The Decline of Serfdom in Late Medieval England: From Bondage to Freedom

An exciting, fresh look at one of the most important questions of medieval scholarship - the decline of serfdom and its implications.

Scholars from various disciplines have long debated why western Europe in general, and England in particular, led the transition from feudalism to capitalism. The decline of serfdom between c.1300 and c.1500 in England is centralto this "Transition Debate", because it transformed the lives of ordinary people and opened up the markets in land and labour. Yet, d...