Anna Comnena

She had been betrothed to Constantine Doukas, the son of Emperor Michael VII and Maria of Alania, in infancy. But her fiancé died before the marriage could take place.

She married an accomplished nobleman, Caesar Nikephoros Bryennios the Younger, in 1097. Her husband was also a statesman and historian. This marriage lasted for 40 years and produced four children: Alexios Komnenos, John Doukas, Irene Doukaina, and Maria Bryennaina Komnene.

The exact date of Anna Komnene’s death is not known, but as inferred from Alexiad, she was alive in 1148. She is believed to have died sometime in 1153, in the Monastery of Kecharitomene, Constantinople, Byzantine Empire.

She was born on 1 December 1083 as the eldest daughter of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos of Byzantium and Irene Doukaina. Her father was a Byzantine emperor who ruled from 1081 to 1118 while her mother was the daughter of Andronikos Doukas and Maria of Bulgaria.

She had several younger siblings, namely: Maria, John II, Andronikos, Isaac, Eudokia, and Theodora.

Royal women during her time often received good education and she was no exception. Her parents arranged for her to receive lessons in varied subjects like astronomy, medicine, mathematics, history, and literature. She was particularly skilled at studying medicine.

As an infant she was betrothed to Constantine Doukas, the son of Emperor Michael VII and Maria of Alania, as per the customs of that era. During her early childhood she was raised by her future mother-in-law. Constantine, however, died before the wedding could take place.

She grew up to be a well-educated, intelligent and ambitious woman. She had a deep interest in philosophy and loved to read the works of ancient poets.

Sensing her intellectual capabilities her father built a large hospital and orphanage and placed her in charge of the establishment. The hospital was a very big one, equipped with beds and facilities for 10, 000 patients and orphans.

She had studied medicine and was known to be a good physician, considered to be an expert in treating gout. She also taught medicine at various hospitals.

From a young age she had harbored the dream of ascending the throne as her father’s successor after his death. Being the eldest daughter, she believed it to be her right to be chosen as her father’s heir.

However her brother John II Komnenos (born in 1087) was proclaimed the heir to the throne in 1092. This infuriated Anna as she believed her right had been snatched away.

She is best known for writing the ‘Alexiad’, in which she details the history of the Byzantine Empire under the reign of her father. The text, which is divided into fifteen books and a prologue, is composed in a literary style fashioned after Thucydides, Polybius, and Xenophon.