4 ms·
It's hard to find much substantial or practical difference between a serf and a slave, but to add some nuance a serf definitely had some fairly substantial righ
by sillyquiet 5y ago
It's hard to find much substantial or practical difference between a serf and a slave, but to add some nuance a serf definitely had some fairly substantial rights in England, at least theoretically that a slave in the modern sense does not.
And it might be a subtle distinction in practice, but a serf's labor was what was owned by their lord, not their persons.
- karpierz 5y agoSome distinctions: - Killing a serf is murder, killing a slave is property damage. - A serf can bear witness, and accuse. A slave cannot. - A slave can be sold and forced to go wherever the new owner wills. A serf cannot.