Gildid

Gildid, in Estonian usage, refers to professional associations known in English as guilds. In medieval and early modern Europe, guilds were organized associations of artisans, tradespeople, and merchants that claimed exclusive rights to practice a particular craft or trade within a town or region. They emerged around the 12th to 13th centuries, growing in cities with trade and craft specialization.

Membership typically required apprenticeship, journeyman, and master status; entry was controlled by the guild and often bound to living conditions and fees. The guild set standards for training, product quality, and pricing, and supervised market entry. Many guilds operated a system of monopolies granted by city charters, granting members exclusive rights to practice their craft in the town.

Besides economic regulation, guilds provided social welfare, mutual aid, charitable work, and social events for its members. They also played a role in local politics, sometimes negotiating with municipal authorities, and in some regions operated as political bodies themselves.

Craft guilds (for shoemakers, blacksmiths, weavers, etc.) and merchant guilds existed; the structure varied by region. The rise of centralized states, industrialization, and changes in commercial practice led to the gradual decline of craft and merchant guilds in the 18th and 19th centuries, although some persisted longer and transformed into professional associations or consumer protection bodies. The concept of guilds left a lasting legacy in the regulation of trades, quality standards, and the idea of organized professional communities.

Today, "guild" also denotes modern professional and hobbyist associations and, in online culture, virtual communities. In Estonia and other Baltic regions, historic guilds were prominent in towns such as Tallinn, reflecting the broader European guild tradition.