When most Westerners think of eunuchs, the first thing that they think is typically Middle Eastern harem guards who were tasked with making certain that the sultan's women were not sullied by the touch of another man. East Asian empires had a slightly different view on them.
For those dynasties, eunuchs were the perfect administrative servants. They didn't have to worry about them being tempted with sins of the flesh, could be trusted to live within the palace grounds, and, more importantly, they couldn't seize power to create a new dynasty like the ambitious nobles. Some were even used as 'trade goods', such as when the Yuan Dynasty who would request for them as commodities in annual tributes.
No all eunuchs were forcefully castrated as children though. Many were volunteers hoping for a better life than that of a peasant, individuals who lost functionality because of disease or birth defect, or men who had become 'unmanned' due to an accident or attack. They could stop becoming a load upon their families while sending home some much needed money.
Joseon eunuchs had it especially good as they could be conferred with official ranks and legally allowed to marry, a practice that was officially banned during most Chinese dynasties. In addition, these married couples were also entitled to have children by adopting castrated boys or normal girls. Although the family of a eunuch was composed of non-blood-related members, the bonding in these families is believed to have been as strong as that in traditional blood-related families.
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Things I Have Learned Today
Non-FictionI love to read and learn new interesting facts about history or the world. Not everything that I discover has any relevancy in my writing. However, I'd hate for these tidbits of trivia to be lost forever. Think of this as an archive of the fascinati...
