Hi,
I know that the Jannisaries in the ottoman empire were such but I was curious if they were generally used as a main army or as a more ceremonial thing. Both the specific ottoman example and any other historical ones. I just wonder how useful an army is when they were castrated before puberty and never developed the strength that comes with testosterone. I've wondered this since game of thrones (which o know isnt historical but still raised the question) since they're specifically a melee force they seem like theyd be out matched is all.
Thanks
A brief note while you wait for full answers to your query. Janissaries were not castrated.
Perhaps the confusion arises from the manner in which the Ottomans levied the devşirme, a sort of tax imposed on their Christian subjects in the Balkans which essentially forcibly recruited male children aged around 8 to 10 into the service of the state. Recruits were divided into several groups. One would be forcibly converted to Islam and trained as soldiers; these children became janissaries. Another would be forcibly converted and sent to the palace to enter the imperial service there. Some members of the latter group would be castrated so that they could serve in the imperial harem, though a number of these men ultimately enjoyed more orthodox bureaucratic careers and several rose to very high office.
u/caffarelli is the resident expert on eunuchs and castration here, hopefully she's still active!
That's as close as a straight answer to your question as I could find. If you google search this subreddit and her username you will learn a LOT about eunuchs. There's one post in particular on the physical act (particularly the full removal of the penis and testes) that is a VERY uncomfortable read. Fascinating but urghhhhh
Edit: misspelled their username