Thieves
or Dieb are unsavory rogues who
are persecuted immediately when caught; often times
their accuser executing them without trial
Bankers
or Bankier are rare, found only in large
cities and usually belonged to a powerful household
of wealth, such as the Medici or Fugger. They
were incredibly powerful men that gave handsome rewards
to those who served them well and were vicious in
dealing with their foes. The Medici bought their
way into power in both Italy and France, jumping from
one to the other when either was threatened. They
are believed to be the origins of the Mob.
Guilds
or Gilde were a collective of craftsmen
who kept their education of that craft amongst themselves
to keep their services specialized and ensure that
the market was not flooded with their abilities.
Silversmiths
or Silberschmied are mold-makers, they
made castings of object that are in need. They
were found producing a mold of an object and then
casting the replacement item. Usually they were
simple peddlers that traveled the countryside recasting
spoons and other "silverware"; though rarely
were these eating utensils made of actual silver.
More often they were of pewter or lead (both of which
are poisonous and any reenactor portraying a Silversmith
MUST NOT use such materials!) But more accomplished
Silversmiths made fancy candle-holders, door knobs,
or other fancy decorations for the wealthy.
A
Tinsmith or Blechschmied worked with
very thin sheets of metals such as copper, tin, bronze
and the like. They hand-cut the sheets with
metal sheers as one would cut paper with scissors.
However it is not as easy as it seems, for pieces
of cut sheet metal will retain the incredibly sharp
edge of the sheers.
Blacksmiths
or Grobschmied made iron implements, usually
tools. They shod horses, made candelabras, hinges,
farming tools and the like.
Armoursmiths
or Sarwürker who makes chainmail,
or Plattner who makes plate armour
and helmets. However, period Armoursmiths rarely did
entire suits of armour. More common, an Armoursmith
would specialize in only certain pieces of armour,
either helmets, breastplates, gauntlets, or other
pieces.
A
Weaponsmith or Schwertschmied who crafts
swords, and most probably swords alone, or a Waffenschmied
which might do other things as well like polearms,
theres the Schwertfeger
which makes hilt and polish of swords, and of course
many more specializations.
A
Leather crafter or Lederer
leatherworker in general, but no tanning and no shoemaking.
A Sattler which is a saddle-maker,
a Gerber which is a tanner,
a Schuster who is a shoemaker
and many more.
A
Cobbler or Schuster made shoes of leather,
cloth and canvass. They were highly respected
and hard-found.
Carpenters
or Zimmermann were medieval engineers,
designing and building homes and castles as well as
wood-working on furniture, poles of tents and other
decorations for inside the home.
Clergy
or Geistlichen are men of God. Monks,
Bishops, Friars, Nuns and the like are all Clergymen.
Clerics
or Klerus are spiritual traveling men.
They roamed the countryside spreading the word of
religion. They were most often found at the
battlefield, giving spiritual guidance to the soldiers,
blessing their actions and condemning the actions
of the enemy, and also to give last rights to the
dying.
Thatcher's
or Dachdecker make the
shingles for the roofs of nicer homes and install
them personally, or Strohdecker: aThatcher
of straw roofs.
Soldiers
or Soldat are the conscripted levies
of the army. The usually take tours of duty
as City militia in the bigger City-States or Provinces
where they gain valuable training that would make
them better equipped in the ways of war than their
enemies. Their term of service usually lasts
about two years, but can be extended as deemed by
their rulers. They are the generic infantry
serving in the use of pole arms, bows, crossbows and
other assorted bladed and blunt weapons.
Men-at-Arms
or Söldner are professional soldiers with
highly sought after training and valuable experience
in the ways of war. They might be Mercenaries
rented out by their rulers or soldiers in constant
service at the front lines of troubled territory or
war. These are the more capable and heavier
armoured of the soldiers to be found on the battlefield.
Bowyers
create the bows and crossbows. Different countries
create different types of bows.
Fletchers
or Pfeilmacher create arrows for the bows.
This is a less-paid counter-part to the bower.
Usually an apprentice under a bowyer spends years
making the arrow counterparts until he is allowed
to begin making the bows themselves.
Apothecaries
or Apotheker create salves and ointments
made of herbal remedies and the like.
Nurse-maids
(Kindermädchen), or Chamber-maids (Zimmermädchen)
are the servants to the Ladies of Nobility.
A
Herald or Herold was an exclusive and
difficult job. They had to be able to decipher
the emblems and liveries of a families 'Coat of Arms'
or 'Crest'. He had to know the entire history
of each of those families once recognizing their Crest.
They were highly regarded umpires at tournaments and
skilled artists, replicating the Coat of Arms of the
winners multiple times for each sheet of news and
certificate. They were required to replicate
each with explicit clarity and without any mistake,
for a single error of a families crest might make
claim for another family whose crest resembled the
mistaken one, as each replicated sheet was an official
document..
An
Artesian or Artesisch is a catch-all
term for anyone with artistic abilities, be they sculptors,
painters, poets, book-binders, bards, or other performance-minded
or artistically endeavoring persons.
Stonemasons
or Steinmetz did not have to work strictly
with stone, but were in charge of the quarries and
mines that brought raw minerals to the surface.
They were also in charge of measuring and cutting
block from stone, casting bricks and making mortar
filament.
Barrel-maker
or Fassbinder is one who makes buckets
and barrels and other banded containers.
Cooper
or Küfer
who makes buckets and the like.
Basket maker or Korbflechter is one
who weaves together baskets and other carrying devises.
Weaverr or Weber or a "Wollweber"
(weaver of wool) or a Korbweber, is one who weaves
items such as blankets, crochet, baskets, etc, out
of wool, wicker or the like.
Camp
Follower or Trossweib or Sudlerin from "Sud"
(something which is boiling) which either
refers to washing or cooking. These are the women
who attend to the camp, following thier men off to
war.
These
Nobles or edel kept a private army
at the ready and sent it off to war when beckoned
by their Ruler, or used it to challenge neighbors.
Sometimes the costs of these military campaigns completely
broke the Noble of all his wealth and his land defaulted
to the Rulers of the country, or worse was taken over
by his enemies if he was defeated or slain in battle
or if *his* Ruler was defeated in battle.
Ladies-in-waiting
or Kammerfrau are the unmarried or engaged
women of Nobility.
Knights
or Ritter are a specialized Noble outfitted
in the best of armour and weapons and having a retinue
at his disposal. It was attempted to have Knighting
ceremonies be kept only by the church, but then any
territory official from a King to a Baron or Warlord
found it necessary to distribute this ceremony, called
the Accolade. It was also of the highest order
in thought that Knights be kept of pure Noble blood
and any Knight attempting to take part in a tournament
had to prove his lineage or be rejected. However,
toward the end of the Medieval era anyone who showed
extreme valor on the field of battle was knighted
and it proved impossible to keep track of roles and
Noble bloodlines.
At
times, a commander would loose one of his Knights
on the field of battle and instead of having his Knights'
land defaulted to the state, would Knight a replacement
who would swear an oath of loyalty to that lord, thus
becoming a Serf-Knight and gaining his fallen brethrens'
trust. His fallen brethrens' family would then
come under his protection, kept in the castle and
integrated into the new Knights own household.
At times, it was common for the new Knight to marry
the fallen Knights' wife, thus doubly ensuring his
claim to the land and his predecessors' title.
Glücksritters
are knights for hire.
Raubritters
are robber barons or unscrupulous land-lords.
Fahrender
Ritter is a Knight-errand
