The Most Powerful Eunuchs From History
- Photo: Unknown / Wikimedia Commons / Public domain
Meet Sima Qian, the man who penned The Historical Records as one of ancient China's first great historians. His dad himself was both an astronomer and a court historian (meaning he recorded daily events at the imperial court for posterity) and, on his deathbed, reportedly begged his son to complete his great opus. Sima Qian decided to continue his dad's mission to record all known history while reforming the Chinese calendar.
Once, Emperor Wu, Sima Qian's imperial master, sent a general named Li Ling out to fight some nomads. Li Ling lost and the emperor ordered all of Li Ling and his family to be killed. Sima Qian pleaded on Li's behalf and the emperor sentenced him to death or castration. Sima Qian chose castration and became a eunuch so he could live and finish his book.
- Photo: Charles Heath / Wikimedia Commons / Public domain
Mohammad Khan Qajar Founded A New Dynasty In Iran
The Iranian Qajar dynasty was started by a eunuch! While, Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar might not have been able to procreate (a rival had him castrated at age six to prevent his rise to power), this eighteenth-century tribal leader wasn't short of ambition. Mohammad spent sixteen years as a political hostage at an enemy court, but eventually escaped to his family's stronghold and accumulated power over the next decade in his capital of Tehran. During his wars of conquest and subsequent reign, he inflicted cruel punishment, slew many, and sacked lots of cities until his assassination in 1797.
Bagoas Was A Persian Mastermind Who Schemed To Control The Throne Behind The Scenes
The Persian Empire had a few famous eunuchs with the same name of Bagoas (including one who allegedly romanced Alexander the Great). One particular Bagoas lived during 4th century BCE. According to Diodorus Siculus, this Bagoas was "a eunuch in physical fact but a militant rogue in disposition" who was a key advisor to King Artaxerxes III. Bagoas was probably also a military commander. He conquered Egypt, looted its temples, and served as an important administrator in the empire.
Diodorus Siculus claims that Bagoas poisoned Artaxerxes and popped his youngest son, Arses, on the throne; eventually, he slew Arses and his kids, too, and put Darius III on the throne. Bagoas unsurprisingly tried to poison Darius later, but the king got wind of the plan and forced Bagoas to drink the poison instead.
- Photo: Jacopo Amigoni / Wikimedia Commons / Public domain
Some of Europe's most famous early modern singers were eunuchs, or castrati. Castration, though barbaric, prevented young male singers' voices from fully changing, gifting them with an extraordinary range and timbre that modern singers cannot match. One of the most celebrated was the eighteenth-century warbler Farinelli (born Carlo Broschi), who was trained in Italy. He even went on the early version of a stadium tour of Europe. He hung out at the Spanish royal court for over two decades, where he sang the same four songs every night to King Philip V for years to alleviate that monarch's depression.
- Photo: Unknown / Wikimedia Commons / Public domain
If you've ever written or read anything on paper (which presumably you have), you have the eunuch Cai Lun to thank: he invented the medium in about 105 CE. While some paper innovations had been made before, Cai Lun revolutionized paper-making by mixing different materials, like tree bark and hemp, with rags. He created high-quality paper that could be reproduced on a large scale.
As a result, he was later deified! But Cai Lun wasn't just an inventor - he also served an important role in guarding the royal women's harem at court and was a superior sword designer.
- Photo: Rome / HBO
Pothinus Took On Julius Caesar In A Struggle For The Future Of Egypt
This eunuch was an advisor to King Ptolemy XIII of Egypt, the great Queen Cleopatra's little brother and first husband. Ptolemy and his advisors, including Pothinus and the general Achilles, warred with Cleo for Julius Caesar's favor.
Pothinus tried to help get Ptolemy into Caesar's good graces by heading to his military camp, but Cleopatra won the game by allegedly wrapping herself in a carpet and heading into Caesar's bedroom. Pothinus wanted to be Ptolemy's number one advisor, and he wanted his young boss to be the number one man in the land, so he unwisely encouraged Ptolemy to attack Caesar. This got Pothinus executed.
- Photo: Unknown / Wikimedia Commons / Public domain
The third-century Christian theologian, Origen, was well-known for writing treatise after treatise on theology, but he also kept it pretty spare in his own life. Eusebius states that Origen was a true ascetic, although he had to stay in the world rather than withdraw from it since he was a teacher. Origen fasted, walked around without shoes, barely ate and drank, and - at least according to Eusebius - castrated himself, a eunuch for "the kingdom of God." That was apparently done to prevent any rumors of misconduct with his female students.
Mehmed Agha Opened The Door For Black Eunuchs To Wield Great Power In The Ottoman Empire
The imperial Ottoman court had tons of eunuchs who ostensibly guarded the harem and its occupants, but also wielded tons of political power. Often captured as children from diverse territories and made into slaves, these eunuchs were usually highly-educated. Many African eunuchs became influential members of a unique hierarchy, the head of whom was the Kizlar Agha, or Chief Eunuch.
The first Kizlar Agha was the Ethiopian-born Mehmed Agha, who became an official during the reign of Sultan Murad III. The role of Chief Eunuch was given to him because of the considerable influence Mehmed already wielded at court. Mehmed also oversaw the production of beautiful manuscripts. Once Mehmed took this powerful role, he saw to it that this position would be bestowed upon eunuchs of African descent as a tradition.
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The explorer Zheng He conducted naval expeditions that opened China up to tons of trade in the Indian Ocean. Born into a Chinese Muslim family, this eunuch admiral helped connect the known world to western continents decades before Columbus. Some assert that maps from Zheng He's expedition even showed America. His many seaborne missions involved fighting individuals and capturing hostages in the lands he visited, as well as schlepping wild animals like giraffes back to China.
Halotus, Emperor Claudius's Food-Taster, Schemed To Poison Him
You might know the Roman Emperor Claudius as the stammering survivor from I, Claudius, but his real-life challenges were as dangerous as those in the mini series. Claudius's last wife, his niece, Agrippina the Younger, plotted to poison him and put her son, Nero, on the throne. Wise to the poison problem at the court in Rome, Claudius employed a professional taster called Halotus, a eunuch, to try his food before it got to his imperial mouth to make sure he didn't eat anything tainted.
However, Agrippina was more shrewd than Claudius gave her credit for. Agrippina allegedly bribed Halotus to put some a noxious substance, brewed up by a poisoner named Locusta, into Claudius's favorite mushrooms. The emperor passed in 54 CE and Halotus survived. He was later promoted to the role of procurator in 68 by Emperor Galba.
- Photo: Thanh / Wikimedia Commons / Public domain
Lý Thường Kiệt Was One Of Vietnam's Greatest Generals
This eunuch was one of the most prominent Vietnamese generals in the 11th century. Always passionate about all things military, he fought for three different kings, securing Vietnamese control over several rogue provinces and expanding the country's borders. He's particularly famous for defeating the Chinese overlords of the provinces, who had ruled for centuries (employing clever tactics). He also penned a proto-Declaration of Independence.
- Photo: Edmund Leighton / Wikimedia Commons / Public domain
Peter Abelard Lived One Of The Great Medieval Love Stories - And Paid A Heavy Price
One of twelfth-century Europe's most famous philosophers, Peter Abelard was as well-known for his personal scandals as his thoughts. Also a tutor, Abelard fell head-over-heels with one of his students, a lovely lady named Heloise, niece of the canon Fulbert. They started having sex and penned tons of love letters to one another that still survive. Fulbert discovered the affair and Heloise's pregnancy, but Abelard took her away and married her. She gave birth to Petrus Astrolabius.
However, Heloise didn't want to get married, so she told her uncle, who sent some guys to castrate Abelard. Abelard wrote a lot about how becoming a eunuch made him feel and eventually became a monk. He even commanded Heloise to become a nun, which she did.
