Anna Comnena - Revision history

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'''Anna Comnena''' ([[December 1]] [[1083]] - [[1153]]) was a daughter of the [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] emperor [[Alexius I|Alexius I Comnenus]], and is the first known female historian.

She was her father's favourite and was carefully trained in the study of poetry, science and Greek philosophy. But, though learned and studious, she was intriguing and ambitious, and ready to go to any lengths to gratify her longing for power. Having married an accomplished young nobleman, [[Nicephorus Bryennius]], she united with her mother, [[Irene Ducaena]], in a vain attempt to prevail upon Alexius I during his last illness to disinherit his son John and give the crown to Anna's husband. Still undeterred, she entered into a conspiracy in [[1118]] to depose her brother [[John II Comnenus|John]] after his accession; and when her husband refused to join in the enterprise, she exclaimed that "nature had mistaken their sexes, for he ought to have been the woman."

The plot being discovered, Anna forfeited her property and imperial family status, though, by the clemency of her brother, she escaped with her life. Shortly afterwards, she was dispatched to a convent and employed her leisure in writing the ''[[Alexiad]]''--a history in [[Greek language|Greek]] of her father's life and reign (1081-1118), supplementing the historical work of her husband. A determined opponent of the Latin church and an enthusiastic admirer of the Byzantine Empire, Anna Comnena regards the [[Crusades]] as a danger both political and religious. Her models are [[Thucydides]], [[Polybius]] and [[Xenophon]], and her style exhibits the striving after [[Attic Greek|Atticism]] characteristic of the period, with the result that the language is highly artificial. Her chronology is generally sound when recounting events that occurred before her enforced status as a nun, but becomes especially defective afterwards, as she was obviously isolated from her Palace sources.
Nevertheless, her history meets the standards of her time and place (Catholic Encyclopedia).

===References===

* Anna Comnena, ''[http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/AnnaComnena-Alexiad.html The Alexiad]'', translated by Elizabeth A. Dawes in 1928
* Anna Comnena, ''The Alexiad'', edited and translated by E.R.A. Sewter. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1969. (This print version uses more idiomatic English and has more extensive notes)
* John France, "[http://www.deremilitari.org/RESOURCES/PDFs/FRANCE2.PDF Anna Comnena, the Alexiad and the First Crusade]", ''Reading Medieval Studies'' v.9 (1983)
* Paul Stephenson, "[http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=MImg&_imagekey=B6VC1-47X6TVK-4-1&_cdi=5941&_orig=browse&_coverDate=03%2F31%2F2003&_sk=999709998&view=c&wchp=dGLbVtb-lSzBS&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_userid=10&md5=373640abd792303fadf8061c83c90f8b&ie=f.pdf Anna Comnena's Alexiad as a source for the Second Crusade?]", ''Journal of Medieval History'' v. 29 (2003)
* "[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01531a.htm Anna Comnena]" in the Catholic Encyclopedia.

{{1911}}

[[Category:Byzantine historians|Comnena]]
[[Category:1083 births|Comnena]]
[[Category:1153 deaths|Comnena]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:18, December 1, 2005
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−	'''Anna Comnena''' ([[December 1]] [[1083]] - [[1153]]) was a daughter of the [[Byzantine Empire\|Byzantine]] emperor [[~~Alexius I\|~~Alexius I Comnenus]], and is the first known female historian.	+	'''Anna Comnena''' ([[December 1]] [[1083]] - [[1153]]) was a daughter of the [[Byzantine Empire\|Byzantine]] emperor [[Alexius I Comnenus]], and is the first known female historian.

	She was her father's favourite and was carefully trained in the study of poetry, science and Greek philosophy. But, though learned and studious, she was intriguing and ambitious, and ready to go to any lengths to gratify her longing for power. Having married an accomplished young nobleman, [[Nicephorus Bryennius]], she united with her mother, [[Irene Ducaena]], in a vain attempt to prevail upon Alexius I during his last illness to disinherit his son John and give the crown to Anna's husband. Still undeterred, she entered into a conspiracy in [[1118]] to depose her brother [[John II Comnenus\|John]] after his accession; and when her husband refused to join in the enterprise, she exclaimed that "nature had mistaken their sexes, for he ought to have been the woman."		She was her father's favourite and was carefully trained in the study of poetry, science and Greek philosophy. But, though learned and studious, she was intriguing and ambitious, and ready to go to any lengths to gratify her longing for power. Having married an accomplished young nobleman, [[Nicephorus Bryennius]], she united with her mother, [[Irene Ducaena]], in a vain attempt to prevail upon Alexius I during his last illness to disinherit his son John and give the crown to Anna's husband. Still undeterred, she entered into a conspiracy in [[1118]] to depose her brother [[John II Comnenus\|John]] after his accession; and when her husband refused to join in the enterprise, she exclaimed that "nature had mistaken their sexes, for he ought to have been the woman."

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 * "[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01531a.htm Anna Comnena]" in the Catholic Encyclopedia.
-{{1911}}
 [[Category:Byzantine historians|Comnena]]
 [[Category:1083 births|Comnena]]
 [[Category:1153 deaths|Comnena]]