Palace politics and the rise of the chief black eunuch in the Ottoman Empire

Abstract

This study investigates the emergence of the chief black eunuch or the darüssaade agha as a pivotal harem figure in the context of the transformation of the Ottoman state and royal household in the post-Süleymanic era. It is argued that the consolidation of the royal family in the Topkapı Palace and the increase in the number of palace residents and personnel, on the one hand, and the desire of the sultan and other members of the royal family to create new networks of patronage, on the other, necessitated the creation of the new office and created a suitable environment for black eunuchs to wield considerable power and influence in the Ottoman Empire. The rise of the chief black eunuchs, nevertheless, was not a smooth process, and involved a power struggle between them and the chief white eunuchs, who were formerly in charge of administering the entire palace, including the imperial harem. Relying mainly on the chronicles of the period and selected archival documents, this study also discusses the important roles played by the darüssaade aghas in Ottoman politics after the institutionalization of their office. To illustrate the ways in which the chief black eunuchs came to exercise great power and influence, it provides an overview of the career paths of the chief black eunuchs from their entry into the palace to their dismissal or retirement, and discusses the quarters in which they lived and the roles they played in royal ceremonials. Finally, this study considers how the chief black eunuchs were perceived in Ottoman society at large as powerful officials who also happened to be slaves, black and castrated. While doing that it also shows how the power struggle between the white and black eunuchs was reflected in a series of texts written by their clients. Specifically, Mustafa Âlî's Description of Cairo is analyzed as a text that was highly critical of these powerful officials and which sought to undermine their status by playing on society's negative stereotypes of blacks, while a number of treatises written in praise of the good qualities of the Ethiopians are discussed in relation to the efforts of the chief black eunuchs to answer to their critics.