Abstract
The study reconstructs the history of Prague's sword-making organization in the late guild era, i.e., in the years 1731-1860. The author works primarily with sources of a normative nature (in particular guild statutes), complemented by findings from surviving record books.
This allowed for a comparison of how the real life of Prague's sword-makers as described in the books differed from the standards required by the guild's statutes. The passages on the history of the guild and the various groups of its members (apprentices, journeymen, and master sword-makers) are complemented by a description of the workshop of the last Prague sword-maker Antonín Preis, based on the as yet underutilized writings of Preis's daughter (manuscript no. 7857 at the Prague City Archives).
The introductory chapter on the source materials also acts as a methodological guide to the study of the most recent period in the history of Prague's guilds.