Businesses in the Middle Ages:
Working in a Guild
Learning Targets
• I can determine the impact of specialization and training
on production.
• I can define medieval, Middle Ages, specialization,
productivity, guild, trade, apprentice, journeyman,
master and monopoly.
• I can describe the organization and purposes of guilds in
medieval Europe.
• I can analyze a historical document to identify the role of
guild workers in the Hatters Guild in medieval London.
Lesson 16- BIG Picture
Time Required/Recommended:
– One 45 minute session for the production
activity.
– One 30 minute session for analyzing the
historical document.
Outside Materials Needed:
– Two sheets of newspaper for each student
– Several rolls of tape
Terms You Will Review or Learn
Historical Terms
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Medieval
Middle Ages
Guild
Trade
Apprentice
Journeyman
Master
Economics Terms
•Specialization
•Productivity
•Monopoly
LESSON 16 – BUSINESS IN THE MIDDLE AGES: WORKING IN A GUILD
FOUR IMPORTANT
DEFINITIONS: #1
Medieval: Relating to the Middle Ages.
The Middle Ages are often dated from the
fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th
century C.E. to the beginning of the
Renaissance in the 15th century.
FOCUS MIDDLE SCHOOL WORLD HISTORY © COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC EDUCATION, NEW YORK, NY
LESSON 16 – BUSINESS IN THE MIDDLE AGES: WORKING IN A GUILD
FOUR IMPORTANT
DEFINITIONS: #2
Guild: A business group formed by
workers in the same occupation to
promote their interests. Guilds were
common in medieval Europe between
the 11th and 16th centuries. Carpenters,
weavers, painters, goldsmiths, hat
makers, and many other types of
workers formed guilds.
FOCUS MIDDLE SCHOOL WORLD HISTORY © COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC EDUCATION, NEW YORK, NY
LESSON 16 – BUSINESS IN THE MIDDLE AGES: WORKING IN A GUILD
FOUR IMPORTANT
DEFINITIONS # 3
Specialization: A situation where people
produce a narrower range of goods and
services than they consume. Guilds
involved specialization, since guild
workers only produced one type of
product. Specialization allows people to
increase their productivity.
FOCUS MIDDLE SCHOOL WORLD HISTORY © COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC EDUCATION, NEW YORK, NY
LESSON 16 – BUSINESS IN THE MIDDLE AGES: WORKING IN A GUILD
FOUR IMPORTANT
DEFINITIONS # 4
Productivity: The productivity of a
worker refers to the output for a worker
in a certain time period, such as an hour
or a day.
FOCUS MIDDLE SCHOOL WORLD HISTORY © COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC EDUCATION, NEW YORK, NY
Answer Me This…
• How might specializing in something allow
each worker to increase his or her
productivity?
• For instance, how might a worker who specialized
as a weaver be able to weave more cloth in a day
than someone else?
A person who specializes in weaving would have
more practice and better skills and would know
how to weave faster.
Why did workers in cities organize
themselves into guilds?
• You are going to become a hatter, in order
to find out!
Rules For Hat Making
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Quality is important!
No talking
No working together
Keep your eyes on your own work
Hat Standards
• How did you know the standards for your hat?
• How well will the completed hats hold up in
today’s weather?
• How many hats did we make? How is the
quality?
• Volunteer- Let’s collect those hats!
Why did workers in cities organize
themselves into guilds?
Let’s find out a bit more about
guilds…
LESSON 16 – BUSINESS IN THE MIDDLE AGES: WORKING IN A GUILD
GUILD ORGANIZATION:
Apprentices
An apprentice was a young person (most
often male) who worked for a guild master
while learning a trade. Apprentices often
began at age 12 and were given room and
board at the master’s house, but earned
no money. Apprenticeships could last for
2–7 (or more) years.
FOCUS MIDDLE SCHOOL WORLD HISTORY © COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC EDUCATION, NEW YORK, NY
LESSON 16 – BUSINESS IN THE MIDDLE AGES: WORKING IN A GUILD
GUILD ORGANIZATION:
Journeymen
After finishing the apprenticeship, the
worker could become a journeyman.
Journeymen, or day laborers, were paid
wages by the day while working in the
trade.
FOCUS MIDDLE SCHOOL WORLD HISTORY © COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC EDUCATION, NEW YORK, NY
LESSON 16 – BUSINESS IN THE MIDDLE AGES: WORKING IN A GUILD
GUILD ORGANIZATION:
Masters
A master (or master craftsman) was a full
member of the guild and could start his own
business.
To become a master and a full member of the
guild, journeymen sometimes had to produce a
“masterpiece” in their trade. If the masterpiece
was accepted by the guild members, they could
vote to accept the journeyman as a master in the
guild.
It was an honor to be a guild member. Some
masters were chosen to be inspectors to make
sure that other guild members’ products were of
a high standard or quality.
FOCUS MIDDLE SCHOOL WORLD HISTORY © COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC EDUCATION, NEW YORK, NY
Benefits of Belonging to a Guild
• What might be some benefits of
belonging to a guild?
Welcome Apprentices to the
Hatters Guild of London!
Watch carefully as I demonstrate how to
make one of these lovely hats.
Masters teach groups
Two minutes to complete your hat
Ask questions of your master and each
other
Masters’ Quality Report
How many hats meet the standards of the
Hatters Guild?
Were more “good” hats made this time?
Masters, share a few comments on quality
Who Benefits From Quality?
Quality, Quality, Quality
How do consumers benefit?
How do producers benefit?
LESSON 16 – BUSINESS IN THE MIDDLE AGES: WORKING IN A GUILD
SOME PURPOSES OF GUILDS
• Provided training for apprentices to learn
to make the product.
• Provided day labor and wages for
journeymen.
• Set standards for the quality of the goods
produced.
• Established a monopoly and restricted
competition in the trade occupation.
- A monopoly is when there is only one seller of a product.
If a guild had a monopoly, it could set a higher price than
it could with competition.
FOCUS MIDDLE SCHOOL WORLD HISTORY © COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC EDUCATION, NEW YORK, NY
LESSON 16 – BUSINESS IN THE MIDDLE AGES: WORKING IN A GUILD
SOME PURPOSES OF GUILDS
• Gained influence over local governments
to be able to promote the interests of the
guild members.
• Provided for the families of guild members
in case of illness or death.
• Encouraged religious living following
Christian practices.
FOCUS MIDDLE SCHOOL WORLD HISTORY © COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC EDUCATION, NEW YORK, NY
How do historians know what
happened in the past?
• Primary Source Document:
“The Rules of the Hatters of London”
-What were the rules?
• As a group, answer questions 1-6
Let’s Compare and Contrast
1. What powers did the mayor of London
have in 1347?
-The mayor had the power to approve the
Hatters Guild’s rules. Also, defective hats were
brought before the Mayor and he appears to
have been in charge of punishing those who
caused defects.
Let’s Compare and Contrast
2a. What was the role of the wardens in the
Hatters Guild?
-The wardens “rule and watch the trade.” They
examine all the hats for sale in the area and have the
power to bring defective hats before the Mayor.
2b. How did someone get to be warden in the
Hatters Guild in London in 1347?
-If you were one of six of the most lawful men of the
trade, you could be assigned to be a warden.
Let’s Compare and Contrast
3. How long would someone be an
apprentice in the Hatters Guild of London
in 1347?
-7 years
Let’s Compare and Contrast
4. Why is there a rule saying that “no
workman in the trade shall do any work by
night, but only in clear daylight”?
-Rule 6 says that some workmen have made
hats that are not of high quality, and this has
caused “…scandal, shame and loss to the
good folks of the hatters trade.” Therefore, if
hats can only be made in daylight, the
wardens can inspect the work.
Let’s Compare and Contrast
5. What evidence is in the document that some
people in London were not free in 1347?
-Rule 2 says that no one can make or sell hats in
London if he is not free [and from London].
Rule 4 says that no one in the hatters trade can take an
apprentice if he is not a freeman of London.
If you took an apprentice for less than seven years, you
would lose your freedom and have to buy it back.
The third time a workman is caught working at night, he
loses his freedom.
Let’s Compare and Contrast
6. What are some of the punishments that
existed in Lpondon in 1347 for not
following the riles of the Hatters Guild?
- Rule 2:Give up the ahts he made or was
selling; Rule 3: lose freedom until he buys it
back; Rule 6: pay a fine to the Guildhall and
lose one’s freedom.
Let’s Review Key Terms
Historical Terms
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Medieval
Middle Ages
Guild
Trade
Apprentice
Journeyman
Master
Economics Terms
•Specialization
•Productivity
•Monopoly
Making Connections
1. How did the guild system increase worker
productivity?
2. Why did guilds result in higher quality
products?
3. Why did guilds result in higher prices?