Royalty 101: Harems & Palace Women

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The royal and imperial courts of Asia had complex systems of female hierarchy. The ruler’s wives and female relatives were at the top, and a great many other ladies were there to serve them. Similar to the ladies in waiting of European royal courts, these women cared for the rooms and wardrobes of higher ranking women, assist them in hygiene and grooming; and entertain them, keep them company, act as their secretaries and pass on all the latest gossip, crucial to palace intrigue. In Islamic empires, these women were collectively known as the harem. Anglo-phonic historians also use the term Harem or Palace Women to refer to the ladies of the Imperial courts of East Asia. In Christian Europe, Kings were supposed to be faithful to their Queens, but they still got up to plenty of hanky-panky with the court ladies. But in Asia, where polygamy was common practice, all court ladies were available to the monarch for sexual services, and if they took the Emperor’s fancy, even the lowest born woman could be promoted to concubine, consort or even Empress. Let’s take a look at the evolution, duties, ranks and lives of the Harem and Palace women of the imperial courts of China, Japan and the Ottoman Empire.
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[@ellaeadig263]

Imagine being one of the girls selected for the harem but never spent a night with the emperor. You could just hang out all day with your friends learning stuff and chilling. And you would never have to scheme to protect your kid from assassination.

[@alantes]

Those beautiful young girls were assassinated all the time by the established higher ranking odalisque and concubines just to remove the potential risk of hierarchy and succession. It was a literal prison with a lot of lurking danger.

[@belindahawkins4083]

That was maybe one out of hundreds that would happen

[@soukainaa7070]

I wish that’s how it worked, most of the times the ones that mind their business and don’t fight for favour they die first

[@JJ_Magnificent]

Probably not so easy lol..

[@swiftsetrider4543]

@@alantesDuring the Qing dynasty, if you were a maid to a concubine/consort and the emperor hadn’t slept with you, you were free to leave the palace once you reached a certain age and your mistress might find you someone to marry. The age when you were allowed to leave the palace was 30 during the reign of the Kangxi emperor and 25 during Yongzheng’s reign.

[@irawilliams343]

The sole reason why Empress Wu Zetian has been portrayed in such a negative way is because of the patriarchy in ancient Chinese society. Women are rarely mentioned in history records and if they are mentioned its because they cause misfortune and intrigue. It's not easy surviving in the harem where there's a lot of scheaming going on. You need to be ruthless if you want to live. Empress Wu Zetian broke glass ceilings and proved that women could rule the same way Elizabeth I, Isabella of Castille, Maria Theresa of Austria and Catherine the Great did.

[@TeeTimePods]

I heart you for this 🫶🏼

[@baliratsirarson11]

Still… murdering her own son? I agree with you but I think there should be limit

[@dflaming1371]

@@baliratsirarson11 morally? Yes. Fr power? There isn't one

[@roshnik5137]

@@baliratsirarson11 murder was normal in those times.

[@LarryWater]

@@baliratsirarson11 She was a good empress, and a horrible mother.

[@atlaskat7980]

I love learning about women's history, but this sexual slavery of all of history makes me so sick and upset

[@hashimfarrukh4670]

U serious? Sexual slavery was good. Look at these female slaves. They lived a life a free human couldnt even dream of.

[@genghiskhan6809]

A bit of consolation (I guess) I can give you, is that in Japan, with the establishment of the shogunates, the imperial harem system became functionally defunct as the imperial family were no longer truly running the country. They were instead replaced by the samurai, who by and large were very faithful to their wives, but still did keep a few concubines (usually less than 4 and especially daimyo) though for the really good reason that death was always ever present not just for themselves but for their wives too as their wives (called onna-bugeisha) were also considered samurai and as such had (mostly) the same martial expectations as their husbands but mainly in the realm of home and domestic defense which includes the duty to commit seppuku alongside their husbands if and/ or when necessary. As such, the concubines were kept around as an insurance policy for their families in case both the main husband and wife died without leaving an heir borne of themselves.

[@hyunjinsmyfavtwink7627]

It is very sad but also the bright side is the ones not killed lived a much more luxurious life than the rest of the population

[@hashimfarrukh4670]

@@hyunjinsmyfavtwink7627 it's NOT sad. They lived a lavish and rich life which the poor could only dream of

[@blenderpain8249]

@@hashimfarrukh4670 There's always a catch though. Trading freedom for fear of death (always feeling like walking on egg-shells caused by a higher ranking concubine/empress/the emperor) and for the life of riches and luxury or vise versa.

[@jencookie2920]

I’m Asian and I appreciate you talking about Asian history! Harems played a noticeable part too in history, even if it didn’t seem like it- Asian palace life sure is interesting, not just in the shows!

[@_setare]

I'm Asian too! Nice to see someone from the same continent here.

[@qiaowang7147]

Would be nice, if picture depicted showed Han dynasty

[@acey2481]

@@qiaowang7147 what dynasty does the photo provided depict?

[@Jaderabbit3485]

Can you imagine the story of one of these women that knew she had no chance with the emporer but was kept around because she'd made a mean cappacino

[@thatgrumpychick4928]

Bet it was an easy job

[@irondragonmaiden]

Hey, if I could avoid sleeping with a self-entitled twat and just enjoy the luxurious life simply because I was good at a specific skillset (like making really good dresses or organizing a really good supply chain of goods), I'd do it too!

[@PraiseJ-Pope]

I want this as kdrama please

[@exu7325]

There were many concubines that were favored because of their skills in music, literature, and calligraphy. There were also lots ladies of noble birth and daughters of prominent officials who were adopted into the harem for political purposes.

[@killermarfidyoh138]

@@exu7325 True most people like @irondragonmaiden don't understand some Concubines aswell hold certain amounts of power it just really depended on if the Emperor, Sultan or King was a asshole or someone decent and understand's their importance and benefits in not just sex but also in other aspects.

[@melisnl]

My heart goes out to all those poor girls and women.

[@youssrairene9280]

Most of them were homeless due to the wars so it's the less of two evils

[@pussydestroyer69285]

@@youssrairene9280 still evil that women during that time literally had to be sex slaves to survive

[@ghostnebula8805]

@@youssrairene9280 Death sounds preferable.

[@emperortgp2424]

They lived better lives than 95% of the other population at the time

[@MCArt25]

I mean they were probably miserable but usually not *poor*

[@dipanwitadasgupta5221]

Empress Wu Zetian has a lot of bad publicity - many experts have agreed her reputation has been deliberately trashed so I don't think it's fair to her actual achievements. The blank stele was meant to insult & ridicule her but honestly I think it's like they couldn't be sure what to write or what to leave out 👀

[@niverahamed8920]

100th liker

[@jamesy8217]

Tbh from what I’ve heard about her she seems to be no more or less ruthless than your average Chinese Emperor and with all the good stuff she did like promoting people based on merit I would’t say it’s fair to paint her as satan

[@aliciaanguiano3860]

@@jamesy8217 I think because she was a women, Chinese historians wanted to portray her as this horrible person. Demonize her as a warning to future generations not to let it happen again. Nevermind all the good that she did. There's a Chinese drama based on her life that portrays her in a more human light called Empress of China from 2014.

[@AuntLoopy123]

@@jamesy8217 If I recall correctly, the vast majority of the Chinese populace (that is to say, the peasantry and middle class) considered her rule to be a Golden Age. But... A Golden Age rule over by a WOMAN?! Oh, horror! We MUST discredit her in history, so that no other woman EVER gets a chance to try the same thing!

[@snigdhakhadka5867]

@@jamesy8217 I'd say she was better than most average Chinese emperor's. Sure she schemed, killed people like other Chinese emperor's. But her achievements are much more than an average Chinese emperor. Tang dynasty flourished under her rule, it was the golden age of tang dynasty.

[@Lollypop1226]

I love when Lindsay makes history videos about places outside of Europe!

[@kenna163]

Turkey is technically in Europe but I get what you mean

[@stuffwithsoph8264]

@@kenna163 Ehh, only Istanbul is really European, majority of Turkey is in Asia

[@cinna_sultan]

@@kenna163 Its mainly Asia.

[@swisski]

@@kenna163 97% of Turkey lies in Asia while only 3% of its territory lies in Europe.

[@jencookie2920]

Same! Love Asia.

[@snigdhakhadka5867]

The Qing dynasty harem was a little different from what you said. There was: 1. Only one empress. ( Huanghou) 2. One Imperial Noble Consort.( HuangGuifei) 3. Two Noble Consorts( Guifei) 5. Four Consorts ( fei) 6. Six imperial concubines( Pin ) 7. Noble Lady( gui ren) 8.Unlimited First Class Attendants( Changzai) 9. Unlimited Second Class Attendants( Da ying) In addition to these, all the maids that were selected to serve for a ten year time could be made into concubines, at the end of ten years they could leave the palace or serve in the palace.

[@kimsmells1]

What about noble lady. I believe guì rén is six and imperial concubine is 5

[@snigdhakhadka5867]

@@kimsmells1 yes lol, I forgot to add gui ren. I'm not sure about the number of people. I think it's unlimited but we'll have to see.

[@ericalouise2008]

Thanks for adding this as I was about too. Xx

[@sleepybunny2]

I think Lindsay did a wonderful job explaining everything. It doesn't have to be that accurate as nobody can remember the complex hierarchy anyway :).

[@snigdhakhadka5867]

@@sleepybunny2 I like lindsays videos and I think she does a overall good job but as a channel which talks about historical figures and events it is important that we fact check and get correct information. Many people as myself look up to channel like hers to understand more about history. Besides Qing dynasty has the simplest and clearest harem system and there are many sources original to the dynasty which can give us accurate information. It might be because she usually covers European Royalties that she made such a mistake?

[@mei8511]

I knew that yin and yang held great importance in ancient China, but I didn't know that it even affected the emperor's harem. I consider myself rather knowledgeable on harems and hierarchies of kingdoms and empires, but I still gained new knowledge from this video, thanks, Lindsay!

[@hedonepicurea4327]

Should a 21 year old king date 45 year old women or 21 year Olds. Same question, different perspective.

[@demoncat1774]

In recent years, historians are re-evaluating the portrayal of Wu Zhetian, theorizing that the negative portrayal of her is a result of the patriarchal culture and that the real history has been rewritten to make her look cold-hearted and ultimately incompetent. This is supported by conflicting accounts and relics from the time of her reign... could be a subject that is worthy of a deeper dive :)

[@RcsN505]

I read 'The Pillow Book' a long time ago and was totally impressed with the wits and humor of Sei Shonagon. It also amazed me how much people are the same across the centuries/world/social classes

[@MaggieFKeen]

If you loved The Pillow Book you should read The Tale Of Murasaki

[@mikiohirata9627]

@@MaggieFKeen You mean Tale of Genji which was written by Lady Murasaki. The first and only surviving novel by woman written in 11th century.

[@Scweetoof]

It’s pretty evil what happened to those women who had been starved and forced to give their menstrual blood to the emperor

[@TonysGotPizza]

christ…

[@soniatsui7606]

It was so brutal that those young girls rose up and tried to strangle the tyrannical Emperor to death. Shame that they didn't succeed.

[@umbra_bae]

ikr

[@iuliapufi8828]

Stunning video as always! I'd like to suggest a list of topics that I think are worth covering in future videos or series. Here they are: 1) A history of -(women's) footwear; -skin and hair care -women's involvement in the development of science and technology; 2) The life and legacy of Hypatia of Alexandria; 3) Members of Irish Royalty, such as Queen Maeve and Grace O'Malley-Pirate Queen, as well as Irish history in general 4) The history of Japan and its royalty. 5) As well as I recall having already made this suggestion, I'd be elated if you could upload a video on the life of Queen Mary of Romania. Thank you for taking the time to read my comment, Lindsay! Have a great day!

[@luzcalderon7808]

If you are interested in fashion history I recomend checking Karolina Zebrowska, Bernadette Banner and Mina Le's channels

[@mollybrolly4717]

Yesss!!!.... The Irish are just viewed as jolly drunks who beat their doormat wives!!!... BOTH are FIERCE and the women ran THEIR homes AND are loyal as , I have not heard of the ladies you mentioned... but, I WILL NOW!!. THANK you for showing the women ACTUALLY had voices ❤️👏👑

[@reginadizon9276]

@@mollybrolly4717 fr fr I’ve only been exposed to irish history after watching derry girls

[@mollybrolly4717]

@@reginadizon9276 I'll have to watch it!!!. My partner is the 2nd eldest of 8,6 boys,2 girls. His 46 on July, the only one who left Ireland and his mam is STILL FIERCE as👑👑👑. She's still going strong and he can't wait for me to meet her, neither can I!!... They are STILL farmers,a few anyway.

[@reginadizon9276]

@@mollybrolly4717 ohh thats interesting since hispanic mothers are also as fierce as the husbands- or maybe sometimes more fierce XD. its probably one of the reasons why i really liked watching derry girls since the characters are so relatable even if we have totally different cultures.

[@selenaaaaas]

The fact that in order to lay w the emperor they had to go through all these gyno exams and not lay with anyone else … meanwhile the person they’re preserving themselves for is laying down w literally everyone 🥴 wow

[@kyon-kyon-]

men ☕

[@cherylbristol5144]

Total abusive behaviour.

[@sassbrat]

Wu may not have been favored in a sexual manner but she was favored for her knowledge and she became the 1st female emperor showing you didn't need to sleep with someone to have power.

[@emilybarclay8831]

She absolutely slept her way to power. And there’s nothing wrong with that, especially when it was literally the only way to gain power

[@stuffwithsoph8264]

Why is nobody talking about the one guy DRINKING PERIOD BLOOD 💀💀

[@saranimi7117]

Yeah I heard that part and I physically recoiled lol...

[@stuffwithsoph8264]

@@saranimi7117 I lowkey screamed like I'm a girl so period blood obviously isn't the worst thing but I'd never DRINK IT, I hate touching it that shit is nasty 💀💀

[@--enyo--]

We’re trying to forget it.

[@atis9061]

because it is utterly repulsive. thanks for bringing that up!

[@nathliemajskolv3525]

My first thaught was, how the heck did he survive such a idiocracy? That blood containes arsenik, so it must have done at least some kind of harm to his stomache. Wouldn't be supriced though if he had heard of the Romanian Queen bathing in blood, but the story had gained more and more changes for every person that spread the history before it had reached him

[@Kerriangel]

Big Smoke voice: I’ll have One Empress. Three Consorts, nine Imperial concubines, one who is Wu Zeitan, 27 shifus, 81 Imperial wives… and a large soda

[@Phlowermom]

Can I get that to go?

[@merriquelynn866]

Would you like to add fries to that?

[@Thethimblethumb]

Loll 🤣

[@neosiangqi]

I definitely love this video Lindsay, however there are some inaccuracies. Consort Wan (万贵妃) at (9:51) never had a jealousy issue with the other consorts who gave birth! that’s just part of the history that was rewritten by men to paint her as a villian. It was actually the emperor’s idea to hide the kid until it was revealed (when the kid was 6) because he didn’t want her to think about their still birth son. Consort Wan was actually upset that the emperor didn’t inform her about this and went to congratulate the consort herself! He literally had more than 10 sons! He definitely had heirs! the emperor genuinely loved Wan despite their 17 year age gap and their love story was definitely romantic.

[@paulogaspar8295]

"part of men to make her seem evil" like they did with any male emperator that they didn't liked? Can people stop pretending this was only made to females in power when so many males in power where also written as way more evil than they actually where because the imperator that came next didn't liked them. This fixation on trying to make female imperators or dictators seem like good people just because they are women it's not only sickening but also dangerous.

[@neosiangqi]

@@paulogaspar8295 my original comment had nothing to do with men making male emperors evil when they didn’t like them. this isn’t a “all genders matter and suffer the same thing” moment. I don’t know what’s wrong with you, but next time please improve your interpretation skills. My comment is about Wan and the truth only.

[@Ealsante]

The Chenghua Emeror really loved Consort Wan. So much so that when she passed, he was unable to speak for an entire day, and finally choked out a sentence: "Zhen'er is gone; I'm not long for the world myself." Sure enough, he died a few months later.

[@jessie9873]

Do you have any links where this theory is talked about and explained further? Hopefully in English as I cannot find anything related to this. It’s really interesting and I’d love to know more :)

[@theplagueboybunny6794]

The part about breastfeeding and the balance of ying and yang was very fascinating!

[@mariannecampos8746]

I really appreciate that you cover African and Asian histories which is typically overlooked

[@enciekelley4566]

Highly recommend the C-drama, Ruyis royal love in the palace, for a pretty accurate portrayal of Chinese harem life. The clothes, and actions seem very historically accurate compared to most other dramas.

[@user-jj6mx3tc1g]

Manchu costumes worn in the harem of Qing Dynasty are actually inaccurate. All previous dynasties wore Hanfu! South China still wears Hanfu, and Manchu people have completely destroyed the Han culture in the north.😅

[@unicornglitterfart5201]

I absolutely love that show! It was so heartbreaking to see her journey and how it all ended though. Her love for him was so pure and he just destroyed her.

[@caitthecat]

I'm sorry to break it to you, but it's not that historically accurate. Don't fall for the window-dressing of the set and costumes, there were many liberties taken with history to form the plot.

[@juliayu8408]

如意传 Ruyi’s royal love in the palace is not that accurate. For example there is no “cold palace” in the forbidden palace. Most of their hairstyles are from late qing dynasty.

[@jimmyjam955]

It would be super interesting if Lindsay did a video on Heo Hwang-ok a.k.a Princesses Suriratna of Ayodhya, the Indian princess who married a Korean emperor and became Queen, a lot of Koreans trace their ancestory back to her to this day

[@moumuooo.o2283]

That was a myth isn’t?

[@sayounara1232]

@@moumuooo.o2283 It sure ain't a myth cuz they literally have Tamil in Korean language

[@sayounara1232]

Ayuta* not Ayodhya as they don't speak Tamil in Ayodhya also the princesses name and area was 100% in Tamil

[@lemonlimee2251]

@@moumuooo.o2283 yeah

[@scarymonster5541]

I think it is a myth cause she live till at the age of 157 Like how?

[@stuffwithsoph8264]

Honestly Lindsay is one of the best KZbinrs for history out there, such a wide variety of informative content and uploads really frequently

[@atis9061]

I was just thinking that. she's top notch💯

[@DreamDragoness25]

Makes you wonder if some of the women attempted to escape the harem and how many of them succeeded.

[@simplysimpy17]

Probably but they couldn't tell the stories cause well then they they'd be caught lol

[@ghostin3992]

fun fact for the ottoman harem: sultan ibrahim -who was known for being so fond of his women that he'd order that markets and stores close down during specific times so that his wives wouldnt get disturbed by the noise- ordered to drown all 280 of his concubines when an unnamed consort tried to rebel by sleeping with another men. sultan ibrahim tried to question the ladies, but when nobody pointed a finger, executed them all.

[@lilydu1350]

For anyone interested in the Chinese harem, I recommend watching Empresses In The Palace. It’s based on historical events but however probably isn’t completely accurate. It’s a good watch and shows a lot of how the hierarchy worked and what the women did to survive

[@junesilvermanb2979]

Empresses in the Palace en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empresses_in_the_Palace

[@OliverNorth9729]

Thanks lily.👍 I'm not a fan of this channel but, love asian traditions.

[@shandemaio8902]

It’s awesome, I’ve watched it twice. Fascinating.

[@thechieffect]

I just visited Topkapi Palace in Istanbul two days ago so very excited to see it here in the video 🥰 the harem was HUGE

[@bigfoot135]

I am so glad I wasn't born during these times. It's depressing what they went through for survival and the executions were disturbing to say the least 😕

[@anneofdenmarkqueenofenglan8402]

I did a double take when she said the sultan achieved having 700 sons 🏃

[@yourikotogether]

The status of palace women during Qing dynasty as follows; - Empress Dowager (Tai-hou) The mother of the emperor). - Empress (Huang-hou) only one person at a time. - Imperial noble consort (Huang-gui-fei) only one person at a time. Mostly emperor will give this status only for honored after the concubine death. - Noble consort (Guifei) this title allow 2 person. - Consort (fei) this title allow 4 person. - Concubine (Pin) the title allow 6 person. - Noble lady (Guiren) the emperor could give this title as many as he please. - Fist attendent (jo-zai) the emperor could give this title as many as he please. - Second attendent (da-ying)The lowest rank. the emperor could give this title as many as he please. There are maid in palace which called - Gong-nu (a young maid who could retire at 25 year old) - Gu-Gu : a senior maid who stay in palace after 25. - Ma-ma : a widow who enter palace to serve or wet nurse.

[@pierrelaurencedivina3254]

Just finished watching the video! Hi Lindsay, you made a few errors with the Qing Imperial Harem System. There was the Empress Dowager or (Huang Taihou), one Empress (Huanghou), one Imperial Noble Consort (Huang Guifei), two Noble Consorts (Guifei), four Consorts (Fei), six Imperial Concubines (Pin), unlimited Noble Ladies (Guiren), unlimited First Class Female Attendants (Changzai), and unlimited Second Class Female Attendants (Daying).

[@cinna_sultan]

The Empress Dowager wasn't necessarily head of the harem but she had sovereignty and the Emperor had to be filial to her. Originally the Empress was head of the harem.

[@pancakesstudios6351]

I watched enough Empress Ki to confirm that

[@dayangmarikit6860]

In Indonesia (Dayang) are palace maids, while in the Philippines and Brunei (Dayang) are noble women.

[@pierrelaurencedivina3254]

@@cinna_sultan yes, that’s why i placed the e.d first ^-^

[@Halestem]

The Empress Dowager wasn't necessarily head of the harem, she was just the current emperor's birth mother

[@Replicaate]

Interesting to see how concubinage and harem systems arose independently in several Asian monarchies across time that had entirely different origins and religious/cultural beliefs , but all sort of ended at the same point - a large pool of fertile women (sometimes enslaved ones) to ensure the success and continuation of a dynasty in a time of high infant mortality and to big up the masculine power of the usually male monarch, that then carried its own complex side issues and hazards, not limited to but including murder OF said monarch. Also, is there any reason why such systems never really lasted in Europe past the early middle ages? Surely Christianity wasn't the ONLY thing blocking it...

[@paulinevd3086]

Considering it practically, it may have something to do with how European royal families were all intermarrying. There was never a shortage of successors, as there was always a third or fourth cousin related to your deceased monarch somewhere, whose claim to the throne is considered valid. It was mentioned in the video as well: a harem system is useful if you want to ensure a single, stable dynasty and focus on preventing disputes over succession. Europe, conversely, just kind went more with a mixed-and-match vibe. You might note this gave European monarchs a way to expand their territories by marrying women successors of other countries. Which is, when all goes well, a relatively peaceful method, the alternative being conquest.

[@keizelharf5393]

Europe contained bunch of states. Each kings often took another king's daughter as their wives. If the king took a concubine, his wife's family clearly disagree with this action and lead to war. In other hand, Chinese and Japanese Emperor took consorts from their subject or own relatives, so they didn't have diplomatic issues like Europan counterpart.

[@TheSameYellowToy]

Probably due to polygamy being taboo in Christian societies, the Pope having authority in royal life across Europe, (ex. Henry XIII couldn't get the Pope's permission for a divorce, so he founded the Anglican church) royals were expected to marry fellow royals/aristocrats (often related) so that the bloodline would stay "pure", the royal families were pretty inbred so after a while it'd be rare for a succession crisis to happen even if you died with no heirs because your cousin-uncle or whoever could take the throne, and since many European kingdoms believed that their kings were chosen by God (and were also crowned by the Pope) many kings wanted to keep up a pious public image--meaning taking mistresses would have to be a lot more discreet to the general public than openly having a big harem. Interestingly enough, in the days of Versailles, the French aristocracy encouraged the kings to openly have a harem of many mistresses. Louis XIV created Versailles as a way to keep an eye on the aristocracy so nobody could defy him. So the more time he's being distracted with wooing and banging his numerous mistresses, the less time he's breathing down your neck. (Plus, are you really going to tell someone as authoritarian and powerful as Louis XIV that he can't have a harem?) Not to mention that in French court, you did everything you could to gain the king's favor so he'd give you what you wanted. So if you're a French aristocrat and your sister/daughter/wife/etc. becomes the king's new favorite mistress, that could be a huge opportunity for you if you can to get her to convince him to give you what you want. One of the many reasons the French court antagonized Marie Antoinette was because unlike his father and grandfather, Louis XVI wasn't interested in mistresses. His marriage to Marie was monogamous and faithful. The court didn't like this because they felt this meant that one woman (a foreign woman too, they did not like the fact that she was Austrian) had way too much influence and power over the king.

[@boyanpenev9822]

Christianity played a big part because in several European traditions, the king or emperor was seen as either a representative of God on earth or approved by God via the pope. However, the complex and relatively egalitarian noble families played a part as well. The queens were usually scions of powerful noble or royal families not (much) weaker than the king's . Disrespecting them meant disrespecting a powerful ally. Ottoman Turkey, imperial China and Japan all had an imperial family that was more or less unique (though there was a long period in medieval Japan where the Fujiwara family basically ensured only its daughters became empresses). Of course, most kings had women on the side - especially as dynastic marriages were made for political reasons and the pair's emotional or sexual compatibility was not seen as a big factor. However, these were favorites and mistresses and usually unofficial. Presumably, a few queens had "favorites" of their own if their husbands' interest was elsewhere (what happens if the king is gay, for example), but did not advertise them.

[@caitthecat]

Did they rise independently? There was always an exchange of ideas within Asia.

[@hungphan1282]

Also, concubines have not been used much in this century, but that doesn't mean that a king or emperor can't take any concubine in Asia if they want it or not. For example, the king of Thailand had been three times divorced until he met his last wife, but he also had one lover, but he didn't want to divorce her and didn't want her lover to feel abandoned, so he appointed her as his Royal Noble Consort, which has led to some trouble in the palace. He is also the first king who shared two consorts in this century.

[@julesvillega]

Was there ever an emperor who refused to have all these other women, and just stuck to one woman, the empress? I'm assuming there wasn't, but it would be interesting to learn that there was. Edit: oh okay, there was lol.

[@soniatsui7606]

Yes, there were quite a few. The Hongzhi Emperor of the Ming Dynasty had only one wife and they basically lived as a nuclear family with only one son. Emperor Yingzong of Song also remained completely loyal to his wife the Empress Gao because they genuinely loved each other and married for love. Emperor Yingzong had 4 concubines but he never slept with them as these women only entered the harem when he was on his deathbed for 沖喜 (an ancient Chinese practice of holding a wedding when someone was gravely sick to pray for their recovery). Wu Zetian's husband Emperor Gaozong of Tang abolished his harem after Wu Zetian officially became his wife, which was why Wu Zetian was angry at him for being disloyal and sleeping with her niece. Emperor Wen of Sui, on the account of his love for his wife Dugu Qieluo and an oath they made when they were young, did not have any concubines for the most of their marriage. Of course, he cheated at least once, which gave rise to a famous story of how Dugu Qieluo found out he cheated and got so scary when she was angry that the Emperor Wen had to run away from the palace on a horse to hide from her.

[@inazuma2332]

​​@@soniatsui7606 ok not to bash in but like srsly? From...like literally hundreds n thousands of years of dynasties n kingdoms there were only them whos just actually faithful for once? And even by that one or two of the most "faithfull" have still cheated once or twice-

[@soniatsui7606]

@@inazuma2332 Heh, absolute power always corrupts people, and this is what happens when there is a major imbalance of power in a marriage where one person holds absolute power over the other person. Talk about human nature. That’s why Hongzhi is one of my favourite historic figures. Not only was he known as a benevolent and wise leader but he was also known to be a kind person with great moral integrity. His temple name was Xiaozong which means “filial”, and is a temple name only given to Emperors with high moral integrity (I think there are only two Emperors with this temple name in history). Fun fact, he was the person who invented the toothbrush because his wife had a toothache. Gaozong of Tang cheating on Wu Zetian is more debatable. This story comes from the New Tang History, whose author is well-known for hating Wu Zetian and Gaozong and making up slander stories about this couple in his history books as a political move to discourage women from entering politics. He made up the story about Wu Zetian killing her daughter, the story of Gaozong wanting a divorce with Wu Zetian because he felt Wu Zetian was too power-hungry, and also the story of Wu Zetian killing her firstborn son for power too, and all these three stories have been proven untrue in recent times. The story of Gaozong cheating has always been controversial as it is believed the author of New Tang History made it up to make Wu Zetian seem like an evil woman who would kill her family out of jealousy. The only “sort-of” proof of Gaozong cheating is that he gave Wu Zetian’s sister the title of royal concubine posthumously and buried her in his father’s grave, but in the Tang dynasty royal concubines are more of ladies-in-waiting instead of actual concubines to the Emperor, and it might have just been given as an honourable title (Wu Zetian’s leading advisor Shangguan Wan'er was a lady-in-waiting and given the concubine title of a higher rank by Wu Zetian as an honour, but she wasn’t actually a concubine), so believe what you will…

[@biancarose1992618]

Some more royals from around the world that would be interesting would be: Princess Kazunomiya of Japan Princess Sondok of Korea Princess Jahanara of India Princess Aoife of Ireland

[@andromeda331]

I learned about the first three from the spin off of the Dear America series, the Royal Diaries. They were very fascinating women.

[@biancarose1992618]

@@andromeda331 I read about the first 3 through the same series too. I love that series I wish they didn’t stop writing them.

[@andromeda331]

@@biancarose1992618 So do I. There were so many great royals left.

[@biancarose1992618]

@@andromeda331 oh definitely. Which Royal Diaries books were your favorites? Which royals do you think they should do next if they ever decide to write more?

[@andromeda331]

@@biancarose1992618 I loved Elizabeth I, Marie Antoniette, Anastasia, Catherine the Great, Jahanara, Kazunomiya, Sondok, Kaiulani, Cleopatra and Eleanor of Aquatine. If they ever do more Aoife, Maria Theresa, Anna Komnene, Hatshepsut, Anastasia's mother Alexandra, and Catherine Medici. What where your favorites and who would you like to see if they write more Royal Diaries?

[@paulusnelson7509]

Actually Yang Guifei's name is Yang Yuhuan. Guifei is her title meaning Noble or Princess Consort. She is the highest ranking concubine, second only to the Empress.

[@junesilvermanb2979]

Yang Guifei en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yang_Guifei

[@HellaHangry]

Yang Guifei is actually her rank plus her surname; Yang being the surname and Guifei is the rank and not her name. Her name was Yuhuan.

[@atach881]

Hi Lindsey I appreciate that you kept the video real and talked about the more depressing aspects of being a concubine 💘

[@zelbarbero]

I'm glad I'm born into the modern world. It may seem elegant, but the harem world is all about climbing the top like who can seduce the king best to be favored the most and elevate one's status or scheming to cement their son as the next ruler. Cutthroat court politics in harems aren't really my thing. LOL.

[@kittykittybangbang9367]

It's literally putting women against each other

[@inazuma2332]

And worse yet thats the only way to rlly gain power as a woman bacl then, And they probably had to flirt with someone they dont even like- 💀

[@MaryamofShomal]

Been subbed and addicted to your channel forever, and I love it when you branch out of European history! Please please do a series on antiquity ❤️ I would love to learn about women in the thousands of years of Persian dynasties 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽

[@Tekirai]

Forgot the ooku of the shogun but what’s amusing about the Mughal harem was that there was even a bazaar where female merchants could sell their wares

[@freyjathehealer5559]

“Oh thank goodness I’m safe from the emperor. I’m finally married” “Yah… about that”

[@carlasnyman6887]

I always wanted a video on this subject and you gave it to me. I’m eternally grateful

[@followyourheart1366]

I'm a 50 year old female. Can I have a harem of 30-40 year old males😆. In all seriousness though, I enjoy your documentaries. Thank You for your work!!

[@andrewcoons8060]

I'll be your 1st

[@followyourheart1366]

@@andrewcoons8060 Alright LOL

[@isobelduncan]

You would love the manga Ooku. That's literally the plot of the manga.

[@mitsume_slay]

​@@andrewcoons8060dam! Down bad?!

[@ilahildasissac1943]

Mistress of Sherbet? I never heard of that! That sounds like fun, serving frozen desserts.

[@cocs88715]

Morals aside, the advantage of this practice though is to keep the royal bloodline diversified and evolving by having numerous concubines in the harem. Sometimes I wonder if the downfall of many European empires had anything to do with their centuries of royal inbreeding and monogamy. How would you expect their heirs to be physically and mentally competent to sit on the thrones?

[@onnagata7770]

Hey, East Asian Arts Historian here - I specialize in Japanese prints. Although everything you say is correct, some of the Edo period prints you have chosen do not depict palace concubines, but Courtesans (partly as a character in a Kabuki play). Courtesans were usually not part of a palace harem, but were figures of the entertainment and red light quarters established by commoners.

[@7Lace77]

It's just crazy how all these ppl were looked after and provided for, whilst providing nothing productive to society. Similar to some ppls nowadays.

[@andreannelea7664]

I visited the sultans palace in Istanbul last summer. It was quite beautiful I was very impressed. My favorite place to visit on the trip. Love the history how interesting!

[@rdavis4654]

I could watch these videos all day! Thank you Lindsey for your research and information.

[@SyonisMacias]

Uhhh I I wish I had you as a professor during my college days. I swear I’ve learned more from this channel than any of my years in history and political classes.

[@kenyastewart22]

The harem selection process sounds exactly like the idol competition shows minus gynecological exam part…at least I hope.

[@Alusnovalotus]

Great video. 2:56 Didn’t expect to see Mulan in this video but here we are. 🤙🏽

[@ambreeniram2268]

Amazing video. All monarchs were polygamous around the world. No wonder women still have to endure gender bias.

[@msi8311]

Men don’t endure gender bias?

[@TonysGotPizza]

@@msi8311 get off it

[@kyon-kyon-]

@@msi8311 yeah they don't. men are not the victim. never were, never will be.

[@inazuma2332]

​@@msi8311 very few in comparison to women thanks for asking dickbag, and the next time u tryyy to ask "b-b-but men get this gender bias t-too!" U should think twice on mens privilige in general and how the social gender norms n bias are made by themselves ,toxic masculinity?by men(i mean just look at all those alpha male podcasts-) double standard like a dad getting assumed to be 'babysitting' their own kid? Men made em by how mostly incompetent they were n are at raising a baby and leaving the housework and child caring to the mother or maids, cant compliment because ppl think its creepy coming from a man? Thats from how too many times men do that just to hit on a girl that when the girls refuse they would be too persistent or desperate on the poor girls and worse case the get cat called or stalked, higher suicide rates?also by men literally generations to generations the father always tells the son to 'man up' dont cry dont show any emotions n yada yada, men were also pressured to have an heir? By men thinking (and i also quote from this video of what the male critiques were saying) that the more girls and babies/heirs u make ud be more healthy/potent/etc and men still had more power over who they get to choose as said sex slave to get the heir, having to enlist in the military? Men made the law for men to have to enlist in wars despite the fact some women wanted to enlist but was denied or sexually assaulted for it, So, shut up. Men, rarely if ever, were the victim ESPECIALLY in ancient harems. And the men who have gender bias are again, made by themselves. Does this mesn theyve NEVER been abused? No Does it mean We actually hate aLl mEnN-? No , o-b-v-i-o-u-s-l-y Does thise mean men get no gender- shut up they do we knooow but very few in comparison.

[@mitsume_slay]

​@@kyon-kyon-wdym?

[@bbr6444]

Ladies in waiting in Christian Europe were NOT concubines. It was frowned upon for a king to fool around with them, even though he got away with it. Very different than the Chinese imperial system.

[@isobelduncan]

She never said they were.

[@bbr6444]

@@isobelduncan there was the implication. If you have a problem with that, too bad.

[@roscpetals6580]

wu zetian has to be my favourite to hear about, loved this video!

[@dunnowy123]

This was utterly fascinating. I really appreciate the attention to detail and inclusion of distinct the beliefs such as the balance of ying and yang and Chinese cosmology's relation to baby making.

[@alicezta12]

Lindsay i love your channel so much pleeeease keep exploring women of the whole world (especially eastern and African I learn so much from your content!!)

[@ilahildasissac1943]

What they did to eunachs was beyond cruel.

[@mitsume_slay]

These rich men are insecure smh

[@2801km]

we need more of this type of asian history videos, Lindsay.

[@goofydog69]

Pls try to upload about queens and royalty from India.

[@kimberlypatton9634]

What a superb video, Lindsey! Apart from the fantastic research and detail included here so intricately, I am such an admirer of ancient oriental art, which I am in awe of here! Thank you for such a grand video, Outstanding to an Oriental art and history lover like myself!

[@wiggindorfthemagnificent]

You should do a video on eunuchs. It is actually pretty interesting

[@melissabaltazar4128]

Thank you for this wonderful content Pls more of this Asian history we love it🥰😍

[@PrincessQ-fj9ly]

Wow! This is very fascinating! I always had a bit of an idea of how harems work. But learning about different harems in Asia is very intriguing! Asia as a whole just seems so beautiful and exotic! ❤

[@pyrusheliosmk2204]

Topkapı palace is in continental Europe.

[@echostar2007]

700 sons?! Holy crap. That guy really got it on

[@juliarose2801]

This is incredibly interesting, thank you!!!!

[@3frenchhens818]

I utterly adore this channel. I like your clarity and detail. I get such a good understanding, which is why I'm so glad I'm not living in Elizabethan times. Thank you!

[@dickwintered]

A day when Lindsay releases a video is a good day.

[@smollbaguette1084]

Lindsay's videos are always so interesting!❤️❤️

[@merryweatherflowers]

These. Ideas are good enough to be turned into books and even educational talks. It’s the most worthwhile patrion out there

[@OmiPre]

I love learning about the history...

[@amaracrow0501]

It makes you wonder if she was really that evil or if she was made to look so because she was female and had power.

[@tenista2182]

This was awesome!! Greatly done! I really enjoyed this

[@patrickcosgrove2623]

Great video, interesting piece of history.

[@annie7344]

Love this video! So informative and interesting! I’m excited to watch all the others you have on your channel!

[@user-jt3zv2jc7u]

It's amazing that the ancient Chinese figured out that a woman's most fertile time is during the full moon long before humanity had discovered ovulation.

[@kittykittybangbang9367]

I've actually heard the reason why the moon is usually seen as feminine is because several people notice the ovulation/ministration usually synced up with moon phases.

[@Smd3580]

In the Mughal line, it's worth mentioning Jahanara & Roshanara, the daughters of Shah Jahan. Jahanara was advisor to her father and later her brother (after a dispute in between). Roshanara was advisor to her brother for a short while, before falling out of favour. Unlike most of the other women of power, these women were born in to the harem and were raised in royal intrigue.

[@isobelduncan]

Yes. I remember reading about her when I was in school.

[@kerstin.jitschin5861]

Never heard about that practice,thanks for sharing,so interesting 👍💯😎

[@suemcdermott2947]

What an interesting topic , thank you

[@balahatun]

Harem was mainly a hospitality school to have the talent pool for running the palaces. They were receiving extremely sophisticated training in a lot of different areas, being it housekeeping, cooking, kitchen management, home remedies, midwifery, childcare etc. Including arts training from tailoring, needlework to musical instruments to miniatures. We should also not forget about etiquette training. They were places filled with hard-working and knowledgeable women. Most of them were highly sought-after wives for high-ranking men. The widespread perception of Harem as a sex party women catalog for the ruler is mostly derived from the phantasies of men.

[@beehungry6190]

Um you literally have never read about Harems especially ones obtained by slavery from war or listened to this video. It was not about education or fun.

[@balahatun]

@@beehungry6190 I did not say that they were there voluntarily. How Harem maintained its human resource is a different subject, and you are right some of those women were so-called 'trophies' of wars or so-called 'gifts' from other kingdoms or ministries.

[@hazel2546]

Could you do a video on the Empress Dowager Cixi of the Qing Dynasty she’s so interesting 😁

[@darraghrochfordflynn7331]

Thanks Lindsay ❤ love hearing about palace women also so nice to hear about Asian countries in your history vids. Can we plz get a Queen Alexandra vid? 🙏

[@pyrusheliosmk2204]

Topkapı palace is in continental Europe.

[@allilee2523]

Yes!! Thank you!!!

[@brettlarch8050]

3/5000 chosen. That’s insane.

[@alexandracaudillo6413]

It reminded me of the bachelor/ bachelorette.

[@halimahalimed8930]

You must talk about the mistress's in the french kingdom 👍🏻

[@zozofe203]

heyy i love your video but regarding yang guifei ,guifei is the title the emperer gave her in his harem ,her name was yang yuhuan and as far as it goes for the imperial ranking of the woman there was one empress (huang ho) one noble imperial consort(huang guifei) two noble consorts(guifei)four consorts(fei)six concubines(pin)unlimited noble ladies (guiren)attendant(chanzai)compagnon(dayin)

[@sakshi7767]

Hey Lindsay! I'm a science student with a particular interest in History. I love your videos and you make me fall for the subject even more. Just a request, please try making a video on Indian history. It's vivid and extremely complicated, so it'll be interesting to see your take on it!

[@PriyankitaPant]

Why do you have to specify you are science student? 😅🤣😂 that’s so cringe 😬

[@beans_thecat]

​@@PriyankitaPant jelous much?

[@umbra_bae]

​@@PriyankitaPantwhy not?

[@auntissie]

Fascinating! I always love listening to your calm speaking and the artwork is so incredible... Thanks very much!🌷💕🌷

[@doriswanders]

Just want to point out one small error in the video. The picture shown at 2:55 is a painting of Mulan, who was never part of any emperor's harem. And she's not from the Tang dynasty.

[@annepoitrineau5650]

thank you, this was fascinating!

[@YingofDarkness]

Harems are so interesting to learn about but must have been absolute misery for most of the women in them. The only one that sounds kind of decent was the Sultan's harem, but even then I imagine the circumstances that led them there would have been enough to make them miserable.

[@Aja-Christian]

You post new videos while I'm at work and I literally have to force myself to not watch them while I'm at my desk 😭😭😭 I prefer to wait to watch them after I get home and settle in as a "treat" for not snapping at work 😁😁😁 I look forward to them every Tuesday, thank you so much!!

[@stuffwithsoph8264]

I feel that 🤧

[@ramoncanham9751]

@ Aja Christian,I love your name Aja its the title of the 1978 album by Steely Dan.You area the first person ive seen with the name.

[@Aja-Christian]

@UCtHsMVNrbVYPYT3MzLq6HcQ Thank you! I am actually named after the Steely Dan album 😁 I always love it when someone makes the connection 😍 There was a FB group I stumbled across a few years ago that was aimed at connecting all the people named after the Aja album, there was at least 2 dozen of us! Aja Jackson, Aja Mendez, Aja Kim, Aja O'Reilly....very diverse group!

[@jadewolf22]

Imagine being some Russian peasant farmer one day and the next you’re the “Mistress of Sherbet” in the ottoman sultan’s harem the next. Wild lol.

[@user-pj6vg8ur4f]

Thank you , a very interesting subject

[@HistoryRemembers]

Interesting video! But at 3:07, the lady in the picture is Mulan, not Wu Zetian, as one can tell by her martial dress and background text, who fortunately was never anyone’s concubine.

[@khimyap460]

I love how you narrate the story! Keep up the good work, I subscribed today!!! Looking forward to more of your videos.

[@topherpadilla]

I hope you make a video about the Gungnyeo... The palace women of Joseon Korea. Theirs is a complex system too. ☺️

[@barbiebarbie1813]

Most of the history of Korea is fake. They have a large number of TV series plagiarizing Chinese history and Chinese culture. This is very shameful. In ancient Korea, it was a very poor and primitive country. They had no sovereignty and no emperor. ancient Korea's territory was in charge of power and prohibited them from entering China (please refer to the map location). Ancient Korea and modern North Korea are similar . They relied on China to give a lot of resources to maintain the country (but they think that the country is very powerful).

[@barbiebarbie1813]

14:35 This is not a Korean national clothing. The traditional Korean national costume is hypertrophic, pure white and exposing women's nipples. The clothes worn by a few Korean women are imported from China (gifted by China, and ancient Korean territories are in charge of China. They are dressed as Chinese to govern Korean territory), and then they use Chinese fabric to copy Chinese clothing. This is only the upper -level aristocracy in Korea can be worn in order to copy as a Chinese.

[@deathbywords]

Very interesting video

[@Catglittercrafts]

I love your voice so much. I don’t even notice how long the videos are since it’s such a joy to listen to you.