Statutul juridic al robilor țigani reflectat de practica socială a secolului al XVII-lea (Țara Românească)
The Juridical Status of the Romani Slaves Revealed Through Social Practices in 17th Century Wallachia

Summary/Abstract: The present research aims at inquiring a topic central to the understanding of gipsy slavery in pre-modern Romanian society: the juridical status of the romani slaves. The article comprises two sections, each dedicated to one of the opposing juridical conditions ascribed to the romani slaves by the earliest Wallachian code of law (Pravilniceasca Condică, 1780). The first part, entitled Slaves as mobile goods or Slaves as res, looks at the 17th century social practices that reified gipsy slaves. The second part, entitled Slaves as persons or Slaves as persona, explores the sources that questioned their juridical status of mobile goods, considering the gipsy slaves persons and not merely property. The main contention is that in 17th century Wallachia the romani slaves had the hybrid juridical status of a reified person deprived of their specific rights (alieni juris).

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