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PaperclipPerfector  2d ago (text post)   2028 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for April 19, 2026

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Maybe a tangent, but I'm reading a novel set in post Roman Briton, and it got me thinking. Why was there slavery in tribal Europe, even after Christianization? They weren't capturing slaves to work on large plantations then. I think it was something like this:

  1. Your warband attacks and burns an enemy village. They kill all the fighting men and maybe capture a few who surrender.
  2. There are a bunch of women and children. You now have several options:
    • Let them go. This was probably not actually very humane, you have just burned everything and killed all the strong laborers and ruined their dwellings and food stores. At best they will starve, at worse they will be prey for animals and men.
    • Kill them all. But why? It's a bunch of extra work for nothing, killing them brings you no benefit, and it pisses off the enemy and invites retaliation. And it is considered kind of bad form even among non Christians AFAICT. You might do this if you are on a revenge mission or are just a sadist I guess.
    • Capture them and take them with you. You can maybe sell them. And also, you can inflict psychological damage on the enemy while still appearing to be an honorable, rational enemy.
  3. You've brought them back to your towns and villages. Now they need somewhere to stay. You're a semi-settled tribe, so you don't have a big facility to house and feed them. So instead you parcel them out to your soldiers and their extended families. Now they have somewhere to sleep. But they don't get to eat for free, so they have to work. And now you've invented de facto slavery.

Edit: @Capital_Room beat me to it

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