Explanation: The Byzantine Empire, the Greek successor state to the Roman Empire, embraced mutilation as a punishment. In fact, it was widely regarded that a mutilated man could not hold office for being so ‘imperfected’. Therefore, those Byzantine usurpers who wished to prove their good, Christian credentials would often ‘only’ castrate (or sometimes put out the eyes of) the Emperor they were overthrowing (and anyone too aligned with him) and condemn them to a monastery to prevent them from ever returning to power. What swell guys!
Justinian II had his nose cut off when deposed. When he came back, he wore a golden nose to hide his deformity.
I’ve been holding onto this relevant pic, but every time I look at it I get depressed due to the reminder of the hellscape of reality we exist in
That’s a glorious meme, but I get it
“I swear to god, if I wake up singing falsetto…” - Colonel O’Neill, after being gassed by a system lord known for turning his captives into eunuchs.
