Minorities in Hungary #8 – Romani people

Most historians agree that the Romani people are originated from India and that they appeared in Europe in the late 14th century. Their immigration became significant when the Ottomans began their conquest in the South, as Gypsies were either fleeing or following the army. Until the end of the 15th century, Gypsies were considered “tolerated” people in Eastern Europe, including Hungary.

There were attempts in Western Europe to limit their spreading to Eastern Europe, introducing harsh sanctions against them.

Still, Romani and Hungarians coexisted in peace until the 16th century.

Most of the Hungarian Gypsies were working in agriculture and industry, especially in metalwork.

Maria Theresa and his son, Joseph II adopted regulations in the 18th century about settling Romani in Hungary, which was carried out with force and exemplary punishments. There were certain areas in the outskirts of villages where Gypsies lived in low-quality cabins, so-called “putri” buildings. Until then, the Romani people were famous for living a wandering life, constantly moving from one settlement to another; then they were forced to stay at their given residency. They were stripped of their former jobs, as different types of metalwork required constant relocation.

The other change that regarding the Romani’s life in the 18th century was the acquisition of the Hungarian language.

By the 19th century, most of the village smithies employed Hungarian-speaking Gypsies. About 280,000 Romani inhabitants were registered in Hungary at the end of that century. That was also the time when the Gypsy music began to affect Hungarian musicians significantly.

When the War of Independence broke out in 1848, Gypsies sided with the Hungarians. Besides being regular infantry units, they were significantly represented among weapon repairers, cannoneers and military musicians. Sergeant Ferenc Sárközi was one of the famous officers and war heroes of the Hungarian army, whose civilian profession was also a musician.

The 20th century further worsened the employment of Gypsies, as manufacturing made most of their traditional professions redundant. Moreover, the law also prohibited wandering jobs between the two world wars. The Romani people becoming unemployed in great masses lead to a social conflict that has not been fully resolved even by today. However, the greatest disaster for Gypsies came in 1944, when the Third Reich and its satellite states — including Hungary — began to persecute and eliminate them in large numbers. The number of the victims of the Romani Holocaust — called “Porajmos” in their language, meaning “liquidation” — is difficult to estimate, as many Gypsies were caught without any documents, but it is likely to fall between 30,000-70,000 people.