Gypsy family

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:31:28 +0000

The persecution of gypsies in Spain had a fateful chapter in the mid-1700s, during the reign of Ferdinand VI. Given that the various punishments and levies ordered by the authorities were not enough to tackle the problem caused by their existence, the solution that emerged in enlightened circles was to draw up a plan for a General Prison that would include the separation of men and women in order to prevent the generation of gypsies. The promoter of this idea was the Marquis de la Ensenada (1702-1781), who had previously ensured the neutrality of the Church so that the gypsies could not be held sacred and escape justice. Although the disgrace of the Great Raid had been capitalised on, he had the favourable opinion of many enlightened people. The measure was well conceived, poorly executed due to insufficient financial and human resources, and ended in such a disaster that the authorities soon became aware of it. Executed in two operations between July and August 1749, it involved the imprisonment of nine to ten thousand Gypsies for the sole crime of being Gypsies. There was total confusion because, among other reasons, it was not clear who or what a Gypsy was, since the word had been forbidden by previous legislation. The exceptions for the detention of Gypsies were so varied and the escapes from the detention centres so frequent that the plan ended in total failure, as recognised by the late law of 1763, in the time of Charles III, and a later law of 1765. The sense of ridicule was so great that in 1722, in the preamble to a new law on gypsies, all mention of the Great Raid was removed at the express request of Charles III.

The post Gypsy family first appeared on History Lab.

Landscape with gypsies

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:31:28 +0000

The first Gypsies arrived in Spain at the beginning of the 15th century. Crossing the Pyrenees, they arrived on the peninsula in the form of small bands made up of men, women and children. In 1425, Alfonso V of Aragon granted a group led by Don Juan de Egipto Menor a permit, allowing them to travel through the monarch’s territory for a period of three months. The name ‘Egypt Minor’ was used in the Middle Ages to refer to the present-day area of Cyprus and Syria; since the first Gypsy settlers to arrive in Spain used this name, it can be assumed that they all came from the same place. Towards the second half of the 15th century, another significant group arrived across the Mediterranean, which was nicknamed “Grecians”, as they were believed to be from there. These groups of gypsies justified their journey by presenting themselves as pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela, in order to atone for their sins. After an initial warm welcome, in which they were treated with benevolence due to their status as penitent travellers, a series of legal measures against them soon began with the aim of controlling them and making them similar to the rest of the Spaniards. The first measure, issued by the Catholic Monarchs in 1499, ordered the expulsion from the kingdom of all Gypsies who were not subject to any trade and lived nomadically. The anti-Gypsy legislation enacted by the following monarchs was practically similar until 1633, when Philip IV annulled the expulsion decree and a period of legal integration of the minority prevailed until 1793. Finally, under Charles III, the Gypsies began to be slowly accepted by the majority society when it was declared that they “did not come from an infectious root” and that, consequently, they could take up any occupation.

The post Landscape with gypsies first appeared on History Lab.

Gitanos en España - History Lab

Gypsy family

Landscape with gypsies