How did kings enslave people?

Answer 1

First they would gain control over someone else's land. This can be done in a few ways. Using deception and intimidation or outright taking the land away. Once you gain posession of the land you now own everything in it, on it and over it. The next step is to gain control over the people to prevent them from leaving. Once a king had control over the land and the people, the people from that moment on were indebted to the king and had to pay taxes to him in order to use the land, the water, etc.

Kings or leaders have enslaved people through the application of scare tactics or terrorism. The Kings (leaders) also manipulated people through the skillful use of religious superstitions and sorcery. Religion was used as the media through which vicious acts of barbarism were condoned as righteous commandments from the most powerful creator and ruler of the universe. Innocent victims were captured like animals and enslaved by the vicious invading Barbarian hordes.

Enslavement was an economic method of acquiring free labour that allowed leaders to amass great wealth and to employ more henchmen in a similar manner as the mafia.