Slavery in Medieval Europe

In this episode, we explore the complex history of slavery in medieval Europe, tracing how the institution survived and adapted long after the collapse of the Roman Empire. The discussion examines the major slave-trading networks operated by Vikings, Italian merchants, and Radhanite traders, which linked Europe to Byzantine and Islamic markets, while also showing how religious restrictions against enslaving fellow believers often led to the intensified exploitation of pagan communities in the Baltic and Slavic worlds. We also look at the legal systems and theological arguments that helped sustain slavery across different societies, before turning to the gradual shift in Western Europe from chattel slavery to feudalism and serfdom. The episode closes by considering how, by the end of the medieval period, emerging Atlantic trade routes helped redirect European enslavement practices toward Sub-Saharan Africans.