The Alexiad: Anna Comnena and Alexius I

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Document Analysis Assignment #2 Dr. Ken Draper HI 141 November 18, 2011 Rebecca Garnett The Alexiad: Anna Comnena and Alexius I The Alexiad, written by Anna Comnena, has been considered an invaluable document to historians when discussing the Byzantine Empire during the 11th and 12th centuries. Comnena, probably the most prominent Byzantine historian of the European Middle Ages, was in fact not only female, but also a princess. As the daughter of Emperor Alexius I, and a strong scholar, Anna Comnena was the first woman known to write the histories of an empire. Her husband, Nicephorus Bryennios, was also a historian of the Byzantine Empire, but after his death, Comnena took up the responsibility to write a very detailed account of her father’s reign. Her works are full of details about daily life at court, the deeds of her family, and the exchanges between the Byzantines and western crusaders during the first crusades. It would be easy to assume that Anna's personal background, specifically the obvious bias towards her father, would prohibit historical accuracy. However, this simply doesn’t seem to be the case. Rather, one finds that the evidence of Anna's background adds to the Alexiad in providing the historian or reader with an intimate insider's account of events in Byzantium. In addition, Anna Comnena’s genuine belief in her father for not only being morally sound during his reign, but extremely strong in his strategic planning, creates an endearing, but still effective, record of history. Anna Comnena’s strong background in education, her status as a princess, and even her gender, has played significant roles in the fact that we would not have the insight we do if it were not for this woman. But greater than all of these attributes, was Anna’s admiration for her father, Emperor Alexius I that created a unique window that we see today. Anna's pride in
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