Slavery in medieval Europe

In Medieval Europe, slavery meant that some people owned other people. The people that were owned were called 'slaves'. They were not free and had to do whatever their owners told them to do. Slaves were usually people who had been captured in war or were poor people who couldn't find a way to make money. Slaves had to do all of the hard work for their owners, like cleaning or working on farms. Slaves did not get paid for this work and could be beaten or punished if they didn't do what their owners wanted. Slavery was wrong and people are now much more aware of that fact.