It has been suggested that Artisan#Artisan guilds be merged into this article or section. (Discuss)

A trade as an occupation usually refers to the profession that require some particular kind of skilled work. In historical sense, particularly as pertinent to the Medieval history and earlier, the term is usually applied towards people occupied in most kinds of crafts and small-scale production of goods. Image File history File links Please see the file description page for further information. ... An artisan, also called a craftsman, is a skilled manual worker who uses tools and machinery in a particular craft. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... A craft is a skill, especially involving practical arts. ...

The household whose of the members of the society occupied in trade professions were, not as self-sufficient, as those engaged in agricultural work and, as such, had to rely on exchange of goods. Agriculture is the process of producing food, feed, fiber and many other desired products by the cultivation of certain plants and the raising of domesticated animals (livestock). ... A fruit stand at a market. ...

Tradesmen tended to concentrate in urban centers and formed the guilds. Involvement in trade professions and the need to be permanently involved in the exchange of goods also demanded a generally higher level of education and in societal hierarchy the tradesmen were usually in a more privileged position than the peasantry. A guild is an association of people of the same trade or pursuits (with a similar skill or craft), formed to protect mutual interests and maintain standards of morality or conduct. ...