Meet the Middle Ages
BackThe Guard
All citizens, that is, all free men, had to help to guard the town. Some citizens, often strong and sturdy men, organised the guard and made sure that everyone did their duty. The guards could intervene if there was a fight somewhere. They were often blacksmiths, who had the strength needed.
In a small town, the guard consisted of two men every night; in Stockholm, there were twelve men. At night, at the stroke of the evening bell, all guards gathered at the guardhouse. They patrolled every part of town throughout the night. Once every hour, they called out that everything was well, so that the town inhabitants could sleep on safely. A guard may never sit down and take a nap. If he did, he had to pay a large fine.
The duties of the guards were to:
- look out for fire. Most houses were wooden, and had straw or peat roofs. Fires could therefore spread quickly.
- act as policemen. They were expected to stop fights, burglaries and other offences.
- look out for hostile attacks. They had to warn people about imminent dangers and make sure that the town quickly mobilised its defence.
All citizens had to carry weapons and have a light armour at home to be able to do their duty as guards and to take part in a battle if an enemy attacked.