The abolition of slavery occurred at different times in different countries. It frequently occurred sequentially in more than one stage – for example, as abolition of the trade in slaves in a specific country, and then as abolition of slavery throughout empires. Each step was usually the result of a separate law or action. This timeline shows abolition laws or actions listed chronologically. It also covers the abolition of serfdom.

Today, no country in the world openly allows slavery of non-prisoners, but the practice continues in many locations around the world, mainly in Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe, and often with government support.

Ancient times

During classical antiquity, several prominent societies in Europe and the ancient Near East regulated enslavement for debt and the related but distinct practice of debt bondage (in which a creditor could extract compulsory labor from a debtor in repayment of their debt, but the debtor was not formally enslaved and was not subject to all the conditions of chattel slavery, such as being perpetually owned, sellable on the open market, or stripped of kinship).

Reforms listed below such as the laws of Solon in Athens, the Lex Poetelia Papiria in Republican Rome, or rules set forth in the Hebrew Bible in the Book of Deuteronomy generally regulated the supply of slaves and debt-servants by forbidding or regulating the bondage of certain privileged groups (thus, the Roman reforms protected Roman citizens, the Athenian reforms protected Athenian citizens, and the rules in Deuteronomy guaranteed freedom to a Hebrew after a fixed duration of servitude), but none abolished slavery, and even what protections were instituted did not apply to foreigners or noncitizen subjects.

Date Jurisdiction DescriptionEarly sixth century BC Polis of AthensThe Athenian lawgiver Solon abolishes debt slavery of Athenian citizens and frees all Athenian citizens who had formerly been enslaved.Athenaion Politeia 12.4, quoting Solon s:Athenian Constitution#12 Athenian chattel slavery continued to be practiced, and the loss of debt-bondage as a competing source of compulsory labor may even have spurred slavery to become more important in the Athenian economy henceforth. 3rd century BC Maurya EmpireIndian emperor Ashoka abolishes the slave trade within the Empire.Scott C. Levi (2002), Hindus Beyond the Hindu Kush: Indians in the Central Asian Slave Trade, Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, Series 3, 12, 3, pages 277-288326 BCRoman RepublicLex Poetelia Papiria abolishes Nexum contracts, a form of pledging the debt bondage of poor Roman citizens to wealthy creditors as security for loans. Chattel slavery was not abolished, and Roman slavery would continue to flourish for centuries. 9–12 AD Xin dynasty Wang Mang, first and only emperor of the Xin dynasty, usurped the Chinese throne and instituted a series of sweeping reforms, including the abolition of slavery and radical land reform from 9–12 A.D. It would be reinstituted after his passing, as these, amongst other reforms were unpopular with elite sentiment.

Medieval times

N.B.: Many of the listed reforms were reversed over succeeding centuries.

Date Jurisdiction Description 590–604 Pope Gregory I bans Jews from owning Christian slaves.Isidore Singer, Joseph Jacobs: SLAVE-TRADE jewishencyclopedia.com, accessed 30 August 2019 7th century Francia Queen Balthild, a former slave, and the Council of Chalon-sur-Saône (644–655) condemn the enslavement of Christians. Balthild purchases slaves, mostly Saxon, and manumits (frees) them.Paul Fouracre, Richard A. Gerberding (1996), Late Merovingian France: History and Hagiography, 640–720, Manchester University Press, , p. 97–99 & 111. 741–752 Pope Zachary bans the sale of Christian slaves to Muslims, purchases all slaves acquired in the city by Venetian slave traders, and sets them free. 840 Carolingian EmpirePactum Lotharii: Venice pledges to neither buy Christian slaves in the Empire, nor sell them to Muslims. Venetian slave traders switch to trading Slavs from the East (Balkan slave trade). 873 Christendom Pope John VIII declares the enslavement of fellow Christians a sin and commands their release. ~900 Byzantine Empire Emperor Leo VI the Wise prohibits voluntary self-enslavement and commands that such contracts shall be null and void and punishable by flagellation for both parties to the contract.Novel 59 of Leo VI the Wise, D. Karampelas (ed.), Legal History Resources, Patakis Publishers, 2008 [Δ. Καράμπελας (επιμ.), Πηγές Ιστορίας του Δικαίου, Εκδόσεις Πατάκη, 2008], p. 68-69922 Holy Roman EmpireCouncil of Koblenz prohibited slave trading.956Goryeo Dynasty (Korea)Slaves were freed on a large scale in 956 by the Goryeo dynasty.Junius P. Rodriguez (1 January 1997). The Historical Encyclopedia of World Slavery. ABC-CLIO. pp. 392–393. . Gwangjong of Goryeo proclaimed the Slave and Land Act (노비안검법, 奴婢按檢法), an act that "deprived nobles of much of their manpower in the form of slaves and purged the old nobility, the meritorious subjects and their offspring and military lineages in great numbers".Breuker, Remco E. Establishing a Pluralist Society in Medieval Korea, 918–1170: History, Ideology and Identity in the Koryŏ Dynasty. BRILL. p. 150. . 960 Slave trade banned in the city under the rule of Doge Pietro IV Candiano (Council of Venice). 1080 Norman England William the Conqueror prohibits the sale of any person to "heathens" (non-Christians) as slaves. 1100 Normandy Serfdom no longer present.Sept essais sur des Aspects de la société et de l'économie dans la Normandie médiévale (Xe – XIIIe siècles) Lucien Musset, Jean-Michel Bouvris, Véronique Gazeau -Cahier des Annales de Normandie- 1988, Volume 22, Issue 22, pp. 3–140 1102 Norman England The Council of London bans the slave trade: "Let no one dare hereafter to engage in the infamous business, prevalent in England, of selling men like animals." c. 1160 Norway The Gulating bans the sale of house slaves out of the country. 1171 All English slaves in the island freed by the Council of Armagh. 1198 FranceTrinitarian Order founded with the purpose of redeeming war captives. 1214 Korčula The Statute of the Town abolishes slavery. 1218 Aragon Mercedarians founded in Barcelona with the purpose of ransoming poor Christians enslaved by Muslims. ~1220 Holy Roman Empire The Sachsenspiegel, the most influential German code of law from the Middle Ages, condemns slavery as a violation of man's likeness to God. 1245 AragonJames I bans Jews from owning Christian slaves, but allows them to own Muslims and pagans.Roth, Norman (1994). Jews, Visigoths & Muslims in Medieval Spain: Cooperation and Conflict. Leiden: Brill. pp. 160–161. 1256 Liber Paradisus promulgated. Slavery and serfdom abolished, all serfs in the commune are released.1318 FranceKing Philip V abolishes serfdom in his domain. 1335 Sweden Slavery abolished (including Sweden's territory in Finland). However, slaves are not banned entry into the country until 1813. Between 1784 and 1847, slavery was practiced in the Swedish-ruled Caribbean island of Saint Barthélemy. Sweden never practiced serfdom, except in a few territories it later acquired which were ruled under a local legal code. 1347 Poland The Statutes of Casimir the Great issued in Wiślica emancipate all non-free people. 1368 Ming Dynasty Emperor Hongwu abolished most forms of slavery, limiting even the highest ranks of household to less than 20 household slaves. Later in the dynasty saw a resurgence of debt servitude, primarily in the south, as a result of population growth against the dearth of arable lands, often taking euphemisms like "adoption" to circumvent its still outlawed status. 1416 Slavery and slave trade abolished.1423 PolandKing orders to free all Christian slaves. 1435 Canary IslandsPope Eugene IV's Sicut Dudum bans enslavement of baptised Christians, "or those freely seeking baptism" in the Canary Islands on pain of excommunication. 1477 Castile Isabella I bans slavery in newly conquered territories.Sánchez Galera, Juan y Sánchez Galera, José María. Vamos a contar mentiras. Madrid, México, Buenos Aires, San Juan, Santiago, Miami. Edaf, 2012 1480 Galicia Remnant serfdom abolished by the Catholic Monarchs.Payne, Stanley G. (1973) A History of Spain and Portugal. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press. 1486 Catalonia Ferdinand II promulgates the Sentence of Guadalupe, abolishing Carolingian-remnant serfdom (remença) in Old Catalonia. 1490 Castile After a long court case, the Catholic Monarchs order that all La Gomera natives enslaved in the aftermath of the 1488 rebellion must be freed and returned to the island at Conquistador Pedro de Vera's expense. De Vera is also relieved from his post as Governor of Gran Canaria in 1491.Trujillo Cabrera, J. (2007) Episodios Gomeros del siglo XV. Ed. IDEA, 359 pages. 1493 Queen Isabella bans the enslavement of Native Americans unless they are hostile or cannibalistic. Native Americans are ruled to be subjects of the Crown. Columbus is preempted from selling Indian captives in Seville and those already sold are tracked, purchased from their buyers and released.

1500–1700