The ODD history of Medieval Guilds
Jason Kingsley, the Modern Knight, discusses strange Medieval Guilds, an early form of trade association and the powerful urban …
source
February 17, 2026
Headlines
"Harmony in Every Heartbeat
Jason Kingsley, the Modern Knight, discusses strange Medieval Guilds, an early form of trade association and the powerful urban …
source
I've managed to arrange some clothing affiliate links with Burgschneider here as so many people were asking about cloaks and hoods.
Capes & Cloaks
https://burgschneider.com/en-de/collections/capes?sca_ref=6367457.sWBD8RmUzF&sca_source=7-2-24
Hoods & Headwear:
https://burgschneider.com/en-de/collections/headgear?sca_ref=6367457.sWBD8RmUzF&sca_source=7-2-24
https://burgschneider.com/modernhistory
I caan't understand 80% of the comment sections comments.
I'd call Unions modern Guilds. They have the same objectives and range of power (some large and influential, others struggling to survive), but instead of competing with other professionals of the same type, they're competing against corporations — the new aristocracy and common enemy of the working class.
Guilds sound like modern-day unions
The Industrial Revolution and its consequences have been a disaster for the human race
Many thanks. You're a great historian Jason
What happened to men thrown out and losing their freeman status? Perhaps many became bandits/highwaymen.
This is such an awesome thing to think about
I think the medieval Jewish population of Europe might suggest they came up with some of this financial stuff way before the guilds took the ball and ran away with it
If you lost your freedom in a town you would join the thieves guild.
So when are you starting The Most Honourable Guild of Youtubers?
The man's just laughing at the great Fishmonger Goldsmith wars as if it wasn't one our darkest days in human history
Jason Kingsley is so good
Ken Follet describes the arrival in a Medieval town by his son asking him "What is that terrible smell?" "People, the father answers"
theres a good story lost to father time in that mass brawl with the fish mongers and gold smiths lol how on earth did those two particular beams get crossed?
Could we have something on actors guilds. (If they were a thing). Plays and acting in mid to late medieval. Possibly in Cornwall, Wales and Brittany as well as in England:).
Sorry, I don't know if you do requests.
How abour the thieves guild
One thing everyone in a medieval town had in common? Dysentery! ^-^ Just kidding, but when that question was asked at the beginning of the video, i could not help myself.
Oh, good grief! Suddenly, the image of Mickey Mouse as the Sorcerer’s Apprentice popped into my mind. I know, I know, I am old! But it still is funny.
Its a pity corruption has more or less destroyed today's unions the lack of unions keeping up they're end of the deal didn't help either
In the Crown of Aragon, they were called 'gremis' (plural form) and in Sardinia, we inherited them in that form from the Catalan-Aragonese. They still exist today and organise religious festivals and processions (included the Carnival of Oristano 😄)
I just discovered your channel and i love your eccentric professor vibe!
I had captions on and really was worried about smelling "horrse dong" in the streets. Lol.
I love the mercenary hatters hiding out in the woods and making substandard tams.
theyre all wannkkkers ….is this the correct answer as to what all the people in a medival city have on common
2:50
I thought you were going to say they became the lawyers' guild.
They all became Mad Hatters😂
So are modern freemasons related to the guilds? I know the masons who built medieval cathedrals had strict codes of membership.
Again, first class delivery of medieval information on our ancestors daily lives. A pleasure to watch and listen 😁
You do FANTASTIC work! Thank you so much for educating people about the middle ages in such a colourful way.
I think we could use some of that price control in modern times!
For young people looking for work today, join a union and learn a craft. Skilled workers will always be able to find employment. Your labor and the solidarity of your fellow workers affords power today just as it did then. There is no force on Earth weaker than the feeble strength of one.
Supposedly had family members from several generations ago help work in beer brewing in Bavaria.
Not only was there laws to upkeep the quality of the beer, but apprentices were not even allowed to be left alone in the room with the beer until they had something like 10-12 years experience.
I'm sure the number had been embellished a little each generation as the stories got passed down, but the point was apprenticeship was taken very seriously.
The trade guilds in those times often acted as diplomats for the King. They were best placed for that kind of work.
They became mad hatters, spending their days scaring little girls
The hatters got mad, bro 😂
One thing about the no inflation was they also used hard money and weren’t known for debasement, as such the money supply was rather stable so that prices didn’t really need to go up
Very informative channel. Just subscribed and thumbs up. Thanks, from the States.
Hmmm sounds like a union
Ofc there is no record of Thieves guild. That's the whole point having a Thieves guild so they can steal things including records of their existence lol.
There is still a guild for carpenters in the uk
This channel is excellent and exactly what YouTube should all be
Guilds led to Democracy. Freemasons came from masonry guilds, and George Washington and many revolutionaries were. Jacobins also had a guild-like structure, although it was more a political group, and also had many freemasons.
Some of them sound like an HOA.
Societies do better under stricter rules and limitations. This is brilliant.
A banished hatter going on a bad hat making rampage in the woods sounds like an amazing plot of a video game.
The adventurer walking along a path and there's a 'Pssst, hey man. Wanna buy a hat?' coming from the bushes. And there's just this shifty looking dude there with a pile of wonky hats there..