![]() The Church prohibited the export of Christian slaves to non-Christian lands, for example in the Council of Koblenz in 922, the Council of London in 1102, and the Council of Armagh in 1171. In the pactum Lotharii of 840 between Venice and the Carolingian Empire, Venice promised not to buy Christian slaves in the Empire, and not to sell Christian slaves to Muslims. ![]() For most of that time, the sale of Christian slaves to non-Christians was banned. See also: European slaves in the Muslim world and Saqaliba Routes through Slavic territories used for the slave trade: Volga trade route from the Vikings ( Varangians) to the Muslim Middle East (red), trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks ( Byzantines) (blue) – and other trade routes of the 8th–11th centuries (orange)ĭemand from the Islamic world, which arose in the seventh century, dominated the slave trade in Europe during the medieval period (500–1500). It is difficult to be certain about slave numbers, however, since the old Roman word for slave ( servus) continued to be applied to unfree people whose status later was reflected by the term serf. About ten percent of England’s population entered in the Domesday Book (1086) were slaves, despite chattel slavery of English Christians being nominally discontinued after the 1066 conquest. When she became regent, her government outlawed slave-trading of Christians throughout the Merovingian empire. Īnother major factor was the rise of Bathilde (626–680), queen of the Franks, who had been enslaved before marrying Clovis II. (p 43) The restoration of order and the growing power of the church slowly transmuted the late Roman slave system of Diocletian into serfdom. Patrick, who himself was captured and enslaved at one time, protested an attack that enslaved newly baptized Christians in his letter to the soldiers of Coroticus. Such criminals would become slaves to their victims, often with their property.Īs these peoples Christianized, the church worked more actively to reduce the practice of holding coreligionists in bondage. (p 44) In the Germanic realms, laws instituted the enslavement of criminals, such as the Visigothic Code’s prescribing enslavement for criminals who could not pay financial penalties for their crimes and as an actual punishment for various other crimes. For example, the Welsh laws of Hywel the Good included provisions dealing with slaves. With the continuation of Roman legal practices of slavery, new laws and practices concerning slavery spread throughout Europe. Slavery in the Early Middle Ages (500–1000) was initially a continuation of earlier Roman practices from late antiquity, and was continued by an influx of captives in the wake of the social chaos caused by the barbarian invasions of the Western Roman Empire. Throughout medieval Europe, the perspectives and societal roles of enslaved peoples differed greatly, from some being restricted to agricultural labor to others being positioned as trusted political advisors.Įarly Middle Ages Costumes of slaves or serfs, from the sixth to the twelfth centuries As European kingdoms transitioned to feudal societies, serfdom began to replace slavery as the main economic and agricultural engine. Throughout Europe, wartime captives were commonly forced into slavery. Europe and the Mediterranean world during the medieval period (500–1500) were part of a highly interconnected network of slave trading. Slavery, or the process of restricting peoples’ freedoms, was widespread within medieval Europe. Slavery during the medieval period in Europe
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