Life of a Male Concubine in the Ottoman Empire

Welcome back to 🤪Crazy Histories🤪
Contrary to popular belief, male concubines were welcomed and praised as a symbol of riches, power, and masculinity in the Ottoman Empire. This practice of keeping young boys and men as sexual partners in court has a long history in many ancient cultures, which is why it’s no surprise that there are also a handful of stories about these concubines during the Ottoman Empire. However, while there is less discrimination when it comes to this practice, it doesn’t mean that male concubines during this empire lived happily ever after. The truth is that there is still a stigma that needs to be abolished. Just take, for example, the infamous story of Tayyib and Tahir, two young Ottomans who were captured by Christians. But instead of inflicting pain and submitting them to torture, their captors showered them with good things and kept them happy. Sadly, this didn’t last long, and, in the end, they had to prove their love to other people. In this video, we will go over other intriguing and interesting tales of male concubines who lived through and survived the Ottoman Empire.
#ancienthistory #historydocumentary #homosexual

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[braddo]

I find it horrifically ironic that in many places they punish people with homosexual "SA/rpe" when that's the exact thing they're being punished for. 🙃 it's like, so you're jealous that they live openly and you took the opportunity to do that to somebody because you also have those feelings hidden? Sounds suspicious 👀 no?

[ivybluecarter]

When My Arabic or Turkish friends say “homosexuality” is a western thing. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[monica]

I find it hard to believe that this still doesn't go on. The men of this culture still hang out in predominantly all male groups and avoid interactions with women until it's time for marriage.

[PJDoeDocs]

Eight year old children cannot consent.

[susanjon]

The innocence of so many young men taken because of their youth and beauty not much has changed this has been going on for centuries

[deusexaethera]

Interesting. Those damned Victorians and their insistence on categorizing everything ruined a lot of people's lives.

[reginaldglover]

Very educational! I'm a Black gay man. I'm astonished by the cultural acceptance/understanding of same sex relationships. European cultures, although it was practiced, sometimes openly was condemned with societies they "conquered" with religion first, then brute force.

[speedozx]

this enlightens me a little on the mysteries of Turkish oil wrestling

[MrJohnblaine]

I wanna be a concubine to a super rich Otterman... 😮😮

[marcelogranda]

Interesting, as all your videos. I hope some day they make a movie about Tayyib and Tahir.

[asryorumcu]

Being homosexual is Ottoman culture. A non-homosexual Turk is not a descendant of the Ottoman Empire. We love everyone, regardless of gender, and we do not discriminate. Much love to everyone.

[StreamsToImpact]

It would be nice to have the sources provided.

[baronghede]

I love these videos so much, Blessed Be.

[akamurasakitengokuamgg]

Nada como una cultura extranjera metiéndose donde no la llaman para joder a la cultura local.

Gran video y muy interesante; siempre se aprende algo nuevo.😁

PD. Podrías quitar el efecto de destello en la transición de las imágenes por favor, mi epilepsia y yo te lo agradeceríamos.

[LRN]

Should they be called “Bottomans” haha I couldn’t help myself

[loirinlancaster]

This video shouldn’t be surprising to anyone, this was indeed normal and a sign of the times. Men only frequented relationships with women when it came time to procreate and nothing more. Men enjoyed themselves on a social and intimate level. When colonialism entered into the spectrum, certain doctrines were introduced (i.e. religion) which was when everything changed.

[anlpoyraz]

Thanks for the video :) There are very good points, especially the introduction of criminalisation of homosexual relationships along with many other laws aiming at modernization/Westernization during the last century of the Empire. But even the punishment was very trivial, nothing like death sentence or exile which was the case in some Western countries like the UK even until the 20th century.
On the other hand, there are a few major and minor issues missed in the video... As it is partially implied, the boys raised under this scheme were very young and consent was not necessarily questioned. So, it was kind of abusive in some cases. Last but not least, a picture depicting Atatürk’s arrival to İzmir after its liberation from the Greek army occupation appears very often. I guess this is a total confusion that occurred accidentally. I don’t think you mean any connection.
As a side note, the modern Turkish Republic can also be distinguished in this sense. For example, despite the increasing persecution and criminalisation of homosexuality in some countries inclined toward fascism after the 1st World War, this has not happened in Turkey. Even the civic code does not mention sex or gender regarding marriage, it does not say “between male and female” but “between partners”. In practice, it only worked between males and females though. But it is still a hint of openness that the current conservative governing groups recently make a fuss around and agitate for a change in the law that will mention “between man and woman”.

[Demitri_Hakman]

Thanks to this video, I feel like I belong. Asia is relatively conservative, but homosexuality has been legalized in Taiwan, which can be called a pioneer in Asia. I am lucky to be born in this country, and even more lucky to know that gay men have had such a peak history.

[jensenjorshina]

Which AI do you use for your thumbnails??

[kevinromero]

In summary, attitudes towards homosexuality in the Ottoman Empire were complex and evolved over time. While there is evidence of same-sex relationships and some degree of tolerance in certain contexts, there were also legal and societal norms that prohibited and condemned homosexuality. The historical study of this topic continues to provide insights into the complex nature of human sexuality and societal norms in different historical periods.