Merchant guild (Russian Empire)

Since the late 18th century, membership in a guild was virtually compulsory for a trader to have the formal status of merchant.

[2] On January 16, 1721, the Chief Magistrate of the Russian Empire, established two guilds: 1) bankers, merchants, major traders, city physicians, pharmacists, gold and silver jewellers, icon painters and artists; 2) small traders and craftsmen.

[3] The Manifesto required the fee of minimum 500 Rubles to acquire the status of merchant and 1% tax of the stated capital.

In the 18th-century Russia, the activity of a merchant was called commerce, which implied a wide range of spheres: from banking and manufacturing to trading.

[6] The guilds were annulled on November 11 (24), 1917, by the decree "On abolition of social estates and civil ranks" of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee.

[7] Merchants of the 1st guild were allowed domestic and international trade, owning factories and plants, river and sea vessels.

[7] The merchants of the 1st guild were allowed to carry swords and sabres and wear the formal attire of the governorate.

Merchants of the 2nd guild were allowed domestic trade, owning factories and plants and river vessels.

[7] The merchants who had the title of honorary citizens were allowed riding coaches drawn by four horses, owning country houses with gardens.

Non-merchant honorary citizens and those of them who belonged to the 2nd guild were also allowed establishing factories and plants, and owning river and sea vessels.

Honorary citizenship freed a person from corporal punishment (abolished in 1863 for all subjects of the empire.

[3] The grandchildren of prominent citizens had the right to apply to the Heraldic Commission of the Senate for hereditary nobility when they came of age.

[10] Part of merchants of that period supported the idea of bonding serfs to factories, thus, making themselves more equal to landed gentry.

[11] But in the 1780s, Russian mercers began to advocate for abolition of serfdom, due to rapid development of their industry.

But in the 18th century, the commercial activity of upper aristocracy had resulted in the government's restricting their right to get engaged in business.

The Charter of the Towns (1785) allowed all free subjects of the empire to enter the merchant guilds.

Landed gentry that had degraded to the class of odnovdortsy or changed the social estate by their will was not counted.

In 1812 the Russian government established a special status for 'trading peasants', who did not have to enter a merchant guild.

[13] In 1812, the so-called trading burgers were obliged to acquire special 'entrepreneur's certificates' (promyslovye svidetelstva).