The Secret History of Freemasonry

4

Secular Brotherhoods:

The Germanic and

Anglo-Saxon G u i l d s

In examining the rise of secular brotherhoods and guilds in the
Middle Ages, we move into the realm of new associations in which pro-
fessional objectives became predominant and secular elements became
oriented in a technical direction.

The Secular Brotherhoods

The first secular brotherhoods appeared in the middle of the twelfth
century. Their appearance is connected to two interdependent factors:
the enthusiasm of faith and the communal movement.
Born from vast religious and social upheavals that were then taking
place, the brotherhoods first assembled with a general common pur-
pose of uniting all people from all trades. As their goals became more
precise, they became more specialized in the professional sphere, gath-
ering together individuals of the same profession, starting with trades-
men, then craftsmen.
We can see in the general features of these brotherhoods the social
context from which they sprang and the changes society was undergoing.