Serf
Serfs were the lowest class in the feudal system. In medieval Europe, they were agricultural laborers legally bound to their lord's property and obligated to perform set services for their lord. In other words, they couldn't leave the lands they were on. While serfs were subject to their lord's will, they were also entitled to the lord's protection. The practice of serfdom went into decline in much of Europe at the end of medieval times.[1]
Many notable countries have abolished serfdom including:
- Normandy circa 1100 AD[2]
- France circa 1315 - 1316 AD[3][4]
- Great Britain circa 1574 AD[3]
- Germany circa 1804 AD[5]
- Russia circa 1861 AD[6]
It should be noted that serfdom and slavery, while related, are not the same. For example, the colonialist United States had both serfdom and slavery prior to independence, but continued only slavery until the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863.
References
- ↑ The Earth and Its Peoples A Global History, Bulliet et al, 2005.
- ↑ Sept essais sur des Aspects de la société et de l'économie dans la Normandie médiévale (Xe-XIIIe siècles) Lucien Musset, Jean-Michel Bouvris, Véronique Gazea, Cahier des Annales de Normandie 1988, Volume 22, Issue 22, pp. 3–140
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 https://www.1902encyclopedia.com/S/SLA/slavery-12.html
- ↑ Maurice Druon, Le Roi de fer, Chapter 3.
- ↑ "GHDI; "Decree on the Abolition of Personal Serfdom in Schleswig-Holstein"". GHDI. Retrieved April 3rd, 2024.
- ↑ https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/abolition-serfdom
