Recently I had someone rant to me about slavic slavery and how they were enslaved by king otto/ the germans. Is this true? Also I have learned about the barbary slave trade, but almost every article that sites it seems to use it as a tool to diminish the legitimacy of slavery in the west. What is historically accurate regarding slavery in north africa?
Regarding the Barbary slave trade, you might want to check out this thread with answers by /u/sunagainstgold and /u/Itsalrightwithme, and this linked thread.
From an etymological standpoint it's notable that the English word slave (and its cognates in other European languages) probably does derive from a Medieval Greek variant on the word for Slavic people, though I must refrain from commenting on whether that usage stems from the Byzantines or Ottonian Germany.