What is serfdom?
Q: What is serfdom?
A: Serfdom is the forced labour of serfs in a feudal society, where peasant farmers worked without pay for a lord in exchange for living and working on their manor.
Q: How did serfs differ from slaves?
A: Serfs had more rights than slaves, such as the ability to own property, while they were not completely free and could not move, marry or leave the manor without permission.
Q: What kind of work did serfs do?
A: Serfs worked in their lord's fields and sometimes did other things related to agriculture like forestry and transportation (by land and river). Some also worked in craft and manufacturing.
Q: Where did serfdom originate?
A: Serfdom developed from agricultural slavery in the Roman Empire and spread through Europe around the 10th century.
Q: When was it abolished in England?
A: Serfdom lasted up to the 1600s in England.
Q: When was it abolished in France?
A: In France, it lasted until 1789.
Q: When was it abolished in Russia? A:In Russia, Alexander II abolished it 1861.
