When there were invasions by Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi and these soldiers were defeated , they were moved west with their families into the Byzantine Empire between AD 1000 and 1030 .
An alternative view is that the ancestors of the Romani were part of the military in Northern India .
When there were invasions by Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi and these soldiers were defeated , ancestors were moved west with their families into the Byzantine Empire between AD 1000 and 1030 .
An alternative view is that the ancestors of the Romani were part of the military in Northern India .