The Law on Guilds

Preamble

In this year of peace and growing trade, under the watchful rule of King Mador Insula, the Great Isle Union finds itself bound by many crafts and trades, yet divided by greed and unmeasured rivalry.

Therefore, to secure justice among merchants and craftsmen, to root out unlawful brotherhoods, and to ensure that every trade serves both the Crown and the Common Good, His Majesty decrees — with the assent of Parliament — this Law on Guilds, to bind all guilds within the Great Isle Union under a single lawful order.

Article I — Of Lawful Recognition

1. No guild shall exist or conduct business within the Great Isle Union save by Royal Warrant and recognition through the Guild Union of the settlement wherein it resides.
2. The Guild Union itself must be acknowledged and enrolled by the National Association of Guilds of the Great Isle Union, which alone carries the Crown’s authority to legitimize or dissolve unions.
3. Any brotherhood, craft circle, or association pretending to act as a guild without lawful recognition shall be deemed unlawful and disbanded by the constables of the Crown.
4. All goods, ledgers, and earnings of such unlawful gatherings shall be seized until such time as proper license and registry are secured.

Article II — Of Guild Leadership and Election

1. Each guild shall have a Guild Master or Mistress, chosen by vote of its members in good standing.
2. The election shall be held every three years, in the presence of a Guild Union officer, to ensure honesty and order.
3. No person may hold the title of Guild Master for more than three consecutive years, nor may they reclaim that office until a full year hath passed.
4. Guilds found to be ruled by unelected masters or self-appointed lords shall be declared in contempt of this law and stripped of charter until corrected.

Article III — Of Guild Scope and Profession

1. Each guild may concern itself with a single craft, trade, or profession only.
2. The mixing of trades — as, for example, a guild of masons and carpenters under one charter — is forbidden unless granted express leave by the Guild Union and approved by the National Association.
3. Should any guild wish to expand its practice into another craft, it must petition for and obtain a separate charter for that new discipline.

Article IV — Of Dues and Revenue

1. Guilds may levy from their members no more than two parts in a hundred (2%) of annual earnings to sustain their hall, officers, and operations.
2. Each Guild Union may, in turn, demand a membership due from every guild beneath it, in such amount as it deems fitting.
3. Yet no Guild Union shall collect more than three parts in a hundred (3%) of the total income of its guilds, except by written consent of the National Association.
4. The National Association of Guilds may levy such sum upon Guild Unions as needed for the maintenance of its hall and officers but shall remain accountable to the Royal Treasury.
5. All dues collected shall be entered into ledgers open for review by guild inspectors, union officers, and royal justiciars.

Article V — Of Guild Unions and the National Association

1. Every settlement recognized under the Crown shall have a Guild Union, wherein all lawful guilds of that place are registered and represented.
2. The Guild Union shall settle disputes among guilds, certify accounts, and ensure that the standards of craftsmanship are upheld.
3. Each Guild Union shall send tribute and report once yearly to the National Association of Guilds, seated in the capital of the Great Isle Union.
4. The National Association shall serve as keeper of all guild charters, arbiter of inter-city disputes, and voice of the crafts before the King and Parliament.
5. No Guild Union may be recognized unless it bears the seal and sanction of the National Association and thus, by extension, of the Crown itself.

Article VI — Of Lawful Conduct

1. No criminal act or unlawful deed shall be permitted or protected under the name of any guild.
2. Guilds found to harbor or profit from thieves, smugglers, murderers, or heretics shall forfeit their charters and properties, and their masters shall be brought before the Royal Justiciar.
3. Guilds shall not interfere in trials of law, nor bribe officers of the city, nor offer secret payment to magistrates or soldiers.
4. Members convicted of criminal acts shall be expelled from the guild rolls and denied re-entry unless by royal pardon.

Article VII — Of Record and Inspection

1. Each guild shall keep a ledger of members, apprentices, fees, and yearly earnings, signed and sealed by its Master and open to review.
2. The Guild Union shall dispatch Inspectors of Trade twice yearly to verify the guild’s accounts, safety, and craft standards.
3. Inspectors may enter any guild hall or workshop during daylight hours with written warrant; resistance to inspection shall be treated as defiance of royal law.
4. Any guild found falsifying its records or concealing profit shall pay thrice the sum hidden as fine to the Crown.

Article VIII — Of Apprentices and Training

1. No person may take or train apprentices except by guild approval and with written contract signed by witnesses.
2. Apprentices shall be entered in the guild ledger and may serve no more than seven years unless bound by mutual consent.
3. Guilds are charged to ensure the safety, teaching, and fair treatment of all apprentices.
4. Any guild that mistreats or exploits its apprentices shall be fined and may lose its right to train further until judged worthy once more.

Article IX — Of Disputes and Resolution

1. Disputes between members of the same guild shall be settled by the Guild Court within the guild hall.
2. Disputes between differing guilds within one city shall be heard by the Guild Union Council.
3. If the matter concerns the welfare of the city or involves two cities of the Union, appeal shall lie with the National Association of Guilds, whose ruling shall be final.
4. The Crown reserves right of intervention should the peace of the realm be endangered.

Article X — Of Penalties and Enforcement

1. Any guild failing to comply with this law shall be fined, suspended, or dissolved by decree of the Royal Justiciar of Trade.
2. Guild leaders proven corrupt or treasonous shall be stripped of office and barred from future leadership for life.
3. The Crown retains full authority to inspect, amend, or abolish any guild or union whose conduct brings harm to the people or to the treasury.
4. Guilds loyal to the law and Crown shall be protected under royal peace and granted favor in matters of trade and charter renewal.

Enactment

Thus is enacted The Law on Guilds, in the Year of Union 1190, by word and seal of His Majesty King Mador Insula, for the unity of trade, the peace of the realm, and the fairness of all dealings among craftsmen and merchants of the Great Isle Union.

Given at the Royal Hall of Commerce upon the Western Isle, in the presence of Parliament, the Masters of the National Association of Guilds, and the Justiciar of Trade.