History of our Guild
The origin of Guilds
Guilds have always been there. When we investigate the meaning of the word, we encounter the Goths, a people one with nature. They were bound together by strong relationships and they loved to feast and drink together. They commemorated their dead on special occasions with elaborate funerary feasts with strong religious meaning. The sacrifice or contribution (usually in natura) was called 'gilde', the germanic form of 'guild'. The meaning of the word 'guild' changed in to meaning the meal itself and later also to mean the party of people taking part in the meal or feast.The Middle Ages
During the middle ages a guild meant an organizational form of groupings within a community. There was one communal purpose, one central purse with compulsory contributions from each member, connections with religion, great attention to the deceased and frequent meals taken together. The term 'fraternal brother' showed that the brotherhood was protected to the exclusion of others. Men were to help an assist each other. Brotherhood was a way to to hold their own in a hostile world.Saint Sebastian and the crusades
In the 7th century, the christian city of Jerusalem is conquered by the Persians and later the Arabs. In 1077 the affluent city is captured by the Turkish muslims. Although the Christians were more or less left alone on their pilgrimages to the Holy City, the pope called for a crusade to liberate Jerusalem. The first great organized crusade was undertaken around 1096 by Godfried van Bouillon. The purpose of the crusade was to liberate the True Cross and to ensure the safety of the pilgrimages that had been undertaken to Jerusalem for centuries. The first crusaders acted under the protection of Sebastian. The Jerusalem Cross became the heraldic symbol of Sebastian. Later, the crusades fought under the protection of Joris, the leader of the third crusade.The oldest archer guilds at the end of the 13th century
The oldest archer guilds came into to existence at the the end of the crusades, circa the end of the 13th century. These armed archer guilds were founded or confirmed by feudal lords. They were male only groups, because only men were allowed to bear arms. The purpose of the guild was to protection and defence of the citizens. The archer guilds are the oldest living culture form from early times that have maintained there original set-up. A guild is officially recognized when it is awarded the 'Ceart', the so-called memorandum of association that contains the first rules and regulations. The oldest cearts were awarded to the crossbow guild of Saint Joris and later to the longbow guild of Saint Sebastian.History Saint Sebastian's in The Hague
The Hague originally had two archer guilds, St. Joris and St. Sebastian. The St. Joris guild had their archery targets set up on the Toernooiveld in the Hague. Al that remains of the guild hall is a small tower and the keystone of the gable. Round about 1462-1464, Charles the Bold ordered another three target ranges built next to the targets of St. Joris. In 1509 the archers guild of St. Sebastian built a new archery building with the permission of the Austrian emperor Maximillian. It was built on the same site as the old archery targets. From 1636 the targets of the St Sebastian archers were placed next to the Viverberg, the present location of the Historical Hague Museum. The coat of arms of the St. Sebastian Archers Guild can still be seen above the entrance of the museum.Source: Historical museum of The Hague, the internet.