A Merchant Guild was a Guild of merchants that were involved in either international or regional trade.
Merchant guilds began to form during the medieval period. A fraternity formed by the merchants of Tiel in Gelderland (in present-day Netherlands) in 1020 is believed to be the first example of a merchant guild. The term, guild was first used for gilda mercatoria and referred to body of merchants operating out of St. Omer, France in the 11th century. These guilds controlled the way that trade was to be conducted and codified rules governing the conditions of trade.