Anna Comnena was a Greek princess and scholar who penned the ‘Alexiad,’ a biography of her father, Byzantium’s Emperor Alexios I Komnenos. She is regarded as the world’s first female historian, and her account of daily life at court, her family life, and the political and military history of the Byzantine Empire is a valuable source of knowledge about the early Crusaders. She was the oldest of her parents’ children and was raised in a loving but strict household. She acquired a good education as a Byzantine royal woman, and was schooled in literature, philosophy, medicine, astronomy, and history, among other disciplines. She was a brilliant and ambitious woman who oversaw a vast hospital and orphanage that her father had created for her to run. She also taught medicine at the hospital and was well-known for her medical competence; in fact, she even treated her own father during his final illness, despite her inability to save his life. She had ambitions of rising to the kingdom after her father’s death, but her husband did not assist her in this endeavor. As a result, she left the court and entered a monastery, where she spent her time studying philosophy and history.
Childhood and Adolescence
She was the eldest daughter of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos of Byzantium and Irene Doukaina and was born on December 1, 1083. Her father was a Byzantine emperor who reigned from 1081 to 1118, and her mother was Andronikos Doukas’ and Maria of Bulgaria’s daughter.
Maria, John II, Andronikos, Isaac, Eudokia, and Theodora were among her younger siblings.
She, like many other royal women of her period, acquired a solid education. Her parents arranged for her to get courses in astronomy, medicine, mathematics, history, and literature, among other things. She excelled in studying medicine in particular.
According to the norms of the time, she was betrothed as an infant to Constantine Doukas, the son of Emperor Michael VII and Maria of Alania. Her future mother-in-law raised her during her early life. However, Constantine died before the wedding could take place.
A Years Later
She became a well-educated, clever, and ambitious woman as she grew older. She was fascinated by philosophy and enjoyed reading the writings of old poets.
Because of her intelligence, her father built a magnificent hospital and orphanage for her and put her in charge of it.
The hospital was enormous, with enough beds and facilities to accommodate 10,000 patients and orphans.
She had studied medicine and was regarded as a competent physician who specialized in the treatment of gout. She also taught medicine at a number of other hospitals.
She had a childhood dream of succeeding her father on the throne following his death. She believed it was her right as the eldest daughter to be chosen as her father’s heir.
In 1092, her brother John II Komnenos (born in 1087) was declared heir to the throne. Anna was enraged because she believed her right had been taken away.
Irene, Anna’s mother, had always preferred Anna to her brother and wished for Anna to succeed to the throne. She tried everything she could to persuade Emperor Alexios to name Anna’s husband, Nikephoros Bryennios, as the next Emperor. Her father, on the other hand, always liked John.
Around 1112, Alexios became ill with rheumatism and was unable to govern the realm. As a result, he delegated civil administration to his wife, Irene, who in turn delegated management to Nikephoros Bryennios.
Anna’s medical knowledge aided the doctors in caring for her ailing father. In 1118, Emperor Alexios died after a few years and was succeeded by John.
Anna and her mother plotted to depose John after he ascended the throne. Her husband, on the other hand, was against it and refused to join the plot.
Once the conspiracy was exposed, Anna and her husband were forced to leave the courtroom. Anna and her mother moved to a monastery that her mother had created when her husband died in 1137.
She spent her time in the monastery studying philosophy and history, and she began writing the ‘Alexiad’. She clearly described armament, tactics, and battles in this work about Alexios I’s political connections and wars with the West.
Anna’s Major Projects
Her most famous work is the ‘Alexiad,’ in which she chronicles the history of the Byzantine Empire during her father’s rule. The text is written in the literary style of Thucydides, Polybius, and Xenophon, and is divided into fifteen books and a prologue.
Personal History and Legacy
In childhood, she was betrothed to Constantine Doukas, the son of Emperor Michael VII and Maria of Alania. Her fiancé, however, died before the wedding could take place.
In 1097, she married Caesar Nikephoros Bryennios the Younger, a wealthy lord. Her husband was a historian and statesman. Alexios Komnenos, John Doukas, Irene Doukaina, and Maria Bryennaina Komnene are the four offspring of this 40-year marriage.
The exact date of Anna Komnene’s death is unknown, however, she lived around 1148, according to Alexiad. She is thought to have died in the Monastery of Kecharitomene in Constantinople, Byzantine Empire, in 1153.
Estimated Net worth
Unknown.