Saint-Omer's Economic System

At the dawn of the 12th century Byzantine suppression of piracy had restarted long distance trading and the end of Viking raids made self defended urban centers viable once again. Bishops and abbots, and later secular lords, realized the value of towns as centers of commerce and sources of revenue, and began to promote them. They provided markets for merchants to meet and trade, as well as secure locations for minting currency. However, few of the Middle Age urban centers had the advantage of truly stable local relationships, let alone along the length of trade routes to the east enjoyed in Roman times. Order throughout Europe relied on a combination of centralized legal authority and personal bonds of vassalage. Lords would give gifts …show more content…
Both were aimed at maximizing political bargaining power in that context towards the end of keeping trade stable and controlled by the guild. Property, rights, and associated obligations were subject to a mess of inheritance laws and precedents both written and unwritten that were a source of constant conflict. The guild as an enduring body provided an escape from the irregular changing of power. This implies that rather than an attempt at more economical or efficient use of resources the guild was an organization of commoners attempting to stabilize the existing system by collectively gaining the rights of a feudal lord. For example the commune of Dover in England was granted representation in parliament alongside barons for the town’s role in defence and trade.
The internal Customs of the Guild of Saint-Omer were geared towards maintaining the integrity of the guild from a trade standpoint and a social one. The first few points are concerned with coercing merchants in the town to join the guild: the guild provides some measure of insurance against personal or property damage, can force non-guild members into purchases, and requires that guild members share amongst each other. The clear intention is that guild members stand together and help each other out while making life more difficult for non-guild …show more content…
Guild members are above the guards and servants at the feast though guards and servants are both recognized with gifts of wine. Knights, clergy, and foreign merchants are welcome to the feast though they are still subject to the rules of etiquette. Locals who join the feast must either pay a steep fine of five shillings or join the guild. The guards and servants don’t have the money to make their membership in the guild meaningful. Knights, clergy, and foreign merchants have pre-existing loyalties that could conflict with a guild membership. Residents of Saint-Omer at the feast are strongly encouraged to join the merchants guild. The strength of the guild was its unity and its utility in organizing mercantile activity in the city and the rules regarding this feast support that end. Buying loyalty and service from town guards and guild servants with wine ensures adequate protection and swift obedience, both important for legitimacy. Treating foreign merchants, knights, and clergy well was important. Landowners and the Church had the wealth to buy goods, and foreign merchants brought the goods to sell to knights and clerics. Lastly the more of the town the guild controlled the more secure their monopoly on trade and the more power the guild