Were peasants treated cruely

Some peasants were treated cruelly, and others were not. There was a lot of variation.

During the Middle Ages, the Church, which was rather powerful at the time, worked on behalf of the poor, establishing a variety of support systems. Among the other activities were efforts to end slavery and cruel punishments. Some of these were effective, including efforts resulting in banning the slave trade in England by William the Conqueror, and banning slavery altogether, by his son, King Henry I.