Anna Komnene, commonly Latinized as Anna Comnena, was a Byzantine Greek princess and historian.
21 Facts About Anna Komnene
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Anna Komnene is the author of the Alexiad, an account of the reign of her father, Byzantine emperor Alexios I Komnenos.
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At birth, Anna Komnene was betrothed to Constantine Doukas, and she grew up in his mother's household.
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Constantine died around 1094, and Anna Komnene married Nikephoros Bryennios in 1097.
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Anna Komnene's husband refused to cooperate with them, and the usurpation failed.
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Anna Komnene was the eldest of seven children; her younger siblings were Maria, John II, Andronikos, Isaac, Eudokia, and Theodora.
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Anna Komnene was born in the Porphyra Chamber of the imperial palace in Constantinople, making her a porphyrogenita, which underscored her imperial status.
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At birth, Anna Komnene was betrothed to Constantine Doukas, the son of Emperor Michael VII and Maria of Alania.
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Anna Komnene wrote at the beginning of the Alexiad about her education, highlighting her experience with literature, Greek language, rhetoric, and sciences.
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Anna Komnene proved to be capable not only on an intellectual level but in practical matters.
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Anna Komnene's father placed her in charge of a large hospital and orphanage that he built for her to administer in Constantinople.
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Anna Komnene taught medicine at the hospital, as well as at other hospitals and orphanages.
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Anna Komnene therefore turned the civil government over to his wife, Irene; she in turn directed the administration to Bryennios.
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Indeed, Anna Komnene, according to Barbara Hill, attempted to create military forces to depose John.
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In contrast, Leonora Neville argues that Anna Komnene was probably not involved in the attempted usurpation.
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Anna Komnene held esteemed intellectual gatherings, including those dedicated to Aristotelian studies.
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Anna Komnene cited her husband's unfinished work as the reason why she began the Alexiad.
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Beyond just eyewitness accounts from veterans or her male family members, scholars have noted that Anna Komnene used the imperial archives, which allowed her access to official documents.
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Anna Komnene's neutrality is compromised by the fact that she was writing to praise her father and denigrate his successors.
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Anna Komnene referred to the crusaders as "Celts", reflecting old Greek terminology for western barbarians.
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Anna Komnene herself addressed these lapses, explaining them as a result of memory loss and old age.