Database: Eunuchs

Eunuchs were castrated men who enjoyed powerful positions at the Abbasid court, and other Islamic courts of the caliphal age, although they were enslaved. They served their ruler in many capacities, as elite court administrators, educators, treasurers, messengers, bodyguards, and military commanders. They also supervised the creation of luxury goods, such as this ivory-carved casket. But one of their most significant duties would be ensuring the security and management of the harem. Consequently they often collaborated with powerful women of the court.
Aside from the Abbasids, and before them the Umayyads, many other courts have used eunuchs throughout history, especially those of Tang China, Byzantium, and Persia. In all cases, the justification for their employment was that being childless and far from their own families and native lands, eunuchs had no other ties to compromise their loyalty to the caliph and the elites they served. Their status as castrated males meant they were not subject to restrictions on interacting with women, unlike uncastrated males. Therefore they had the freedom to interact with both men and women in the court, and to move in any space, especially in and out of the harem.
As such, eunuchs could act as messengers and political operators, serving as a link between the private and public spaces of the caliph's lite. They were also often relied upon in politically sensitive situations, transmitting news of the ruler’s health or even death outside of the harem and commanding armies in civil wars and rebellions. Finally, eunuchs could be important members of court factions, especially those involving caliph's mothers and mothers of caliph's children. This could have dire consequences if they ended up on the losing side.
Category:Database: Court Life