Dark background with a hand writing on parchment using a quill pen.
Dark background with a hand writing on parchment using a quill pen.

Heraldic Times

  • Step back in time with our blog about Heraldry and the Middle Ages. Explore a world of chivalry where tradition and culture intertwines with war and conquest.
Medieval Guilds

Medieval Guilds

October 31, 2025

The Rise of the Medieval Guilds: Power, Craft, and Community In the early 12th century, long before the reign of King Richard the Lionheart, towns across Europe began to change. Merchants and craftsmen realized they were stronger together than apart. To protect their trades, ensure fair prices, and maintain quality standards, they formed organizations known as guilds. Each trade had its own, from bakers and blacksmiths to weavers and masons, and together they shaped the heartbeat of medieval town life....

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Heraldic Times

Early Heraldic Literature, part 3

Early Heraldic Literature, part 3

Early Heraldic literature was not confined to England. John of Guildford referred to Bartholus as a great authority on the subject of Heraldry. This Bartholus or Bartolo of Sassoferrato was a well know medieval Italian jurist who died in  1356. He has been referred to as the father of international...

Early Heraldic Literature, part 3

Early Heraldic literature was not confined to England. John of Guildford referred to Bartholus as a great authority on the subject of Heraldry. This Bartholus or Bartolo of Sassoferrato was a well know medieval Italian jurist who died in  1356. He has been referred to as the father of international...

READ MORE
Early Heraldic Literature, part 2

Early Heraldic Literature, part 2

One of the most interesting cases of early Heraldic literature comes from a woman, Dame Juliana Berners who wrote the Boke of St. Albans. Very little is known about Dame Juliana beyond her authorship of this book. She was supposedly a Prioress of Sopwell, a convent near St. Albans in...

Early Heraldic Literature, part 2

One of the most interesting cases of early Heraldic literature comes from a woman, Dame Juliana Berners who wrote the Boke of St. Albans. Very little is known about Dame Juliana beyond her authorship of this book. She was supposedly a Prioress of Sopwell, a convent near St. Albans in...

READ MORE
Early Heraldic Literature, part 1

Early Heraldic Literature, part 1

The earliest compositions on the subject of coats of arms are 200 years later than the first appearance of heraldic devices and 100 years after the early Rolls of Arms. John of Guildford, in the late 14th century asks the question “ Who can grant arms ?  “ which he...

Early Heraldic Literature, part 1

The earliest compositions on the subject of coats of arms are 200 years later than the first appearance of heraldic devices and 100 years after the early Rolls of Arms. John of Guildford, in the late 14th century asks the question “ Who can grant arms ?  “ which he...

READ MORE
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