Trade guilds

As early as the 11th century, informal organizations of people sharing the same profession or trade began to emerge in the Low Countries. These artisans often lived together in the same streets and neighborhoods of medieval towns. In the regions that today make up Flanders, they were primarily active in the food supply chain, the textile industry, the construction sector, leatherworking, and metalworking, …

Many street names in Flemish cities still reflect that concentration of people in the same profession.

The Vleeshuis in Antwerp, the butchers' guild hall, 1844 - © University Library, Antwerp Wikimedia Commons

The Antwerp Museum Vleeshuis is the oldest guild hall in the city on the Scheldt.

By the late Middle Ages, various occupational groups had begun to organize themselves into formal craft guilds. In addition to providing social support for their own members and passing on technical knowledge, they also increasingly sought political influence. Certainly from the 14th century onward, they left their mark on the urban economy. They helped determine regulations governing industry and trade, enforced quality standards for raw materials and finished products, and oversaw working conditions.

The Ghent City Museum STAM houses an important collection of heritage related to crafts and guilds.

The guild houses “Den Cruywagen” (tanners) and “Den Sack” (carpenters and coopers) on Brussels’ Grand Place - © Wikimedia Commons, photo by Pol Mayer

Other city museums, such as the Lier City Museum, also focus on urban crafts in the Middle Ages and the modern era.

The “Buyldragershuisje” in Lier, belonging to the guild of the buyldragers (dockworkers) - © Wikimedia Commons

Sometimes the guilds also played an important military role: for example, during the Battle of the Golden Spurs in 1302, the army of the Count of Flanders consisted largely of artisans.

Prominent leaders of the Flemish forces in the Battle of the Golden Spurs, such as the weaver Pieter de Coninck, came from the craft guilds.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, the guilds lost political influence as the administration of the Flemish region became more centralized under the Habsburgs. Nevertheless, they continued to play an important role in urban society until the French Revolution.

In every major city, the craft guilds built richly decorated houses in central locations, such as the Grand Place in Brussels; take a virtual tour of the site.

This story was created by Geheugen Collectief for FAAM – Virtual Museum.