The access to corporative craftsmanship in eighteenth-century Madrid: an analysis of guild master diplomas

Authors

  • José Antolín Nieto Sánchez

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ihe.2012.07.001

Keywords:

Guilds, Work, Eighteenth Century, Madrid, N33, N63, N90, N93

Abstract

This article is a contribution to the comprehensive re-examination of the role of guilds in early-modern urban economies, which has been undertaken by European scholars over the last two decades. The study of a series of 3,343 guild master diplomas obtained by journeymen in eighteenth-century Madrid reveals a diverse pattern of access to mastership. The majority of Madrid's skilled workforce had not been born in the city, nor were they guildmasters’ sons. In early-modern Madrid, the reproduction of the guilds was closely tied to political regulation, but this did not preclude them from organizing their own skilled labour markets. This evidence helps us to clear these institutions of the accusation that their corporative, inbred nature was responsible for their lengthy crisis.

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How to Cite

Nieto Sánchez, J. A. (2019). The access to corporative craftsmanship in eighteenth-century Madrid: an analysis of guild master diplomas. Investigaciones De Historia Económica, 9(2), 97–107. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ihe.2012.07.001

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ARTICLES