Fokus ROMI.HR

According to official sources, the Roma people arrived in France in the late 1410s, at first in Provence, Flanders and Alsace. Their first appearance in Paris was reported in 1427. Back then, they were usually called Bohemians or Egyptians. Bohemians because they hold protection letters from the king of this historical region in the actual Czech Republic. Egyptians because they said that they came from a territory called Little Egypt (the name of a territory of the Byzantian Empire), fleeing before the expansion of Ottomans. But in fact, many different groups are coming through the Middle Ages, with distinct culture as they have been influenced by their previous settlements in current territory of Italy or Germany.

In France more than in any other territory, this settlement of Roma has been diverse. In Alsace and on the North of France, they came mainly from the Holy Roman Empire

Their arrival in France was mostly welcoming due to several factors. First, they used to be helpful in the medieval society as most of them proposed their services as mercenaries to the Counts, Dukes and other Princes of the feudalist period. Thanks to these ties, some Bohemian families became real dynasties. Other “Egyptians”, working as merchants, artists or artisans, were also seen as useful, while the nomadic way of life of some of them was accepted in a society where most other merchants were also itinerant. Moreover, these “Egyptians” were enjoying protection through letters of several aristocratic figures, from Bohemia but not only. It is interesting to notice that they also try to embrace the local culture as many of them adopted new names and they were endorsing the Catholic religion. They claimed that their arrival in France was linked to a seven years pilgrimage to expiate their sins and that they have official protection letter of the Pope for that purpose. During the first centuries after their arrival, some families became closely tied to local aristocracy in several regions and even benefit from time to time of protection letters of the French King himself while he needs mercenaries for his army.

Despite being well accepted at the beginning, these Roma people quickly face the suspicion and discrimination of the population because of some of their practices. Fortunetellers performing divination and spectacles given by dancers and other artists were considered as amoral habits. Besides, mercenaries used to steal people to have an income during peaceful times, increasing hatred towards them. These activities started to shift the positive view of Bohemians. These figures were also depicted in arts, contributing to the spreading of stereotypes like the mysterious Bohemian with magic powers or the exotic and attractive dancer tied with thievery and deceit. Slowly, a rise of intolerance towards Roma grows in France as well as in the rest of Europe. Their way of life, seen by some as contradicting the traditional values and especially the religious ones, is one of the main reasons for this increasing suspicion. Then, some decisions were taken by the authorities. For example, in 1539, François Ist published a decree to expel Bohemians out of the Kingdom of France. Moreover, in a Kingdom where the central power was strengthening, the ties between Bohemian mercenaries and the local aristocracy became a problem for the King of France. This logic reached its peak during the reign of Louis XIVth. The absolute monarch and his minister Colbert adopted a law in 1682 to condemn Roma to different kinds of sentences, characterizing them as wanderers. According to this text, the goal was “to cleanse the kingdom of this evil spawn” Thus, all Roma men should be arrested to become galley slaves, which means that they were forced to row on French warships. The women who did not want to abandon their way of life could be banned or jailed. Tonsure was also one of the way used by the authorities to blame them. Finally, the children were sent to religious places to be educated following the Catholic principles. This law has been especially effective as the people who were dealing with Roma people also incurred a sentence. Besides, this decision was also a way to enrol more men for the French Marine, which struggled to find rowers at that time. Facing such dangers, some Roma decided to settle hoping to live more peacefully. However, this law also sometimes led to the opposite result: many Roma, having lost their protection and work (especially mercenaries), had no other choice but to become wanderers to survive. Some other Bohemians decided to go in the periphery of France, especially in rural areas where they are safer as the law is not applied properly, or in places such as Lorraine (Northeast) which were not under the control of the French Crown for several decades. This Duchy only joined the Kingdom in 1766 after the death of Stanisław Leszczyński, the father-in-law of the King Louis XVth. Thus, despite the major political influence of France on this territory, the law was not the same as in the Kingdom.

Then, the position of this population continued to worsen in society. While many philosophers endorsed progressive ideals such as equality and freedom through what is known as the Enlightenment period, they also advocated for a discriminative approach towards Roma. For example, Diderot in the Encyclopédie wrote that Bohemians skills are “singing, dancing and thieving” and that “their women are ugly robbers and fortunetellers”. In his Essay on Universal History, the Manners, and Spirit of Nations, Voltaire rejoiced that their number had decreased in France thanks to sentences and wished for the disappearance of a people “without arts and without laws”. In 1786, at the end of the Ancien Regime, some Bohemian leaders, considering that their situation was unsustainable, asked for a place to settle, even if it has to be oversea. A project to send them to French Guyana, among other territories, was established. However, because of the French Revolution in 1789, this project did not reach an end. Despite this failure, it is important to notice that some Roma people decided to leave the French territory to go to the colonies, mostly in the Caribbean area. The end of monarchy and the emergence of a Nation-State during the following decade led to even more discrimination against Roma. Considered by the authorities as potential criminals and as a risk factor for the rest of the society, Roma people were the target of special policies to force them to settle. For example, a new declaration in 1764 prompted them to find a house and a proper job to avoid sentences. These policies had some success, for example in the Languedoc (South) where a large part of Roma have settled after the Revolution.

Facing hate, in 1786, some Roma even asked the King to give them a place to live, even if it means to go to the colony. But the Revolution comes before this project goes to an end. If sending Roma to the colonies has not been a common sentence in France, a few cases were reported. For examples, in 1724, a court sentenced 30 Bohemians from the Poitou (West) to go to Martinique.

After a century during which these discriminative policies were enforced, the hate towards the Bohemians was at a high level. This lead to some terrible events, such as expedition of the army against Roma in Alsace during the Revolution or the arrest of 500 Bohemians in the Basque country in 1802. The collaboration of the new French authorities with the Spanish army during this event illustrates the global detestation of Roma in Europe at the beginning of the 19th century. This global trend of repression announces the detestation of Roma people that will increase over the next century in Europe heightened by stereotypes and prejudices but also by the nationalist ideal which engulfs the whole continent.