Judith Herrin
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691153216
- eISBN:
- 9781400845217
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691153216.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, World Medieval History
This book explores the exceptional roles that women played in the vibrant cultural and political life of medieval Byzantium. This book evokes the complex and exotic world of Byzantium's women, from ...
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This book explores the exceptional roles that women played in the vibrant cultural and political life of medieval Byzantium. This book evokes the complex and exotic world of Byzantium's women, from empresses and saints to uneducated rural widows. Drawing on a diverse range of sources, the book sheds light on the importance of marriage in imperial statecraft, the tense coexistence of empresses in the imperial court, and the critical relationships of mothers and daughters. It looks at women's interactions with eunuchs, the in-between gender in Byzantine society, and shows how women defended their rights to hold land. The book describes how women controlled their inheritances, participated in urban crowds demanding the dismissal of corrupt officials, followed the processions of holy icons and relics, and marked religious feasts with liturgical celebrations, market activity, and holiday pleasures. The vivid portraits that emerge here reveal how women exerted an unrivalled influence on the patriarchal society of Byzantium, and remained active participants in the many changes that occurred throughout the empire's millennial history. The book brings together the author's finest essays on women and gender written throughout the long span of her career. This volume includes three new essays published here for the very first time and a new general introduction. It also provides a concise introduction to each essay that describes how it came to be written and how it fits into her broader views about women and Byzantium.Less
This book explores the exceptional roles that women played in the vibrant cultural and political life of medieval Byzantium. This book evokes the complex and exotic world of Byzantium's women, from empresses and saints to uneducated rural widows. Drawing on a diverse range of sources, the book sheds light on the importance of marriage in imperial statecraft, the tense coexistence of empresses in the imperial court, and the critical relationships of mothers and daughters. It looks at women's interactions with eunuchs, the in-between gender in Byzantine society, and shows how women defended their rights to hold land. The book describes how women controlled their inheritances, participated in urban crowds demanding the dismissal of corrupt officials, followed the processions of holy icons and relics, and marked religious feasts with liturgical celebrations, market activity, and holiday pleasures. The vivid portraits that emerge here reveal how women exerted an unrivalled influence on the patriarchal society of Byzantium, and remained active participants in the many changes that occurred throughout the empire's millennial history. The book brings together the author's finest essays on women and gender written throughout the long span of her career. This volume includes three new essays published here for the very first time and a new general introduction. It also provides a concise introduction to each essay that describes how it came to be written and how it fits into her broader views about women and Byzantium.
Shahzad Bashir
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195306316
- eISBN:
- 9780199867721
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195306316.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
The prophet Muhammad served as a model for those entering into marriage and celibacy is rejected as a human invention, although the Islamic tradition embodies exceptions with Sufism and its more ...
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The prophet Muhammad served as a model for those entering into marriage and celibacy is rejected as a human invention, although the Islamic tradition embodies exceptions with Sufism and its more negative attitudes toward the human body. Sufi groups used celibacy as a form of social protest. There is also a relation between forced celibacy and political power during the medieval period. In addition to certain Sufi groups, eunuchs represented another exception to the general negative Islamic attitude toward celibacy.Less
The prophet Muhammad served as a model for those entering into marriage and celibacy is rejected as a human invention, although the Islamic tradition embodies exceptions with Sufism and its more negative attitudes toward the human body. Sufi groups used celibacy as a form of social protest. There is also a relation between forced celibacy and political power during the medieval period. In addition to certain Sufi groups, eunuchs represented another exception to the general negative Islamic attitude toward celibacy.
Rebecca Krawiec
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195129434
- eISBN:
- 9780199834396
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195129431.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion in the Ancient World
The coexistence of two apparently contradictory attitudes towards gender in Shenoute's monasticism engage the variety of literature describing female monastic experiences in late antiquity. This ...
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The coexistence of two apparently contradictory attitudes towards gender in Shenoute's monasticism engage the variety of literature describing female monastic experiences in late antiquity. This chapter describes the evidence for Egyptian monasticism, including virgins living in the cities, the desert mothers of Upper Egypt, and the female community under Pachomius; the dual monasteries of Jerome and Paula in Palestine; and a letter by Augustine written to a female monastery undergoing conflicts of leadership similar to Shenoute's. I conclude that the different nature of the various sources make a one‐to‐one comparison difficult but that, in general, Shenoute seems to have been more willing than his male counterparts to be intimately involved in the female community. I then examine another gender issue of late antique Christianity, namely, the role of eunuchs, especially those who voluntarily castrate themselves. Here I argue that Shenoute was unable to tolerate the presence of these individuals because their sexual ambiguity called into question the essentialism of gender in the construction of the self, as well as the gendered foundations of the monastery.Less
The coexistence of two apparently contradictory attitudes towards gender in Shenoute's monasticism engage the variety of literature describing female monastic experiences in late antiquity. This chapter describes the evidence for Egyptian monasticism, including virgins living in the cities, the desert mothers of Upper Egypt, and the female community under Pachomius; the dual monasteries of Jerome and Paula in Palestine; and a letter by Augustine written to a female monastery undergoing conflicts of leadership similar to Shenoute's. I conclude that the different nature of the various sources make a one‐to‐one comparison difficult but that, in general, Shenoute seems to have been more willing than his male counterparts to be intimately involved in the female community. I then examine another gender issue of late antique Christianity, namely, the role of eunuchs, especially those who voluntarily castrate themselves. Here I argue that Shenoute was unable to tolerate the presence of these individuals because their sexual ambiguity called into question the essentialism of gender in the construction of the self, as well as the gendered foundations of the monastery.
Taef El-Azhari
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- May 2020
- ISBN:
- 9781474423182
- eISBN:
- 9781474476751
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9781474423182.001.0001
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Middle Eastern Studies
The book provides a critical and systematic analyses of the role of queens, eunuchs and concubines in medieval Islamic history. Spanning over six centuries. It explores gender and sexual politics and ...
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The book provides a critical and systematic analyses of the role of queens, eunuchs and concubines in medieval Islamic history. Spanning over six centuries. It explores gender and sexual politics and power from the time of the Prophet Muhammad through the Umayyad and Abbasid empires to the Mamluks in the 15th century.
Based on primary sources, documents, the study looks at the role of women, mothers, wives, concubines, and their close political relationship with eunuchs and atabegs to secure their interests.
The book examine in details how, despite the male dominated society, women managed to come to power under the Abbasids and their impacts. The creation of the eunuch institution, and its transformation from a body associated with the –Harem- to eunuch rulers under the Abbasids. The book unravel the military-political power of eunuchs and their relations with women under the Abbasids and the appearance of the first sovereign eunuch ruler and army commander. Also the gradual rise of female power under the Fatimids, and the appearance of the first queen in Islamic history.
The book also examines the power of the Turkmen women in politics and how and why they introduced the unique post of atabeg.
Examines the role of the first Sunni queen in Islam, Dayfa of Aleppo and how she paved the way for another queen, Shajar al-Durr in Egypt in mid 13th century. This book is the first comprehensive study of sexual politics in medieval Islam. It challenges the traditional Muslim institutions spread in vast area in the Muslim world, which think of women as children of a lesser God according to their patriarchal readings of Islamic laws, and exposes the misogynist doctrine of organizations such as IS, Qaida, Buko Haram.Less
The book provides a critical and systematic analyses of the role of queens, eunuchs and concubines in medieval Islamic history. Spanning over six centuries. It explores gender and sexual politics and power from the time of the Prophet Muhammad through the Umayyad and Abbasid empires to the Mamluks in the 15th century.
Based on primary sources, documents, the study looks at the role of women, mothers, wives, concubines, and their close political relationship with eunuchs and atabegs to secure their interests.
The book examine in details how, despite the male dominated society, women managed to come to power under the Abbasids and their impacts. The creation of the eunuch institution, and its transformation from a body associated with the –Harem- to eunuch rulers under the Abbasids. The book unravel the military-political power of eunuchs and their relations with women under the Abbasids and the appearance of the first sovereign eunuch ruler and army commander. Also the gradual rise of female power under the Fatimids, and the appearance of the first queen in Islamic history.
The book also examines the power of the Turkmen women in politics and how and why they introduced the unique post of atabeg.
Examines the role of the first Sunni queen in Islam, Dayfa of Aleppo and how she paved the way for another queen, Shajar al-Durr in Egypt in mid 13th century. This book is the first comprehensive study of sexual politics in medieval Islam. It challenges the traditional Muslim institutions spread in vast area in the Muslim world, which think of women as children of a lesser God according to their patriarchal readings of Islamic laws, and exposes the misogynist doctrine of organizations such as IS, Qaida, Buko Haram.
P. G. Walsh
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- April 2004
- ISBN:
- 9780198269953
- eISBN:
- 9780191601132
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198269951.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
The treatise incorporates two main themes, virginity in itself, and the necessity of humility in consecrated virginity. Virginity itself is considered from three aspects: first, Christ and his mother ...
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The treatise incorporates two main themes, virginity in itself, and the necessity of humility in consecrated virginity. Virginity itself is considered from three aspects: first, Christ and his mother are adduced as ideal types of fecund virginity. Second, virginity surpasses conjugal fidelity in merit; the goods of marriage are human goods, but consecrated virginity is angelic. But marriage is not to be disparaged by consecrated virgins. In demeaning it, the manichees misinterpret I Cor. 7, and Jovinian is condemned for equating marriage with it. Third, the nature of the reward in heaven is outlined. The second main topic of the treatise is the importance of humility. Scriptural models are proposed—the centurion, the Canaanite woman, the tax collector, and finally Christ himself.Less
The treatise incorporates two main themes, virginity in itself, and the necessity of humility in consecrated virginity. Virginity itself is considered from three aspects: first, Christ and his mother are adduced as ideal types of fecund virginity. Second, virginity surpasses conjugal fidelity in merit; the goods of marriage are human goods, but consecrated virginity is angelic. But marriage is not to be disparaged by consecrated virgins. In demeaning it, the manichees misinterpret I Cor. 7, and Jovinian is condemned for equating marriage with it. Third, the nature of the reward in heaven is outlined. The second main topic of the treatise is the importance of humility. Scriptural models are proposed—the centurion, the Canaanite woman, the tax collector, and finally Christ himself.
Melissa S. Dale
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- September 2019
- ISBN:
- 9789888455751
- eISBN:
- 9789888455607
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Hong Kong University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5790/hongkong/9789888455751.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, Asian History
This book tells the story of how Chinese palace eunuchs, a complicated and much-maligned group of people, struggled to insert a degree of agency into their lives. During the Qing dynasty, the ...
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This book tells the story of how Chinese palace eunuchs, a complicated and much-maligned group of people, struggled to insert a degree of agency into their lives. During the Qing dynasty, the imperial court was determined to limit the influence of eunuchs by imposing a management style based upon strict rules, corporal punishment, and collective responsibility. Emasculation and employment placed eunuchs at the center of the empire, yet also subjected them to servile status and marginalization by society. Seeking more control over their lives, eunuchs repeatedly tested the boundaries of subservience to the emperor and the imperial court. This portrait of eunuch society reveals that Qing eunuchs operated within two parallel realms, one revolving around the emperor and the court by day and another among the eunuchs themselves by night where they recreated the social bonds (through drinking, gambling, and opium smoking) denied them by their palace service. Emasculation did not produce the ideal servants; rather, eunuchs proved to be a constant source of anxiety and labor challenges for the Qing imperial court. The history of Qing palace eunuchs is defined by a tension between the role eunuchs were meant to play and the life they intended to live.Less
This book tells the story of how Chinese palace eunuchs, a complicated and much-maligned group of people, struggled to insert a degree of agency into their lives. During the Qing dynasty, the imperial court was determined to limit the influence of eunuchs by imposing a management style based upon strict rules, corporal punishment, and collective responsibility. Emasculation and employment placed eunuchs at the center of the empire, yet also subjected them to servile status and marginalization by society. Seeking more control over their lives, eunuchs repeatedly tested the boundaries of subservience to the emperor and the imperial court. This portrait of eunuch society reveals that Qing eunuchs operated within two parallel realms, one revolving around the emperor and the court by day and another among the eunuchs themselves by night where they recreated the social bonds (through drinking, gambling, and opium smoking) denied them by their palace service. Emasculation did not produce the ideal servants; rather, eunuchs proved to be a constant source of anxiety and labor challenges for the Qing imperial court. The history of Qing palace eunuchs is defined by a tension between the role eunuchs were meant to play and the life they intended to live.
R. Po‐chia Hsia
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199592258
- eISBN:
- 9780191595622
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199592258.003.0009
- Subject:
- History, Asian History, History of Religion
In 1600, Ricci attempted once more to reach Beijing, Accompanied by Diego de Pantoja, a Spanish Jesuit, he travelled north on the Grand Canal. En route, the Jesuits, on their mission as ...
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In 1600, Ricci attempted once more to reach Beijing, Accompanied by Diego de Pantoja, a Spanish Jesuit, he travelled north on the Grand Canal. En route, the Jesuits, on their mission as tribute‐bearers, were intercepted by the eunuch Ma Tang. After escaping from Ma's clutches, Ricci successfully negotiated the bureaucracy in Beijing and obtained permission to reside. This chapter describes the circle of his friends and acquaintances in the imperial capital. As customary, Ricci depended on his friendship and the goodwill of powerful mandarins for his success. A special relationship developed between Feng Yinjing, a loyal and just official imprisoned for opposing eunuch corruption, and the Jesuit missionary, who continued publishing works in Chinese, introducing Stoic and Christian texts to the Ming elites.Less
In 1600, Ricci attempted once more to reach Beijing, Accompanied by Diego de Pantoja, a Spanish Jesuit, he travelled north on the Grand Canal. En route, the Jesuits, on their mission as tribute‐bearers, were intercepted by the eunuch Ma Tang. After escaping from Ma's clutches, Ricci successfully negotiated the bureaucracy in Beijing and obtained permission to reside. This chapter describes the circle of his friends and acquaintances in the imperial capital. As customary, Ricci depended on his friendship and the goodwill of powerful mandarins for his success. A special relationship developed between Feng Yinjing, a loyal and just official imprisoned for opposing eunuch corruption, and the Jesuit missionary, who continued publishing works in Chinese, introducing Stoic and Christian texts to the Ming elites.
Richard Hillier
- Published in print:
- 1993
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198147862
- eISBN:
- 9780191672330
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198147862.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
In his exposition of the baptism of the Ethiopian eunuch, Arator's main concern is to set the eunuch, or rather his mistress, Queen Candace, in her ...
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In his exposition of the baptism of the Ethiopian eunuch, Arator's main concern is to set the eunuch, or rather his mistress, Queen Candace, in her place at the end of a list of types which prefigure the conversion of the ecclesia ex gentibus. He also enters into a not entirely serious examination of the effect of baptism, given the obvious physical condition of the eunuch, and alludes in the last line of the Song of Songs 1: 5 to Christ's teaching concerning eunuchs and chastity at Matthew 19: 12: ‘and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven’. Arator highlights the unexpected benefits which the eunuch will now receive: Philip's instruction enables him to reap the reward of baptism, the harvest sprung from the seeds of his diligent application to the scriptures. The biblical interpretation of Ethiopians as sinners and gentiles is also considered.Less
In his exposition of the baptism of the Ethiopian eunuch, Arator's main concern is to set the eunuch, or rather his mistress, Queen Candace, in her place at the end of a list of types which prefigure the conversion of the ecclesia ex gentibus. He also enters into a not entirely serious examination of the effect of baptism, given the obvious physical condition of the eunuch, and alludes in the last line of the Song of Songs 1: 5 to Christ's teaching concerning eunuchs and chastity at Matthew 19: 12: ‘and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven’. Arator highlights the unexpected benefits which the eunuch will now receive: Philip's instruction enables him to reap the reward of baptism, the harvest sprung from the seeds of his diligent application to the scriptures. The biblical interpretation of Ethiopians as sinners and gentiles is also considered.
Norman A. Kutcher
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- January 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780520297524
- eISBN:
- 9780520969841
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520297524.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, Asian History
Chinese eunuchs have long been an object of fascination, but shockingly little is known about them. Castrated so as to maintain the integrity of the imperial line by ensuring that any child born in ...
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Chinese eunuchs have long been an object of fascination, but shockingly little is known about them. Castrated so as to maintain the integrity of the imperial line by ensuring that any child born in the palace is the emperor’s, most of these servants lived out their lives in obscurity, performing the menial tasks that kept the palace functioning. Some rose to prominence, becoming imperial advisors and confidants. A few became infamous, flattering their way into the emperor’s good graces and slowly arrogating power. Usurping eunuchs were a perennial threat to imperial rule, and were blamed for the downfall of dynasties. In this book, Norman Kutcher uses a wealth of sources to study eunuchs and their distinctive place in Chinese rulership during the first 150 years of the Qing dynasty. This period encompassed the reigns of three of China’s most important emperors: Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong. In different ways, each was deeply affected by the legacy of prior dynasties’ eunuch power. How they sought to prevent a return to eunuch excesses, and how eunuchs flourished in the face of restrictions imposed upon them, is the subject of this groundbreaking book.Less
Chinese eunuchs have long been an object of fascination, but shockingly little is known about them. Castrated so as to maintain the integrity of the imperial line by ensuring that any child born in the palace is the emperor’s, most of these servants lived out their lives in obscurity, performing the menial tasks that kept the palace functioning. Some rose to prominence, becoming imperial advisors and confidants. A few became infamous, flattering their way into the emperor’s good graces and slowly arrogating power. Usurping eunuchs were a perennial threat to imperial rule, and were blamed for the downfall of dynasties. In this book, Norman Kutcher uses a wealth of sources to study eunuchs and their distinctive place in Chinese rulership during the first 150 years of the Qing dynasty. This period encompassed the reigns of three of China’s most important emperors: Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong. In different ways, each was deeply affected by the legacy of prior dynasties’ eunuch power. How they sought to prevent a return to eunuch excesses, and how eunuchs flourished in the face of restrictions imposed upon them, is the subject of this groundbreaking book.
Robert Mayhew
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- March 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780226512006
- eISBN:
- 9780226512020
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226512020.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Ancient Philosophy
While Aristotle's writings on biology are considered to be among his best, the comments he makes about females in these works are widely regarded as the nadir of his philosophical oeuvre. Among many ...
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While Aristotle's writings on biology are considered to be among his best, the comments he makes about females in these works are widely regarded as the nadir of his philosophical oeuvre. Among many claims, Aristotle is said to have declared that females contribute nothing substantial to generation; that they have fewer teeth than males; that they are less spirited than males; and that woman are analogous to eunuchs. This book aims not to defend Aristotle's ideas about females but to defend Aristotle against the common charge that his writings on female species were motivated by ideological bias. The author points out that the tools of modern science and scientific experimentation were not available to the Greeks during Aristotle's time and that, consequently, Aristotle had relied not only on empirical observations when writing about living organisms but also on a fair amount of speculation. Further, he argues that Aristotle's remarks about females in his biological writings did not tend to promote the inferior status of ancient Greek women.Less
While Aristotle's writings on biology are considered to be among his best, the comments he makes about females in these works are widely regarded as the nadir of his philosophical oeuvre. Among many claims, Aristotle is said to have declared that females contribute nothing substantial to generation; that they have fewer teeth than males; that they are less spirited than males; and that woman are analogous to eunuchs. This book aims not to defend Aristotle's ideas about females but to defend Aristotle against the common charge that his writings on female species were motivated by ideological bias. The author points out that the tools of modern science and scientific experimentation were not available to the Greeks during Aristotle's time and that, consequently, Aristotle had relied not only on empirical observations when writing about living organisms but also on a fair amount of speculation. Further, he argues that Aristotle's remarks about females in his biological writings did not tend to promote the inferior status of ancient Greek women.
Mary Beard
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199696093
- eISBN:
- 9780191745744
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199696093.003.0013
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Ancient Religions, Archaeology: Classical
This chapter explores the cult and rituals of Magna Mater (or Cybele) and Attis in imperial Rome. It briefly reviews the history and festivals of the goddess and the sacrifice of the taurobolium ...
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This chapter explores the cult and rituals of Magna Mater (or Cybele) and Attis in imperial Rome. It briefly reviews the history and festivals of the goddess and the sacrifice of the taurobolium (focusing on the controversial account by Prudentius), throwing light on some of the very processes by which we can (or cannot) access ancient rituals and festivals. But the main focus is on the eunuch priests (or galli) and the unresolved tension between the incorporation of the cult and its rejection. The paper argues that Roman reactions to these priests, the hostility and the ridicule, needs to be seen in the context of constructive debates on the nature of what is Roman in Roman religion—debates that lie at the heart of Roman religious culture.Less
This chapter explores the cult and rituals of Magna Mater (or Cybele) and Attis in imperial Rome. It briefly reviews the history and festivals of the goddess and the sacrifice of the taurobolium (focusing on the controversial account by Prudentius), throwing light on some of the very processes by which we can (or cannot) access ancient rituals and festivals. But the main focus is on the eunuch priests (or galli) and the unresolved tension between the incorporation of the cult and its rejection. The paper argues that Roman reactions to these priests, the hostility and the ridicule, needs to be seen in the context of constructive debates on the nature of what is Roman in Roman religion—debates that lie at the heart of Roman religious culture.
BERNARD LEWIS
- Published in print:
- 1992
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195053265
- eISBN:
- 9780199854561
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195053265.003.0010
- Subject:
- History, Middle East History
The chapter discusses slaves during the nineteenth century. From the late eighteenth century onwards, there are numerous accounts by contemporary observers of the processes by which African slaves ...
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The chapter discusses slaves during the nineteenth century. From the late eighteenth century onwards, there are numerous accounts by contemporary observers of the processes by which African slaves were caught, transported, and sold in the markets of the Middle East and North America. The main purpose for which blacks were imported was domestic service. A certain number of free blacks also found employment. In Egypt their role was usually humble. Eunuchs were in considerable numbers for households from the palace downward. They were also employed in the service of mosques and made custodians of the tomb, which gave them an almost priestly status. By the nineteenth century, they were recruited overwhelmingly from Africa. In the course of the nineteenth century, black slaves or black freedmen were found to be occupying important positions and often exercised great power. This occurred frequently in Arabia.Less
The chapter discusses slaves during the nineteenth century. From the late eighteenth century onwards, there are numerous accounts by contemporary observers of the processes by which African slaves were caught, transported, and sold in the markets of the Middle East and North America. The main purpose for which blacks were imported was domestic service. A certain number of free blacks also found employment. In Egypt their role was usually humble. Eunuchs were in considerable numbers for households from the palace downward. They were also employed in the service of mosques and made custodians of the tomb, which gave them an almost priestly status. By the nineteenth century, they were recruited overwhelmingly from Africa. In the course of the nineteenth century, black slaves or black freedmen were found to be occupying important positions and often exercised great power. This occurred frequently in Arabia.
Kathryn M. Ringrose
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520254435
- eISBN:
- 9780520941519
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520254435.003.0003
- Subject:
- History, World Medieval History
The Byzantine Empire is an easy target for the historian's orientalizing reflexes. Long accused of oriental decadence and overlaid by centuries of Western perceptions of the oriental harem, the ...
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The Byzantine Empire is an easy target for the historian's orientalizing reflexes. Long accused of oriental decadence and overlaid by centuries of Western perceptions of the oriental harem, the Byzantine court has been stereotyped by observers as a place where women lived in harems—in oriental seclusion guarded by fierce eunuch guards. Like aristocratic women elsewhere in Byzantium and in many other aristocratic societies, Byzantine court women lived in settings segregated from men. They did not, however, live in enclosed communities of wives and concubines available for the emperor's pleasure. In the first place, the Christian Byzantine emperors were, in accordance with church law, allowed to have only one wife at a time. The two most powerful empresses of middle period Byzantium were Irene and Theodora. This chapter shows that Byzantine women's access to power was possible despite the specially gendered nature of palace space and that this access was facilitated through the mediation of eunuchs, who were uniquely able to transcend the boundaries between the gendered spaces in the palace.Less
The Byzantine Empire is an easy target for the historian's orientalizing reflexes. Long accused of oriental decadence and overlaid by centuries of Western perceptions of the oriental harem, the Byzantine court has been stereotyped by observers as a place where women lived in harems—in oriental seclusion guarded by fierce eunuch guards. Like aristocratic women elsewhere in Byzantium and in many other aristocratic societies, Byzantine court women lived in settings segregated from men. They did not, however, live in enclosed communities of wives and concubines available for the emperor's pleasure. In the first place, the Christian Byzantine emperors were, in accordance with church law, allowed to have only one wife at a time. The two most powerful empresses of middle period Byzantium were Irene and Theodora. This chapter shows that Byzantine women's access to power was possible despite the specially gendered nature of palace space and that this access was facilitated through the mediation of eunuchs, who were uniquely able to transcend the boundaries between the gendered spaces in the palace.
Flora Edouwaye S. Kaplan
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520254435
- eISBN:
- 9780520941519
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520254435.003.0006
- Subject:
- History, World Medieval History
This chapter investigates the harem and the political roles played by royal wives at the Benin royal court in Nigeria. Benin resembles many early accounts of palace women in the Middle East, China, ...
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This chapter investigates the harem and the political roles played by royal wives at the Benin royal court in Nigeria. Benin resembles many early accounts of palace women in the Middle East, China, India, and elsewhere up to the twentieth century. On rare occasion, such as the letters of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu from Turkey (1763), Western women have written personal accounts of their glimpses of harems. This chapter also looks at sources of power and influence available to royal women, and assesses what impact, if any, royal women had on the lives of ordinary women and men beyond the walls of the harem. Politics in this African harem is broadly defined to mean observable decision making and makers acting in public arenas to direct the control and distribution of resources perceived as scarce. This chapter also examines the reign of the Obas, the Oba's palace, seclusion of the Oba's wives, the role of eunuchs in the royal harem, and the queen mother.Less
This chapter investigates the harem and the political roles played by royal wives at the Benin royal court in Nigeria. Benin resembles many early accounts of palace women in the Middle East, China, India, and elsewhere up to the twentieth century. On rare occasion, such as the letters of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu from Turkey (1763), Western women have written personal accounts of their glimpses of harems. This chapter also looks at sources of power and influence available to royal women, and assesses what impact, if any, royal women had on the lives of ordinary women and men beyond the walls of the harem. Politics in this African harem is broadly defined to mean observable decision making and makers acting in public arenas to direct the control and distribution of resources perceived as scarce. This chapter also examines the reign of the Obas, the Oba's palace, seclusion of the Oba's wives, the role of eunuchs in the royal harem, and the queen mother.
Michael A. Gomez
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- May 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780691196824
- eISBN:
- 9781400888160
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691196824.003.0013
- Subject:
- History, African History
This chapter examines Songhay's twenty-year nadir, which was first and foremost a time of myopia relative to the expansive, internationalist age of Askia Muḥammad that preceded it, its parochialism a ...
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This chapter examines Songhay's twenty-year nadir, which was first and foremost a time of myopia relative to the expansive, internationalist age of Askia Muḥammad that preceded it, its parochialism a function of an unprecedented rivalrous spirit invested in sanguinary practice distinctive in both elevation and scope, reaching the most privileged while encompassing a broad expanse of social formations. A collective royal neurosis of the most toxic variety enveloped Songhay's elite, as a result of which many sons, and even daughters, of amīr al-mu'minīn were cut down by blood relatives, and precisely for that reason. Because intimacies necessarily attended these intrafamilial conflicts, the level of intrigue must have been extraordinary, aided by privileged slaves who stepped into breaches left by the serial elimination of their masters, advantaged by administrative experience combined with their nonthreatening, liminal status. In Songhay, the process was led by eunuchs, who leveraged their skills in both their own interests as well as those of their patrons, becoming indispensable. As a result, royal slaves and the royal women they served became a powerful component of the “people of Songhay.” The growth of the servile estate, in turn, was enabled by an apparent surge in slaving, swelling not only the ranks of the dispossessed but constituting the principal “commodity” for which mounts could be imported into the empire, stimulating further slaving.Less
This chapter examines Songhay's twenty-year nadir, which was first and foremost a time of myopia relative to the expansive, internationalist age of Askia Muḥammad that preceded it, its parochialism a function of an unprecedented rivalrous spirit invested in sanguinary practice distinctive in both elevation and scope, reaching the most privileged while encompassing a broad expanse of social formations. A collective royal neurosis of the most toxic variety enveloped Songhay's elite, as a result of which many sons, and even daughters, of amīr al-mu'minīn were cut down by blood relatives, and precisely for that reason. Because intimacies necessarily attended these intrafamilial conflicts, the level of intrigue must have been extraordinary, aided by privileged slaves who stepped into breaches left by the serial elimination of their masters, advantaged by administrative experience combined with their nonthreatening, liminal status. In Songhay, the process was led by eunuchs, who leveraged their skills in both their own interests as well as those of their patrons, becoming indispensable. As a result, royal slaves and the royal women they served became a powerful component of the “people of Songhay.” The growth of the servile estate, in turn, was enabled by an apparent surge in slaving, swelling not only the ranks of the dispossessed but constituting the principal “commodity” for which mounts could be imported into the empire, stimulating further slaving.
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- March 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780226720159
- eISBN:
- 9780226720166
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226720166.003.0001
- Subject:
- History, World Medieval History
This chapter provides an overview of this book, which explores the place of eunuchs in Byzantine society and culture and studies an institution that was both very ancient and quite varied in its ...
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This chapter provides an overview of this book, which explores the place of eunuchs in Byzantine society and culture and studies an institution that was both very ancient and quite varied in its makeup. It asks about Byzantine society's conscious perceptions of eunuchs, about its unconscious assumptions regarding eunuchs, and about the variety of gender subcategories that were encompassed by the term eunuch. The chapter also suggests that Byzantine society classed eunuchs as what modern analysis defines as a separate gender category, one which was neither male nor female, and that the nature of this category changed significantly over a thousand years of Late Antique and Byzantine history. In doing this, it explores the construction and perception of gender in the Byzantine world between the sixth and twelfth centuries. The analysis is based on the premise that Byzantine culture incorporated more than two well-defined gender categories as part of normal life in Byzantium, at least among the urban, courtly elite. The eunuchs of Byzantium thus offer an example of an alternative gender category and of the need to understand how such categories function in society, past and present.Less
This chapter provides an overview of this book, which explores the place of eunuchs in Byzantine society and culture and studies an institution that was both very ancient and quite varied in its makeup. It asks about Byzantine society's conscious perceptions of eunuchs, about its unconscious assumptions regarding eunuchs, and about the variety of gender subcategories that were encompassed by the term eunuch. The chapter also suggests that Byzantine society classed eunuchs as what modern analysis defines as a separate gender category, one which was neither male nor female, and that the nature of this category changed significantly over a thousand years of Late Antique and Byzantine history. In doing this, it explores the construction and perception of gender in the Byzantine world between the sixth and twelfth centuries. The analysis is based on the premise that Byzantine culture incorporated more than two well-defined gender categories as part of normal life in Byzantium, at least among the urban, courtly elite. The eunuchs of Byzantium thus offer an example of an alternative gender category and of the need to understand how such categories function in society, past and present.
Taef El-Azhari
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- May 2020
- ISBN:
- 9781474423182
- eISBN:
- 9781474476751
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9781474423182.003.0004
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Middle Eastern Studies
This chapter analyse the status of eunuchs in Islam, compared to other civilizations. One monitor the different types of eunuchs and their evolution from serving in the harem section under early ...
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This chapter analyse the status of eunuchs in Islam, compared to other civilizations. One monitor the different types of eunuchs and their evolution from serving in the harem section under early Abbasids to become intrusted with intelligence, insignia among other vital posts. The significant period of caliph al-Amin d. 813, where one see his love affairs with eunuchs and public perception to such behaviour. One do examine how third gendered eunuchs became army commanders, dominating the political affairs of the empire in early 10th cntury. That is in full collaboration with royal mothers, concubines, among other courtiers. How legendary Mu’nis al-Khadim reinstated a caliph, and toppled another for his own interests, although he has no biological future. Such domination by eunuchs, made them occupy almost all top positions in the state.
The result, was the declaration of the first sole eunuch as a governor of a Muslim state in 966; Kafur of Egypt. That took place with some resentment from some intellectuals, but chroniclers did not report much dismay to the phenomena.Less
This chapter analyse the status of eunuchs in Islam, compared to other civilizations. One monitor the different types of eunuchs and their evolution from serving in the harem section under early Abbasids to become intrusted with intelligence, insignia among other vital posts. The significant period of caliph al-Amin d. 813, where one see his love affairs with eunuchs and public perception to such behaviour. One do examine how third gendered eunuchs became army commanders, dominating the political affairs of the empire in early 10th cntury. That is in full collaboration with royal mothers, concubines, among other courtiers. How legendary Mu’nis al-Khadim reinstated a caliph, and toppled another for his own interests, although he has no biological future. Such domination by eunuchs, made them occupy almost all top positions in the state.
The result, was the declaration of the first sole eunuch as a governor of a Muslim state in 966; Kafur of Egypt. That took place with some resentment from some intellectuals, but chroniclers did not report much dismay to the phenomena.
Taef El-Azhari
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- May 2020
- ISBN:
- 9781474423182
- eISBN:
- 9781474476751
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9781474423182.003.0005
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Middle Eastern Studies
This chapter discusses the impact of Fatimid Shi‘i women on political and religious affairs, in collaboration with the other two genders; men and eunuchs. In Early 11th century, Sitt al-Mulk seized ...
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This chapter discusses the impact of Fatimid Shi‘i women on political and religious affairs, in collaboration with the other two genders; men and eunuchs. In Early 11th century, Sitt al-Mulk seized the rule in the Fatimid empire by assassinating her brother caliph and instated his young son. By 1036, Concubine Rasad became queen regent for her five years old boy, and dominated political affairs for decades, until she named herself as queen in state documents. One examine how the first sole queen came to power in Yemen in 1098 and remained for four decades. She not only was a ruler, but also became second religious authority after the caliph himself.
Why and how she managed to do that? Why her model has not repeated under the Fatimid dynasty? Why 11th century Yemen and Arabia was much more progressive than 21th century? Ironically, Queen Arwa never attempted to use any of her gender in the state affairs, and continued to count on the other gender. The Egyptian chancery kept for us few official correspondents between the Queens of Fatimid Egypt and queen of Yemen in an extremely rare case.Less
This chapter discusses the impact of Fatimid Shi‘i women on political and religious affairs, in collaboration with the other two genders; men and eunuchs. In Early 11th century, Sitt al-Mulk seized the rule in the Fatimid empire by assassinating her brother caliph and instated his young son. By 1036, Concubine Rasad became queen regent for her five years old boy, and dominated political affairs for decades, until she named herself as queen in state documents. One examine how the first sole queen came to power in Yemen in 1098 and remained for four decades. She not only was a ruler, but also became second religious authority after the caliph himself.
Why and how she managed to do that? Why her model has not repeated under the Fatimid dynasty? Why 11th century Yemen and Arabia was much more progressive than 21th century? Ironically, Queen Arwa never attempted to use any of her gender in the state affairs, and continued to count on the other gender. The Egyptian chancery kept for us few official correspondents between the Queens of Fatimid Egypt and queen of Yemen in an extremely rare case.
Taef El-Azhari
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- May 2020
- ISBN:
- 9781474423182
- eISBN:
- 9781474476751
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9781474423182.003.0006
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Middle Eastern Studies
The Fatimids had followed the Abbasid tradition of using eunuchs in their caliphate, but they exceeded them in every way. The 10th -11th century could be named, the age of eunuchs. They became deputy ...
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The Fatimids had followed the Abbasid tradition of using eunuchs in their caliphate, but they exceeded them in every way. The 10th -11th century could be named, the age of eunuchs. They became deputy to the caliph. Tutor to heir apparent, army commander, and de facto ruler of the realm. One do examine such impact on politics and Isma‘ili doctrine alike. Especially that we have the exceptional memoirs of chief eunuch Jawdhar during the North African stage.
Although eunuchs were hired by their masters due to their non-existing political ambition, and absolute loyalty; one see them express their hunger for power, and dominate the state from beginning to end, which influenced Saladin to follow the same tradition when he succeeded the Fatimids in Egypt.Less
The Fatimids had followed the Abbasid tradition of using eunuchs in their caliphate, but they exceeded them in every way. The 10th -11th century could be named, the age of eunuchs. They became deputy to the caliph. Tutor to heir apparent, army commander, and de facto ruler of the realm. One do examine such impact on politics and Isma‘ili doctrine alike. Especially that we have the exceptional memoirs of chief eunuch Jawdhar during the North African stage.
Although eunuchs were hired by their masters due to their non-existing political ambition, and absolute loyalty; one see them express their hunger for power, and dominate the state from beginning to end, which influenced Saladin to follow the same tradition when he succeeded the Fatimids in Egypt.
Elinor Lieber
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780748613199
- eISBN:
- 9780748651016
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748613199.003.0020
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, European History: BCE to 500CE
On the northern shores of the Black Sea, the Greek colonists established a number of towns and maintained good relations with the local inhabitants, who were referred to by both Herodotus and the ...
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On the northern shores of the Black Sea, the Greek colonists established a number of towns and maintained good relations with the local inhabitants, who were referred to by both Herodotus and the author of the Hippocratic account as ‘Scythians’. Scholars have found it hard to believe that ‘many’ of these ‘Scythians’ could have been squat, fat, and lethargic, as mentioned in the Hippocratic account, let alone cross-dressing eunuchs suffering from some chronic feminine disease. Even those who consult the Hippocratic source still tend to centre the debate on its references to transvestism and impotence, and ignore its clear depiction of the Anarieis as suffering from some chronic, generalised, physical disease, of which these are only two signs. Eunuchism following a combination of signs such as described in the Hippocratic account seems to point to one condition alone: some endemic form of the syndrome now known as hereditary iron overload or primary haemochromatosis.Less
On the northern shores of the Black Sea, the Greek colonists established a number of towns and maintained good relations with the local inhabitants, who were referred to by both Herodotus and the author of the Hippocratic account as ‘Scythians’. Scholars have found it hard to believe that ‘many’ of these ‘Scythians’ could have been squat, fat, and lethargic, as mentioned in the Hippocratic account, let alone cross-dressing eunuchs suffering from some chronic feminine disease. Even those who consult the Hippocratic source still tend to centre the debate on its references to transvestism and impotence, and ignore its clear depiction of the Anarieis as suffering from some chronic, generalised, physical disease, of which these are only two signs. Eunuchism following a combination of signs such as described in the Hippocratic account seems to point to one condition alone: some endemic form of the syndrome now known as hereditary iron overload or primary haemochromatosis.