Slavery in medieval Europe
Slavery had mostly died out in western Europe about the year 1000 AD, replaced by serfdom. It lingered longer in England and in peripheral areas linked to the Muslim world, where slavery continued to flourish. Church rules suppressed slavery of Christians. Most historians argue the transition was quite abrupt around 1000, but some see a gradual transition from about 300 to 1000.The major European languages, including English, used variations of the word ""slave"", in references to Slavic laborers of Byzantium.