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The Harem Ağası, head of the black eunuchs of the Ottoman Imperial Harem. A eunuch (/ ˈ juː n ə k / ⓘ YOO-nək) is a male who has been castrated. [1] Throughout history, castration often served a specific social function. [2] The earliest records for intentional castration to produce eunuchs are from the Sumerian city of Lagash in the ...
Empress Theodora and her court (mid 6th century). Theodora's chief eunuch holds the door hinge. [11]The Byzantine eunuchs formed a powerful and well-organized entity (in Ancient Greek — ἡ τῶν εὐνοῦχων τάξις), and in the structure of the Byzantine bureaucracy a special category of titles and ranks was reserved for them.
A group of eunuchs in a mural from the tomb of the prince Zhanghuai, 706 AD. A eunuch (/ ˈ juː n ə k / YOO-nək) [1] is a man who has been castrated. [2] Throughout history, castration often served a specific social function. [3] In China, castration included removal of the penis as well as the testicles (see emasculation). Both organs were ...
The number of eunuchs gradually increased, reaching 10,000 in the 1520s. [94] The profession of a palace eunuch began to be seen as a means of social advancement, particularly during times of economic crisis. During the Wanli era, thousands of eunuchs were recruited in multiple waves to serve in the Forbidden City, [h] leading to a surge in ...
Image of a 17th-century Kizlar Agha, from the Rålamb Book of Costumes. The kizlar agha (Ottoman Turkish: قيزلر اغاسی, Turkish: kızlar ağası, lit. ' "agha of the girls" '), formally the agha of the House of Felicity (Ottoman Turkish: دار السعاده اغاسي, Turkish: Darüssaade Ağası), [1] was the head of the eunuchs who guarded the Ottoman Imperial Harem in ...
The structure of the harem and the extent of monogamy or polygyny have varied depending on the family's personalities, socio-economic status, and local customs. [3] Similar institutions have been common in other Mediterranean and Middle Eastern civilizations, especially among royal and upper-class families, [ 4 ] and the term is sometimes used ...
He ignored the advice of his grand secretaries, who told him to limit the roles of his eunuchs in government. Having been raised by eunuchs, he liked them, and, starting in 1506, he gave them important financial and military roles. He enjoyed spending time with them, practicing riding, archery, wrestling, and music. [14]
This changed in the 10th century, when the social status of eunuchs increased and members of the educated Byzantine upper class began to become eunuchs. [ 39 ] However, even by the time of Anna Comnena , with the Emperor away on military campaigns for much of the time, this way of life had changed considerably, and after the Crusader occupation ...