Individual freedom is thus a major development of the Middle Ages. Indeed, given the emphasis we place on our liberty in the modern world, many would regard it as the most important element of the entire medieval legacy. Although in later centuries, certain English families became owners of slaves overseas, slavery as an institution was never again legally recognised in Britain (except for two years in the sixteenth century, 1547–9, when enslavement was made the legal punishment for vagabonds). Serfdom too was formally abolished in 1660.
