When did the Europeans start enslaving africans?

The European involvement in the enslavement of Africans began in the late 15th century, following the onset of the transatlantic slave trade around the 1500s. Initially, the Portuguese were the first to engage in African slave trading, capturing and transporting enslaved people to work on plantations in the Americas. By the 17th century, other European powers, including the British, French, and Dutch, expanded the trade significantly, leading to the forced displacement of millions of Africans over the next few centuries. This brutal system persisted until the 19th century, when abolition movements gained momentum.