Where does the name Guild Wars Come From?
A:
Guild Wars is not named for Guild Vs. Guild Battles which took place in Guild Wars, but for the lore:
The Guild Wars are the series of at least three wars among different guilds in the three human kingdoms of Ascalon, Kryta, and Orr. The wars ended only because the charr invasion from the north meant an even bigger threat to the three kingdoms.
The second Guild War was memorialized by the construction of Surmia in 1020 AE. Ascalon was the kingdom victorious of this war according to the Historical Monument of Surmia. It is unlikely that the war ended during 1020 AE, however, due to the length of the latest Guild War.
The most recent Guild War lasted for 57 years (from 1013 AE until 1070 AE). The war caused much suffering and hatred between the people of the three kingdoms. These old wounds can be seen in the present day in the form of the mistrust King Adelbern holds towards the efforts of Kryta to help Ascalon recover from the charr invasion, particularly towards Ambassador Zain. During this war, King Adelbern was a war hero which led to his eventual crowning as a king instead of Barradin becoming king.
While there have been many Guild Wars prior to this one, when characters in the game refer to the Guild War, they mean the last one which ended with the Searing. While initially confined to a conflict between guilds, when open combat erupted in the streets of Arah, Orr responded to protect its holy city. The military action against Krytan and Ascalonian guilds spurred the other nations into responding, leading to open conflict between the three nations.