Marisia - Maros Megyei Múzeum Évkönyve 29/2. (2009)
Cultură materială
100 Marisia XXIX In the nineteenth century, capitalism and the new production methods gave a serious blow to Transylvanian guilds. The practiced prices, market policy, as well as the anachronistic exclusivity generated massive changes in the mentality of guildsmen (the acceptance of machines that produced faster and better, professional freedom, etc). Once dissolved (1872), Transylvanian guilds transformed into companies, and their former members became their employees. Below, I will discuss some of the aspects concerning the guild life of the saddlers from Sibiu in the eighteenth century. A Short Historical Account of Saddle Making The crafts of saddle making and belt making developed simultaneously as branches of the craft of leather processing. In the fifteenth century, saddlers and belt-makers formed independent guilds in certain towns and one guild in others. In Bistrita in 1465, one of the defense towers belonged to saddlers and another to belt-makers, which means that these crafts had powerful and influential guilds.1 This is due to the abundance of raw material in the area of Bistrita [Bistritz/Besterce], Another major center for these crafts was Cluj [Klausenburg/Kolozsvár]. In 1453, fifteen German beltmakers and five Hungarian saddlers are mentioned in this town. In 1484, in the same town, saddlers, belt-makers, bowyers, sword-makers, shieldmakers, and arrow-makers reorganized their guild.1 2 The most important towns in which saddle making developed were Sibiu and Bra§ov. This was due to the local needs, the abundance of raw materials in the areas around the two towns, as well as the demand coming from the two Romanian Principalities from across the Carpathians. In the sixteenth century, saddle making witnessed a steady development because of the rise in war expenditure and because their products were essential to any army having cavalry outfits. Documents from most of the Transylvanian towns mention belt-makers and saddlers, either as individual masters, or as organized in guilds. In 1507, the saddlers and belt-makers from Media? [Mediash/Medwisch] are mentioned;3 on October 9, 1510, upon the request of the saddler masters Georgius and Thomas from Sighi§oara [Schäßburg/Segesvär], the Magistrate 1 E. Csallner, Denkwürdigkeiten aus dem Nösnergau, Bistrita, 1941, p. 26. 2 G. Gündisch, Herta Gündisch, K. Gündisch, G. Nussbächer, Urkundenbuch zur Geschichte der Deutschen in Siebenbürgen, vol 7, Bucure§ti, 1991, pp. 374-376, doc. Nr. 4577; S. Goldenberg, Clujul in secolul al XVl-lea, p. 135; 3 §t. Pascu, Me$te$ugurile in Transilvania pänä in secolul al XVl-lea, Bucurejti 1954, p. 137.
