Anna Comnena was a Byzantine historian and daughter of the emperor Alexius I Comnenus. She is remembered for her Alexiad, a history of the life and reign of her father, which became a valuable source as a pro-Byzantine account of the early Crusades.
Background
Anna Comnena was a Byzantine princess and the eldest daughter of Alexios I, the Byzantine Emperor, whose Komnenos dynasty reached its peak during his reign. Her mother was Irene Doukaina. Anna was born in the Great Palace of Constantinople, in the city of Constantinople (today’s Istanbul), which was the capital of Byzantine Empire. She had six younger siblings, three brothers, and three sisters.
Education
Anna received a good education, studying, among other subjects, literature, philosophy, history, and geography.
Career
Anna grew up to be an intelligent, ambitious and educated woman. She didn’t like the fact that her brother John was chosen to be descendant to the throne even though she was promised and even given the crown at her birth. Nonetheless, she was proud of her royal upbringing. Alexios I recognized Anna’s talent and knowledge and put her in charge of a big orphanage and hospital, which had the capacity of 10,000 patients. She taught medicine there and with time became an expert on gout.
However, Anna and her mother Irene couldn’t accept the fact that she won’t be the next Byzantine Empress. This is why Anna decided to get married to Nikephoros Bryennios the Younger, member of the family that claimed the throne before Alexios I took it. The political union happened in 1097 and ever since then Anna was trying to persuade his father to change his intentions and pronounce Nikephoros to be his successor.
Even at his deathbed, the two women tried to make Alexios change his decision but he didn’t listen. This made Anna angry and when the Emperor died in 1118 and John took the throne, she started plotting with her mother on how to depose him. Some sources even state that there was an assassination attempt during the Alexios’ funeral but it cannot be claimed that Anna had any part in it. Her husband refused to take part in the plot and overthrow John (although he might have been in favor at first). The plan was soon discovered and Anna was forced to forfeit all her estates.
She then started to lead a rather secluded life. After her husband died in 1137, she decided to retire to a monastery of Kecharitomene, part of the convent founded by her mother. There she studied history and philosophy and decided to finish the work that Nikephoros started, an essay about Alexios’ reign. This turned into one of Anna’s few but surely the greatest work, the Alexiad.
Although the Alexiad didn’t offer enough objectivity, considering she was writing about her father’s reign, it is the only source available to get insights about the Crusades from the point of view of Byzantine elite. Not only that, it provided great insights about Byzantine politics during the 11th and at the turn of the 12th century. The book had a total of 15 volumes.
According to the Alexiad, Anna was surely alive in 1148. Although his death date is not known, it is believed that she died at the Monastery of Kecharitomene around 1153.
The Great Schism occured in 1054 and divided the Christian Church, so Anna is considered to be a Byzantine Christian, member of the church that will evolve into the Greek Orthodox Church over time.
Views
Anna was a smart woman with extensive knowledge in various areas. However, she couldn’t get over the fact that she was promised the throne and it was then taken away from her to be given to her little brother. Indeed, at her birth, she had been presented with the imperial diadem but a male heir changed all that.
She dreamt about becoming an empress, which is why she married Nikephoros Bryennios. She believed that she is the one that should have inherited the throne and she tried to overthrow John. However, Anna was an educated person with high manners so it seems improbable that she tried to kill him. A possible version is that the assassination attempt(s) were the plot of her mother.
Anna was fascinated by Greek writers such as Homer, Aristotle, Plato and Euripides, and their influence can be seen in her work Alexiad. In her book, Anna directed a lot of anger towards the Crusaders that were coming to Constantinople from the West. Although her father Alexios I did ask for help from the Pope, the army that arrived to defend the city looked like a bunch of uneducated barbarians, unworthy of Byzantine. Anna further notes that they often raided and looted the supplies, which is why she believed the call for help was a wrong move.
Personality
Anna was described by her friends as spirited, lively and stable. However, after her plot to depose her brother John was discovered and her husband died, she retired to a monastery where she led a secluded life. This social isolation caused Anna a lot of emotional problems. She even wrote in the Alexiad that she knows many hated her despite the fact that no one could see her.
Physical Characteristics:
She was a person with manners and her physical appearance was the kind you would expect from a royal.
Quotes from others about the person
"Anna reached the highest summit of wisdom, both secular and divine" - Georgios Tornikes
Interests
reading, philosophy, theology, medicine
Philosophers & Thinkers
Plato, Aristotle
Politicians
Alexios I, Nikephoros Bryennios
Writers
thucydides
Artists
mosaic art
Connections
As an infant, Anna was betrothed to Constantine Doukas. However, this marriage didn’t happen since he died before it could take place.
She did marry in 1097, in a political union with Nykephoros Bryennios the Younger, with the goal of becoming an Empress. Although a marriage out of interest, it lasted for 40 years (until his death). They had four children together, two sons and two daughters.
Anna of Byzantium (Laurel-Leaf Books)
For fans of Joan of Arc and Alexander the Great, comes "a gripping saga of alliances, intrigues, deceits, and treacheries" about Anna Comnena of the Byzantine Empire.