The Riga Merchant Guild, also known as the Large Guild of Riga or St. Mary's Guild (German: Die Große Gilde zu Riga, St. Marien-Gilde) was a German merchant guild in Riga, the Latvian capital, which existed from 1354 to 1936.[1]
A precursor, the Heilig-Kreuz-Gilde (Guild of the Holy Cross) was founded around 1252. Riga became a member of the Hanseatic League in 1282, and the German guilds became more prominent in the life of the city.[2] In 1354, the merchants created their own separate guild, independent of the Heilig-Kreuz-Gilde, and called it St. Marien-Gilde. The counterpart of the Merchant Guild was the Small Guild of Riga, also known as The Guild of St. John (Die Kleine Gilde zu Riga, Sankt-Johannis-Gilde), a fraternity of master craftsmen which had separated from the other guilds in 1352.[1]
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