The Songhai Empire was the largest empire in sub-Saharan African history. It emerged from the Songhai state that began about 1000 CE in the region around the town of Gao, situated about 200 miles southeast of Timbuktu in modern Mali. The town grew into an important trading center with caravan routes to the north and to Egypt. Toward the end of the 13th century Gao lost its independence and became part of the expanding Mail Empire.

As the Mali Empire entered decline, the Songhai reasserted control. Under the rule of Sunni Ali (reigned 1464-1492) the Songhai Empire reached its greatest extent. Sunni Ali's son was overthrown in 1493 by one of his father's generals, Muhammad Ture, who founded the Askia Dynasty that ruled until the empire was defeated by a Moroccan army in 1591.

According to Leo Africanus (c.1494-c.1554), Askia Muhammad (the reign name of Muhammad Ture) possessed "an enormous number of wives, concubines, slaves and eunuchs." By the time of Askia Dawud (reigned 1549-1582) eunuchs were very numerous in court. The Tarikh al-Fattash reports that the Askia was flanked by 700 eunuchs at his Friday audiences."

The Askia's army also contained a large corps of eunuchs. The Tarikh al-Sudan, a chronicle written in Arabic around 1655, reports that the Songhai cavalry that put down a rebellion by Balama al-Sadiq in 1588 contained about 4,000 eunuch cavalrymen.

The Songhai Empire was eventually defeated at the Battle of Tondibi in 1591 by a Moroccan army led by Judar Pasha, a Spanish-born eunuch who had been captured as a baby by Muslim slave-raiders and castrated as a boy by his owners. Judar Pasha's small army of 1,500 light cavalry and 2,500 arquebusiers included eight English cannon that they carried across the Sahara, and it was gunpowder that carried the day against the Askia's much larger forces.

The source(s) of the large number of eunuchs in the Songhai Empire is unclear, although there is a disputed mention that when Askia Muhammad conquered the Hausa kingdom of Gobir, he ordered the king's sons and grandsons to be castrated to serve in his palace in Gao.

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Hunwick, John O. (1999), Timbuktu and the Songhay Empire: Al-Sadi's Tarikh al-Sudan down to 1613 and other contemporary documents, Leiden: Brill.

Very interesting information. --FLO--

More good stuff from Jesus, thanks.

We see many references to eunuchs as fierce warriors and often in positions of leadership, with mention of castration as young boys. It's puzzling to me because it contradicts all the stereotypical images of "eunuch calm" and passive personalities.

nvrgag44 (imported) wrote: Thu Apr 23, 2015 5:16 am We see many references to eunuchs as fierce warriors and often in positions of leadership, with mention of castration as young boys. It's puzzling to me because it contradicts all the stereotypical images of "eunuch calm" and passive personalities.

While the systematic production of eunuchs dates from at least 2100 BCE in the Sumerian city-state of Lagash, early records are, of course, rather sketchy.

By the time of the Neo-Assyrian Empire (911–605 BCE) we have excellent accounts of the roles of eunuchs in the much-feared Assyrian army that swept across the entire Near East and Egypt. There were at least three important roles played by eunuchs in that army, all of which are attested to in earlier periods, but which seemed to come together as an invincible military machine under the Assyrians.

Almost from the beginning, it was discovered that eunuch personality structure helped them to become excellent bureaucrats. On the Big Five Personality Inventory (the most widely used personality test in the world), eunuchs (male-structured brain, but without testosterone) score higher in Conscientiousness (attention to detail, self-discipline, ability to plan ahead) and in Agreeability (work well in groups, value social harmony, helpful, optimistic) than do intact males. Because of these personality traits, they came to be preferred for administrative roles in government and, eventually as military leaders. Studies of the U.S. Army find that the higher the rank, the lower the testosterone -- even after accounting for the greater age that goes with higher rank. Generals have, on average, the lowest testosterone levels. They need to excel in both Conscientiousness and Agreeability.

The Assyrian army was mostly led by eunuchs.

A primary part of the advancing Assyrians was their effective use of the war chariot. We tend to think of one-person chariots of the sort seen in "Ben-Hur," but the ancient war chariot was nothing less than basic infantry set on a moving platform. They were pulled by one or more horses. Some contemporary carvings show as many as five. In addition to the driver, who was often a eunuch because of the same personality traits that make for good generals, there would be one or more warriors -- archers, spearmen, swordsmen, etc. who would likely be intact males.

The third major role was as archers. The Assyrian army had ranks of eunuch archers as they went into battle. Behind the front lines and taking careful and considered aim at the enemy.

All three of these military roles were well-served by calm, considered thinking in the heat of battle. Eunuchs made excellent warriors. They were calm, but not passive....

[In the modern military, drone pilots might be another role that eunuchs could fulfill better than intact males.]

I find the chariot statements interesting. It's rethinking the tactics of chariots when they are used as troop carriers rather than horse-mounted cavalry during history.