Guilds of Brussels
Historic craft associations in Brussels, Belgium
Guildhalls on the Grand-Place/Grote Markt in BrusselsThe Guilds of Brussels (French : Guildes de Bruxelles ; Dutch : Gilden van Brussel ), grouped in the Nine Nations of Brussels (French : Neuf Nations de Bruxelles ; Dutch : Negen Naties van Brussel ), were associations of craft guilds that dominated the economic life of Brussels in the late medieval and early modern periods . From 1421 onwards, they were represented in the city government alongside the patrician lineages of the Seven Noble Houses of Brussels ,[ 1] States of Brabant as members of the Third Estate . As of 1421, they were also able to become members of the Drapery Court of Brussels . Together with the Seven Noble Houses, they formed the city's bourgeoisie . Some of their guildhouses can still be seen as part of the Grand-Place/Grote Markt (Brussels' main square), a UNESCO World Heritage Site .
Roll of arms of members of the Drapery Court (1713–1724)
Composition
Rather than being limited to a specific trade, each of the nine "nations" grouped a number of guilds.
These "nations" were:[ 2]
Nation of Our Lady : butchers, salt-fishmongers , greengrocers, sawyers , goldsmiths and silversmiths .Nation of St Giles : mercers , victuallers , fruiterers , boatmen , plumbers and fresh-fishmongers .Nation of St Lawrence : weavers , bleachers , fullers , hatters , tapestry makers and linen weavers .Nation of St Gery : tailors, stockingmakers, haberdashers , furriers , embroiderers , second-hand clothes dealers and barber surgeons .Nation of St John : blacksmiths , tinsmiths , farriers , pan smiths , cutlers , locksmiths and watchmakers , painters, goldbeaters and glassmakers, saddlers and harness makers , turners , plasterers and stuccatores , thatchers and basket weavers .Nation of St Christopher : dyers , cloth shearers , lacemakers and chairmakers .Nation of St James : bakers and pastry bakers , millers , brewers , coopers , cabinetmakers , tilers and vintners .Nation of St Peter : glovers, tanners , belt makers , shoemakers and cobblers .Nation of St Nicholas : armourers and swordsmiths , pedlars , spurriers and gilders , gunsmiths , carpenters , and the stonecutters , masons , sculptors and slaters .
Abolition
The guilds in Brussels, and throughout Belgium, were suppressed in 1795, during the French period of 1794–1815 . The furniture and archives of the Brussels guilds were sold at public auction on the Grand-Place in August 1796.[ 2]
See also
References
^ David M. Nicholas, The Later Medieval City: 1300–1500 (Routledge, 2014), p. 139.
^ a b A. Graffart, "Register van het schilders-, goudslagers- en glazenmakersambacht van Brussel, 1707–1794", tr. M. Erkens, in Doorheen de nationale geschiedenis (State Archives in Belgium , Brussels, 1980), pp. 270–271.
