Were there really such things as a Medieval Thieves Guild or Assassins Guild? Let's find out! Get Surfshark VPN at https://Surfshark.deals/invicta and enter promo code INVICTA for 83% off and 3 extra months for free!

Its a common medieval and fantasy trope to see organized crime take the form of powerful guilds like the Thieves Guilds or Assassins Guilds of the Elder Scrolls series. But were these real?

We begin to answer this question but speaking generally about Medieval Crime and Law. Next we turn to one of the most widely attested to forms of criminal activity in Medieval daily life, banditry. We cover the various forms of bandits which might be encountered on the roads or in the forests and wilds of the past. Some of these assailants were criminals of opportunity while others were professional criminals. However a large portion of bandits were actually medieval soldiers. We then move on to talk about other common groups of law breakers such as criminal families, gangs, and mafias. All of these have quite a strong historical presence.

We then turn to the more specific form of organized crime that would rise to the level of something like a D&D thieves guild or a Skyrim assassins guild. The subject is explored by looking at three key examples from our records, the story of the Coquillards, the Garduna, and the Banu Sasan. Watch the video to learn more about whether these supposed thieves guilds were real.

Sources and Suggested Reading
Trevor Dean, Crime in Medieval Europe
Mike Dash, “Islam’s Medieval Underworld”
Norman Cohen, “Europe’s Inner Demons”
Andrew Ayton, “Robin Hood and Military Service in the Fourteenth Century”
Laura Crombie, “Archery and Crossbow Guilds in Medieval Flanders, 1300-1500”
B. Anne Tlusty, “The Martial Ethic in Early Modern Germany”
Gervase Rosser, “The Art of Solidarity in the Middle Ages”
"The Iberian Mafia de la Garduña"

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