Until the 18th century, most people in Europe were convinced that the Roma came from Egypt (therefore the word “Gypsy” in English). However, linguistic comparison has pointed to the fact that the Romany language belongs to the Indo-European language family and further research has shown that the country of Romany origin is India.

Ancestors of present-day Roma left India during the 9th and 10th century. Separate groups wandered through Persia, Armenia and the Asia Minor; the first mentions relating to their presence in Europe come from Greece in the first half of the 11th century. In the following centuries (especially in the 14th and 15th century), separate groups of nomads traveled through Panonia – the Danube basin – into Central Europe and then further to Western Europe. These migratory routes crossed the area of present-day Slovakia, especially its southern parts. For instance, in 1417 one such group moved from Budin, through Košice, Levice and Bratislava.

At first, the settled European population tolerated these itinerants, viewing them as repentant Christian pilgrims, as the Roma declared themselves to be. After 1427, when the archbishop of Paris excommunicated one of such groups, the attitude of settled people to the Roma changed: for the following four and half centuries, the Roma in Western Europe faced cruel discrimination and persecution. Governments of several countries banished the Roma from their territories. When caught, the Roma were tortured, mutilated or executed; and killing a Rom was not considered a crime.

In Central and Eastern Europe, the local sedentary population was more tolerant of the Roma, which made it possible for them to settle down. There are accounts of Romany blacksmith families settling in several cities of present-day Slovakia from the 16th century on. Hungarian landlords allowed musicians and blacksmiths and their families to settle on their properties, and even provided them with some benefits (e.g. exemption from certain serf obligations). Some Romany groups that were persecuted in Western Europe also came to the area of present-day Slovakia.

A census from the 18th century shows that, by this point, most Roma in this region lived in a sedentary way. Laws and regulations passed by Maria Theresa and Joseph II promoted a definitive settling and assimilation of the Roma into the peasant way of life through repressive measures. However, they considered them as full citizens. The legislation of these enlightened monarchs had a direct influence on legislations in other countries. For the Roma in Western Europe that meant an end to cruel persecution.
Until the first half of the 20th century, most Roma in Slovakia led a settled way of life in rural areas in the east of the country, often in segregated hamlets – settlements. Cohabitation of Roma and non-Roma during this period was somewhat peaceful: the Roma provided the majority population with inexpensive labour; and various Romany craftsmen, such as blacksmiths, or makers of sun-baked bricks, brooms, etc., provided their products. The Roma were also respected as good musicians. During the 19th century, new groups of Romany bar musicians evolved in cities. In Slovakia, apart from these settled Roma, it was also possible to meet nomadic Vlach Roma. This group of Roma arrived in the second half of the 19th century from Romania, and worked as horse traders, smugglers of goods, or scrap collectors. Their women practiced palm-reading.