Romani people in Portugal Romani people in Portugal The Romani people in Portugal are known by non-Romani ethnic Portuguese as (), but are also alternatively known as , , and . As implied by some of their most common local names, the native Portuguese Romani belong to the Iberian Kale (Kalos) group, like most of the fellow Lusophone Brazilian , and the Spanish Romani people, known as , that share their same ethnic group. Their presence in the country goes back to the second half of the 15th century when they crossed the border from neighbouring Spain. Early on, due to their sociocultural differences,
Portugal in the Middle Ages privileges and favours given to the Roman Catholic Church were compensated. In the papal bull " Manifestis Probatum", Pope Alexander III acknowledged Afonso as King and Portugal as an independent land with the right to conquer lands from the Moors. With this papal blessing, Portugal was at last secured as a country and safe from any Leonese attempts at annexation. In 1184, in spite of his great age, King Afonso of Portugal still had sufficient energy to relieve his son Sancho, who was besieged in Santarém by the Moors. He died shortly after, on December 6, 1185. Afonso had already