contributor
26,977
edits
Changes
From SamuraiWiki
Jump to navigationJump to searchno edit summary
By the middle of the period, eunuchs came to play indispensable roles as the emperor's personal secretaries, conveying palace memorials, presenting to the emperor the business of the day, and otherwise handling edicts, decisions, imperial rescripts and so forth between the Emperor and the various arms of government. A number of these eunuch secretaries briefed the emperor each morning in closed-sessions, enjoying an intimate access to the emperor which none but the highest-ranking scholar-bureaucrat officials enjoyed.<ref name=huang/> This became especially true during the reign of the [[Wanli Emperor]] (r. [[1572]]-[[1620]]), who went for long periods of time without leaving the Inner Palace; as only eunuchs and not officials could enter this portion of the [[Forbidden City]], they gained considerable power as intermediaries. Many even began to charge fees (or bribes) to officials & others who wished them to carry messages to the Emperor for them. One eunuch of this time, [[Wei Zhongxian]], gained so much power that he was able to publish histories defaming his political rivals & even arrange for their execution, as well as having temples built in his honor across the empire.<ref>Jonathan Spence, ''The Search for Modern China'', Second Edition, W.W. Norton & Co. (1999), 17.</ref>
By the middle of the period, eunuchs came to play indispensable roles as the emperor's personal secretaries, conveying palace memorials, presenting to the emperor the business of the day, and otherwise handling edicts, decisions, imperial rescripts and so forth between the Emperor and the various arms of government. A number of these eunuch secretaries briefed the emperor each morning in closed-sessions, enjoying an intimate access to the emperor which none but the highest-ranking scholar-bureaucrat officials enjoyed.<ref name=huang/> This became especially true during the reign of the [[Wanli Emperor]] (r. [[1572]]-[[1620]]), who went for long periods of time without leaving the Inner Palace; as only eunuchs and not officials could enter this portion of the [[Forbidden City]], they gained considerable power as intermediaries. Many even began to charge fees (or bribes) to officials & others who wished them to carry messages to the Emperor for them. One eunuch of this time, [[Wei Zhongxian]], gained so much power that he was able to publish histories defaming his political rivals & even arrange for their execution, as well as having temples built in his honor across the empire.<ref>Jonathan Spence, ''The Search for Modern China'', Second Edition, W.W. Norton & Co. (1999), 17.</ref>
Most palace eunuchs, even if from rather lowly origins, were educated at the Inner Palace School, established by the [[Xuande Emperor]],<ref>Conrad Schirokauer, et al, ''A Brief History of Chinese and Japanese Civilizations'', Fourth Edition, Cengage Learning (2012), 247.</ref> from a young age. The content of that education differed little, if at all, from that of the scholar-bureaucracy, and often their teachers included some of the top teachers from the [[Hanlin Academy]].
Most palace eunuchs, even if from rather lowly origins, were educated at the Inner Palace School, established by the [[Xuande Emperor]],<ref>Conrad Schirokauer, et al, ''A Brief History of Chinese and Japanese Civilizations'', Fourth Edition, Cengage Learning (2012), 247.</ref> from a young age. The content of that education differed little, if at all, from that of the scholar-bureaucracy, and often their teachers
included some of the top teachers from the [[Hanlin Academy]].
==Qing Dynasty==
The [[Manchu]] rulers of the [[Qing Dynasty]] drastically reduced the number of eunuchs active in the palace, as well as the extent of their powers. Eunuchs continued to be employed as servants in the women's quarters, but most other administrative court tasks were given over to Chinese bondservants. The semi-military status enjoyed by eunuchs under the Ming was also abolished, and members of the banners were appointed to serve as palace guards.<ref>Spence, 39.</ref>
{{stub}}
{{stub}}
