The evolution of craftsmen and the transformation of the social conditions of members of the silk weavers’ guild of Valencia in the eighteenth century

Authors

  • Ricardo Franch Benavent Universidad de Valencia
  • Daniel Muñoz Navarro Universidad de Valencia
  • Luis Rosado Calatayud Universidad de Valencia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1344/rhi.v25i65.21230

Keywords:

Guilds, Artisans, Working conditions, Silk industry

Abstract

The analysis of the 4.996 masters who acquired this status in the Colegio del Arte Mayor de la Seda de Valencia between 1686 and 1835 reveals some of the most important features of this social group and the progressive closure of the corporation in the eighteenth century, contrasting with the relative openness of the late seventeenth century. But also, after defining the total number of artisans enrolled in the guild annually, we could calculate the percentage represented by the new incorporations, ensuring that the crucial boom phase occurred between 1716 and 1725, when the average annual growth rate rose to 6.84%. Subsequently, the growth rate slowed, but remained higher than the overall increase of the corporation, revealing the imbalances that was causing the expansion of the Valencian silk industry.

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How to Cite

Franch Benavent, Ricardo, Daniel Muñoz Navarro, and Luis Rosado Calatayud. 2016. “The Evolution of Craftsmen and the Transformation of the Social Conditions of Members of the Silk weavers’ Guild of Valencia in the Eighteenth Century”. Revista De Historia Industrial — Industrial History Review 25 (65):15-49. https://doi.org/10.1344/rhi.v25i65.21230.

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Articles