The Fifth Council of Orleans

Excerpt from Laws Concerning Slaves and Freedmen
Published in A Sourcebook for Medieval Economic History, 1936
Edited by Roy C. Cave and Herbert H. Coulson

Greogry of Tours

Excerpt from History of the Franks
Published in A Sourcebook for Medieval Economic History, 1936
Edited by Roy C. Cave and Herbert H. Coulson

In the Middle Ages, the period between about A.D. 500 and 1500, the issue of slavery in Europe became more confusing. During this period, only about ten percent of the people in Europe were slaves—but another forty percent were serfs, poor farmers who enjoyed just a bit more freedom than actual slaves.

The dominant political force in Europe during the Middle Ages was the Roman Catholic Church, whose leadership passed laws that applied to the population as a whole,...