The query of whether or not people of European descent have been subjected to enslavement previous to these of African descent is a posh one which requires cautious consideration of historic definitions and contexts. Enslavement, outlined because the possession and management of 1 individual by one other, existed in varied kinds all through historical past and throughout totally different geographical areas. Practices resembling enslavement, equivalent to indentured servitude and compelled labor, have been utilized to numerous populations, together with Europeans, lengthy earlier than the transatlantic slave commerce.
Understanding the chronological development of enslavement practices requires acknowledging that totally different types of subjugation existed concurrently. Inspecting historic data reveals situations the place European populations have been subjected to compelled labor, bondage, or captivity. Whereas these experiences typically differed in scope and severity from the chattel enslavement that characterised the transatlantic slave commerce and primarily focused Africans, they symbolize vital intervals of exploitation and human rights violations. The character of those methods, their authorized frameworks, and their affect on the affected populations have to be rigorously analyzed to grasp the broader historical past of enslavement.
