At first, all over Western Europe, Rroma were well received by the population. They were helped, given food and even money for their travel. Rroma men were looking for money and food while their wives were working as fortune-tellers. There are nevertheless, around that period, some mentions that a few Rroma stole or had other petty criminal activities. The population soon understood that Rroma were not really "pilgrims from Little Egypt", that their Christian faith was at most superficial. Add to it that they spoke another language, had other traditions and that they were darker than the general population. Their travel documents were also soon looked upon with suspicion. In fact, we now know that most of these were copies or even outright forgeries. As a result of all this, in a very short time, the population turned against Rroma, tried to expel them or even murdered them.
In 1497, The Holy Roman Empire, issued a decree where Rroma were branded as Turkish spies. In the following year, Rroma were expelled from this country. This decree was strengthened in 1500 and in 1501, and many Rroma left for Poland and for Lithuania. In 1471, Rroma were expelled from Switzerland and in 1516, the city of Bern issued a decree forbidding the Rroma to cross the borders of that canton.
Rroma were also expelled from France, as specified in laws passed in 1504 and in 1539 by the French King. In Spain, King Ferdinand and his wife Isabella decreed in 1499 that Rroma had either to stop to travel through their lands, or had to leave the country within 60 days. In Portugal, similar laws were passed in 1526, 1538 and 1557, ordering the Rroma to leave the country. The 1538 law expelled Rroma from Portugal and specified that Rroma born in the country should be sent to Portugal's African colonies. In Holland, the same decrees were edicted in 1544, 1548, 1553 and 1560. The Italian states started expelling Rroma in 1524.
This forced Rroma to find new countries in search of a better life. Some of them arrived in Scotland and England around 1505-1514 and had to pay the King's administration taxes in order to be allowed to stay. But the first anti Rrom law was passed in England in 1530, stating that Rroma had to leave within 15 days or face arrest. The first source mentions the presence of Rroma in Sweden in 1512, probably Rroma from England. Swedes called them Tattare, a name which has perdured up till now. Rroma from England are know to have been in Denmark in 1505. They were expelled from Sweden around 1540 and many of them left for Finland and Estonia, at that time under Swedish domination.
The Rroma in Eastern and Central Europe fared better than their Western brethren. There was a greater tolerance towards them and a greater need for their work. However, one has to single out Romania. In Valachia, Moldavia and Transylvania, Rroma were decreed to be slaves of the crown, the church or of anyone finding them on their lands. This slavery stopped only in 1848 in Transylvania and in Romania even later, in 1856. Even under these conditions, many of the Rroma continued their traditional activities and work such as copper and black-smiths, goldsmiths, some even travelling with bears or as musicians. Their music was greatly appreciated by the local gentry in both Hungary and Romania.
In Lithuania, the Rroma were granted several privileges, among which, the right to chose their own leader. The Marcinkiewicz family, from the city of Mir in Bielorussia is known to have held that position up until the XVIII century. From Poland and Lithuania, Rroma travelled up to Latvia. The first known writings about them date from the XVI century.
As said earlier, many Rroma lived - and still do now - in the Balkan around the time of the Turkish invasion.
The Turks segregated their subjects: Each group, each confession lived in their own quarters, city or villages, had their own administration and paid taxes to the Turkish authorities. Christians and Jews had to pay higher taxes than Muslims. This prompted many Rroma to convert to Islam. Since reliable lists from the Turkish administration have survived, stating who paid which taxes, we can see more or less how many Rroma lived in the Balkan, how many were Christians or Muslims or what trades they were engaged in. In the XVII century, about 20% or the Rroma had converted to the Islamic religion in the territories under Turkish domination. Most of the Rroma lived in villages or cities and were not travelling. Among them were black and copper smiths, jewellers and musicians, even some who worked for the Turkish army.
The XVI and first half of the XVII century were extremely bad for Rroma in Western Europe. They were submitted to a brutal and often bloody repression. In 1572, the English created "An Act for Punishment of Vagabunds" which stated that any Rrom older than 14 years had to be whipped and sentenced to hard work. The Rroma were further branded with a burning iron. Rroma children between 5 and 14 years could be taken by anyone to work in their household.
In various forms this anti-Rroma laws stretched as far as into the XIX century: in 1822, the "Vagrancy Act" in effect condemned Rroma to 6 month in prison.
In France, similar laws were passed as early as 1666. Rroma were to be sent, without judgement, to the galleys. The Rroma fled and spread into the large forests in the Vosges and Lorraine. So difficult was their situation that the little food they could find was given to their children. Repression continued in France during the XVII century. Only in 1786, the king invited Rroma representents and was told that the only way for Rroma to survive was to steal or beg money and food from the population. The Rroma life became a little easier after this meeting, although several people had the recurring idea to deport the Rroma to French Guyana. During that period, in Holland a literal hunt for Rroma took place. in Dutch a "Heidenjachten". When Rroma fell into their hands, they were beaten and murdered like beasts. The Rroma were not allowed to cross the country's borders under penalty of whipping and being branded on the left shoulder with a soldering iron.
Strong anti-Rroma laws and acts also were enforced in the Germans states.
In 1577, the city of Frankfurt forbade Rroma to come into the city with horses and carts as well as to do any kind of work, even so as to be able to feed their families. This act said that all Rroma were Turkish spies and that they had come to subvert the Christian Nations. In 1652, Georg I, the Ruler of Saxony, ordered the deportation of Rroma from his territories. In 1710, Prince Adolf Friedrich of Mecklenburg-Strelitz followed suit and decreed that all Rroma over 25 years had to be canned, branded on their shoulder with a burning iron and expelled in small groups. Should they return, they were to be hanged. Rroma women younger than 25 were to do menial work for the population, young Rroma were to be sentenced to forced labour and children under ten were to be given to "good Christians".
During these two centuries, Rroma were forced to live in Europe between "heaven and earth", lived in the woods and had to find ways of subsidence. Needless to say, they also had to steal some of their food and even some money or to follow armies during the thirty years war. It is now known that some Rroma followed Wallenstein's troops and that other went with the Swedish armies.
Towards the end of the XVIII century, a new approach of the Rroma "problem" was decided upon by the European leaders. The Austrian Imperatrice Maria Therezia was the first one, between 1758 and 1773, to decide to stop the Rroma travels in every possible way but not through murdering them. She passed a decree, forcing the Rroma to live in but one place, to pay taxes and to work as farmhands. They were not allowed to have horses or carts and had to ask for special authorisation, should they want to leave their village. She later decided that Rroma would not be allowed to be called Gypsies (Cigany in Hungarian or Zigeuner in German) but rather had to take the name of "new Hungarians" (ujmagyarok). Rroma boys older than 16 were forced to serve in the army. She strengthened these laws by forbidding Rroma to wear their traditional garments, to speak their own language - Rromanes - and to work in their traditional trades. Rroma were forbidden to marry among themselves and Rroma children older than 5 had to be given to non Rroma families, which were to raise them up. These laws were enforced in all Maria-Therezia's possessions, in Hungary, Slovakia and the Burgenland.
Similar laws were inflicted upon Rroma in Spain: They also had to change their name to New Castillians (Nuevos Castillanos).