A gilde was a guild, an organization of people of the same occupation in a certain town or region. Guilds were since the Middle Ages and some of them continued to operate until around 1800, when the French made an end to their monopolies. Most guilds had rules about admittance and training. Apprentices or gezellen could only become full members (masters) after years of training and passing a master's test. Guilds were especially powerful in larger towns, where guilds held privileges which … [Read more...]