 This means that they, for example, controlled the market prices for their products 36 00:02:17,759 --> 00:02:20,840 and also decided about quality standards within the city. 37 00:02:21,539 --> 00:02:26,719 Every member had to guarantee a set level of quality for both the resources they used 38 00:02:26,719 --> 00:02:28,979 as well as for the goods they crafted. 39 00:02:29,979 --> 00:02:33,020 In some cities, it was impossible to practice a profession 40 00:02:33,020 --> 00:02:35,120 without being in the respective guild, 41 00:02:35,500 --> 00:02:37,840 and they also controlled the choosing of new apprentices. 42 00:02:38,620 --> 00:02:42,099 Therefore, they controlled the total number of craftsmen in the city. 43 00:02:42,960 --> 00:02:44,900 Something which games mostly get right 44 00:02:44,900 --> 00:02:47,599 is that guilds often had fancy guild halls, 45 00:02:47,599 --> 00:02:50,939 which they used to host feasts and to impress business partners. 46 00:02:51,240 --> 00:02:54,719 Or to host feasts in order to impress business partners. 47 00:02:55,860 --> 00:02:56,659 Not a slight reg. 48 00:02:56,719 --> 00:03:05,020 On top of that, they also guarded the secrets of their profession, and they were dedicated to honor the traditional production methods. 49 00:03:05,620 --> 00:03:15,439 This last point led to various disagreements in the late Middle Ages, because new technology threatened to take over in some professions, and the guilds, well, they just feared it might destroy their traditions. 50 00:03:16,060 --> 00:03:22,060 But surprisingly, even though the guilds had such an influence, some cities just remained guild-free. 51 00:03:22,639 --> 00:03:24,780 Like, not in guilt-free. 52 00:03:24,780 --> 00:03:27,280 maybe some of them were guilty, but 53 00:03:27,280 --> 00:03:29,939 guild-free, right? 54 00:03:30,259 --> 00:03:30,379 Okay. 55 00:03:31,740 --> 00:03:33,800 Well, and with that, that's pretty much it 56 00:03:33,800 --> 00:03:35,780 for now. So, I do hope you enjoyed 57 00:03:35,780 --> 00:03:37,759 this video. If you have a question about the 58 00:03:37,759 --> 00:03:39,580 Middle Ages or any kind of medieval 59 00:03:39,580 --> 00:03:41,780 topic, then don't hesitate to leave a 60 00:03:41,780 --> 00:03:43,659 comment or visit my Facebook page 61 00:03:43,659 --> 00:03:45,039 and leave a message on my timeline. 62 00:03:45,520 --> 00:03:47,919 Also, if you want to help me furthering this series, 63 00:03:48,240 --> 00:03:49,620 then you could check out the Patreon 64 00:03:49,620 --> 00:03:51,580 page that is set up for this project. 65 00:03:52,159 --> 00:03:53,539 Thank you so much for your time, 66 00:03:53,539 --> 00:03:55,219 and until next time.