Roma people have lived in Scandinavia for 500 years. When the first Roma people arrived in Scandinavia, Denmark, Norway and Sweden were tied together in the Kalmar Union. The countries were under the same crown, but the laws varied within each country. Scandinavia had had this system for over a century when the Roma arrived. 

The first known group of Roma are believed to have arrived in Denmark around 1505. This is when King Hans received a letter from his uncle, King James IV of Scotland. King Hans was told about a group of pilgrims. They were said to have travelled from “Little Egypt”, and King James IV asked his nephew to take good care of the group when they would arrive in Denmark. 

It is assumed by many that the group came to Denmark shortly after this letter was received. However, in historical records, the group was not mentioned until they arrived in Stockholm, Sweden in 1512. Their spokesperson was a count with the name Anthonius, and the group, containing around 30 families, were described as a noble people. They received a warm welcome in Stockholm. 

We do not know with certainty when the first Roma people came to Norway. An English letter dated 1540 tells the story of a group of Roma people who were expelled from England and went by boat to Norway. There is, however, no confirmation that the group made it to Norway in the end. Most Roma people who came to Norway during this time probably immigrated through the Swedish border. 

Although the public view of Roma people seems to have been positive in the beginning, it has not stayed the same throughout the whole history of Scandinavia. The Kalmar Union dissolved when Sweden left and Gustav Vasa became king of Sweden in 1523. Norway would still be ruled by Denmark until the 19th century. In 1536, King Kristian III made a demand that would affect Roma people both in Denmark and Norway. Within three months, all Roma people in the kingdom were to be expelled from the country. 

Gustav Vasa became king of Sweden in 1523, and his goals were similar to the Danish king. Vasa believed that the Roma people who lived in Sweden at the time were spies and that they should be displaced from the kingdom. Vasa would use various methods to make the Roma people leave the country. For example, in 1550, he ordered the Roma people who lived in the region of Östergötland to leave the country, and those who did not would be punished with death.

Gustav Vasa’s descendants continued to enforce similar policies after his time. A regulation to make the whole Roma population of Sweden leave the country was established in 1637. In the regulation, it was stated that all Roma people in Sweden had to leave the country before November 8th of the same year. Otherwise, the men would be hung without any legal process, and the women and children would be forced out of the country. Although, there is no proof that anyone actually received the death penalty because of this regulation. 

The death penalty was established also in the Norwegian part of Denmark-Norway. In 1589, it was decided that the leaders of Roma communities would be killed. The other Roma people would be expelled, and if they returned, they would also receive the death penalty. But also in this case, there is no proof that the law was followed through. The Roma people in Norway who were punished with death, were so because of other crimes rather than just belonging to a certain ethnic group. 

Even though laws threatening the lives of Roma people existed in the whole of Scandinavia during this time, Roma people continued to live in Scandinavia and live there up until this day. One theory behind why the Roma population managed to stay is etymological. In the Swedish regulation from 1637, the words “Tartare” and “Zigeuner” are used to describe Roma people. These were the words most commonly used about Roma people in Sweden at this time. However, around the same period, many other words describing Roma people started to be used instead. Some believe that this was a way to protect Roma people from being expelled from the country.

We do not know the exact reason why Roma people managed to stay in Scandinavia during these hard times. Even though it may not seem like it, Roma people were most probably appreciated by the majority population. Especially among farmers, skills that many Roma people in Scandinavia possessed at this time were appreciated and needed.