THREAD ON THE SLAVERY OF THE ROMA

Did you know that Romani people were slaves to Wallachian and Moldavian nobility, the Orthodox monasteries, and the state from the 14th century to 1856?

The first Roma slave transaction occurred in 1385 in Wallachia, although Roma were slaves in Eastern and Southern Europe for as early as their arrival into Byzantium. They were slaves to the state in the Byzantine Empire, Bulgaria and Serbia until the rise of the Ottoman Empire.

Romani slaves were forced to build many Orthodox churches in Eastern Europe and the Balkans, and also were not allowed to attend mass with Europeans.

Roma were always known for their craftsmanship and were captured and enslaved by local feudal lords for economic gain for their talents. This sentiment continued into Western Europe to Spain, Italy, and France.

Now did you know Roma were slaves in America as well? Romani slaves were on the first boat to the Americas with Columbus in 1498. Spain sent Romani slaves to their Louisiana colony to get rid of their “Gypsy Problem” from 1762 to 1800. Britain sent their slaves en masse in 1850.

Slavery of the Roma was abolished around the same time slavery in America was abolished, however it took the freedom of African Americans for Western Europe to free their slaves as well, and it took the whole world around it for Eastern Europe to free their slaves as well.

Most Roma are descendants of slaves in general, and a lot of our ethos and generational fear is built around those events. No reparations from any country were given, in fact, living conditions may be just as bad or worse in present day Europe.

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