Apprenticeships could be a living hell
If you think today’s internships are akin to slave labor, think again! They nothing on the Medieval apprenticeship schemes. The system of a young apprentice learning their trade under an experienced master actually originated in this period. From the mid-point of the Middle Ages onwards, master craftsmen were permitted to employ youngsters for free, so long as they provided them with food, a place to sleep and, above all, formal training in their specific craft. Sure, the end result was worth it – having a craft would undoubtedly elevate your status in Medieval society – but getting to the end of an apprenticeship took guts, fortitude and even bravery.
In many cases, apprenticeships were a way for parents to get troublesome teens out of the house and learning some discipline. Unsurprisingly, then, their masters were often very cruel to their young charges. The hours were long and the pay non-existent, much like today’s internships. But, unlike the present day, the masters might give out meager rations, effectively starving their apprentices. What’s more, beatings were commonplace and even to be expected. And, of course, an apprentice’s parents might specifically request that a craftsman beat their son, again with the aim of toughening him up and instilling in him a bit of discipline.
To add insult to injury, apprentices were stuck between childhood and adulthood. So, on the one hand, a teen in Medieval times would have been treated as an adult, with the tough working conditions this entailed. On the other hand, however, the privileges of adulthood, for example, the right to inherit money or take ownership of land, often didn’t come into play until the age of 21. Small wonder, then, that tales of apprentices behaving badly are a staple of written accounts from the Middle Ages. Rather than dedicating themselves to their professional development, apprentices would often be found in pubs or in brothels. And sometimes disgruntled apprentices caused real trouble, joining up with their peers to make gangs, like in London in 1517, when different guilds ransacked the city.