The only country whose abolition of serfdom I really know about is France, where it was done away with during the French Revolution. But when exactly did serfdom end in England? (And other Western European countries for that matter.) How exactly was this done, and what was the reason for England to get rid of the peasantry when it did? Why did it remain in France for longer?
The ending of serfdom in England was a long and gradual process, starting before 1300, mostly gone by 1400, finally totally eliminated by Queen Elizabeth I in 1574.
Three factors are often seen as important in the reduction and elimination of English serfdom: The rise of the longbow and the arming and training of the population in its use; The Black Death and the ensuing labor shortage; The peasants revolt.
The rising importance of the longbow in English warfare:
As the longbow became more important to English armies (particularly in the Hundred Years War, 1337-1453) English villagers were first encouraged, and then instructed to practice regularly with the bow.
In 1300 Edward I banned all sports other than archery on Sundays. In 1363 all Englishmen were instructed to practice archery on Sundays and Holidays.
It was difficult to keep an armed and trained population in the condition of serfdom if they did not like it.
http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/The-Longbow/
The Black Death:
The plague arrived in England in 1348. The population was reduced by 20-50%. This caused a labor shortage, and many landlords competed with each other for tenants. The peasants had bargaining power and used it. Servile tenures in many places had been replaced with fixed-term leases for commercial rents soon after the Black Death of 1348-9.
http://www.boydellandbrewer.com/content/docs/Decline%20of%20Serfdom%20revised.pdf
The Peasant’s Revolt:
In 1381, a widespread peasant’s revolt spread across much of England. The immediate cause was protest against high poll taxes, but among the demands of the peasants was an end to serfdom.
Although the revolt was crushed, and the charters and concessions granted to the peasants revoked, this accelerated the move from serf tenure to other forms of tenure on manors across England.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peasants%27_Revolt
By 1400, Villein tenure and personal servility had disappeared from a surprisingly large proportion of manors. A few stubborn and powerful lords did and could uphold vestiges of serfdom until the sixteenth century, but the majority could and did not.