Editing Anna Komnene

{{Short description|Byzantine historian (1083–1153)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox royalty
| image        = Anna Komnene (cropped).jpg
| caption      = An anachronistic 19th century depiction of Anna Komnene
| birth_date   = 1 December 1083
| birth_place  = Porphyra Chamber, [[Great Palace of Constantinople]], [[Byzantine Empire]]<br />(modern-day [[Istanbul]], [[Turkey]])
| death_date   = {{death date and age |df=y|1153|||1083|12|1}}
| death_place  = [[Kecharitomene Monastery]], [[Constantinople]], [[Byzantine Empire]]<br />(modern-day [[Istanbul]], [[Turkey]])
| spouse       = [[Constantine Doukas (co-emperor)|Constantine Doukas]]<br/>[[Nikephoros Bryennios the Younger]]
| issue        = [[Alexios Komnenos (megas doux)|Alexios Komnenos]]<br>[[John Doukas (son of Nikephoros Bryennios)|John Doukas]]<br>Irene Doukaina<br>Maria Bryennaina Komnene
| full name    = 
| house        = [[Komnenos|House of Komnenos]]
| father       = [[Alexios I Komnenos]]
| mother       = [[Irene Doukaina]]
| place of burial = 
}}

'''Anna Komnene''' ({{langx|el|Ἄννα Κομνηνή|Ánna Komnēnḗ}}; 1 December 1083 – 1153<ref>Ashe, L., Biddlecombe, S., Frankopan, P., Kempf, D., Naus, J., Ní Chléirigh, L., . . . Sweetenham, C. (2014). ''Writing the Early Crusades: Text, Transmission and Memory'' (M. Bull & D. Kempf, Eds.). Boydell & Brewer. p 41.</ref>), commonly [[Latinization of names|Latinized]] as '''Anna Comnena''',{{sfnp|EB|1878}} was a [[Byzantine Greeks|Byzantine Greek]] princess and historian. She is the author of the ''[[Alexiad]]'', an account of the reign of her father, Byzantine emperor [[Alexios I Komnenos]]. Her work constitutes the most important [[primary source]] of Byzantine history of the late 11th and early 12th centuries, as well as of the early [[Crusades]]. Although she is best known as the author of the ''Alexiad'', Anna played an important part in the politics of the time and attempted to depose her brother [[John II Komnenos]] as emperor in favour of her husband, [[Nikephoros Bryennios the Younger]].<ref name=":23">Hanawalt 1982, p. 303.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Anna Comnena {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Anna-Comnena |language=en}}</ref>

At birth, Anna was betrothed to [[Constantine Doukas (co-emperor)|Constantine Doukas]],<ref name=":23">Hanawalt 1982, p. 303.</ref> and she grew up in his mother's household.<ref name=":0">Neville 2016, p. 2.</ref> She was well-educated in "Greek literature and history, philosophy, theology, mathematics, and medicine."<ref name=":23" /> Anna and Constantine were next in the line to throne{{sfn|Laiou|2000|p=3}} until Anna's younger brother, John II Komnenos, became the heir in 1092.{{sfn|Smythe|2006|p=126}} Constantine died around 1094,{{sfn|Smythe|2006|p=126}} and Anna married [[Nikephoros Bryennios the Younger|Nikephoros Bryennios]] in 1097.<ref name=":4">Neville 2016, p. 3.</ref> The two had several children before Nikephoros' death around 1136.{{sfn|Smythe|2006|p=126}}

Following her father's death in 1118, Anna and her mother attempted to usurp John II Komnenos.<ref>Larmour 2004, pp. 203–205.</ref> Her husband refused to cooperate with them, and the usurpation failed.<ref name=":23" /> As a result, John exiled Anna to the [[Kecharitomene Monastery]], where she spent the rest of her life.{{sfn|Hill|2000|p=47}} In confinement there, she wrote the ''Alexiad''.<ref name=":3">Larmour 2004, p. 204.</ref>

==Early life and family==
[[File:Aspron trachy of Alexios I.png|thumb|210x210px|[[Aspron|Byzantine coin]] depicting emperor [[Alexios I Komnenos]] and [[Irene Doukaina]], parents of Anna Komnene, 11th century.]]
Anna was born on 1 December 1083{{sfnp|EB|1878}} to [[Alexios I Komnenos]] and [[Irene Doukaina]].{{sfn|Laiou|2000|p=3}} Her father, Alexios I Komnenos, became emperor in 1081, after usurping the previous Byzantine Emperor, [[Nikephoros III Botaneiates|Nikephoros Botaneiates]].<ref name=":0" /> Her mother, [[Irene Doukaina]], was part of the imperial [[Doukas]] family.{{sfn|Laiou|2000|pp=11–12}} In the ''Alexiad'', Anna emphasises her affection for her parents in stating her relationship to Alexios and Irene.{{sfn|Smythe|2006|p=130}} She was the eldest of seven children; her younger siblings were (in order) Maria, [[John II Komnenos|John II]], [[Andronikos Komnenos (son of Alexios I)|Andronikos]], [[Isaac Komnenos (son of Alexios I)|Isaac]], Eudokia, and [[Theodora Komnene (daughter of Alexios I)|Theodora]].<ref>Frankopan 2009, p. 479.</ref>

Anna was born in the Porphyra Chamber of the imperial palace in [[Constantinople]], making her a ''[[porphyrogenita]],''<ref>Frankopan 2009, p. 536.</ref> which underscored her imperial status. She noted this status in the ''Alexiad,'' stating that she was "[[Born in the purple|born and bred in the purple]]."<ref name="Komnene 2009, p. 3">Komnene 2009, p. 3.</ref> According to Anna's description in the ''[[Alexiad]]'', her mother asked Anna to wait to be born until her father returned from war.<ref name=":6">Comnena 2001, p. 152.</ref> Obediently, Anna waited until her father came home.<ref name=":6" /> 

At birth, Anna was betrothed to [[Constantine Doukas (co-emperor)|Constantine Doukas]],<ref name=":23" /> the son of Emperor [[Michael VII Doukas|Michael VII]] and [[Maria of Alania]].<ref>Garland and Rapp 2006, p. 115.</ref> The two were the heirs to the empire until sometime between c.1088 and 1092, after the birth of Anna's brother, John II Komnenos.<ref name=":8">Garland and Rapp 2006, p. 110.</ref> Various scholars point out that the betrothal was probably a political match intended to establish the legitimacy of Anna's father, who had usurped the previous emperor.<ref>Hanawalt 1982, p. 303; Neville 2016, p. 2.</ref>

Starting around 1090, Constantine's mother – Maria of Alania – raised Anna in her home.<ref>Garland and Rapp 2006, p. 108.</ref> It was common in Byzantium for mothers-in-law to raise daughters-in-law.<ref>Garland & Rapp 2006, p. 108.</ref> In 1094, Maria of Alania was implicated in an attempt to overthrow Alexios I Komnenos.<ref name=":8" /> Some scholars argue that Anna's betrothal to Constantine Doukas may not have ended there, as he was not implicated in the plot against Alexios,<ref name=":4" /> but it certainly ended when he died around 1094.{{sfn|Smythe|2006|p=126}}

Anna's relationships to her mother-in-law Maria of Alania, her paternal grandmother [[Anna Dalassene]], and her mother Irene Doukaina, have been noted as sources of inspiration and admiration for Anna.{{sfn|Gouma-Peterson|2000|p=109}} For example, Thalia Gouma-Peterson argues that Irene Doukaina's "maternal ability to deal with the speculative and the intellectual enables the daughter to become the highly accomplished scholar she proudly claims to be in the opening pages of the ''Alexiad''."{{sfn|Gouma-Peterson|2000|p=118}}

==Education==
Anna wrote at the beginning of the ''Alexiad'' about her education, highlighting her experience with [[literature]], [[Greek language]], rhetoric, and sciences.<ref name="Komnene 2009, p. 3"/> Tutors trained her in subjects that included [[astronomy]], [[medicine]], [[history]], military affairs, [[geography]], and [[mathematics]]. Anna was noted for her education by the medieval scholar, [[Niketas Choniates]], who wrote that Anna "was ardently devoted to philosophy, the queen of all sciences, and was educated in every field."<ref>Choniates 1984, p. 8.</ref><ref>Connor 2004, p. 255.</ref> Anna's conception of her education is shown in her testament, which credited her parents for allowing her to obtain an education.<ref>{{harvnb|Laiou|2000|p=4}}; referenced from Kurtz, Ed. "Unedierte Texte aus der Zeit des Kaisers Johannes Komnenos." Byzantinische Zeitschrift 16 (1907): 69–119.</ref> This testament is in contrast to a funeral oration about Anna given by her contemporary, Georgios Tornikes. In his oration he said that she had to read ancient poetry, such as the ''[[Odyssey]]'', in secret because her parents disapproved of its dealing with polytheism and other "dangerous exploits," which were considered "dangerous" for men and "excessively insidious" for women. Tornikes went on to say that Anna "braced the weakness of her soul" and studied the poetry "taking care not to be detected by her parents."<ref>Browning 1990, pp. 404–405.</ref>

Anna proved to be capable not only on an intellectual level but also in practical matters. Her father placed her in charge of a large hospital and orphanage that he built for her to administer in [[Constantinople]]. The hospital was said to hold beds for 10,000 patients and orphans. Anna taught medicine at the hospital, as well as at other hospitals and orphanages. She was considered an expert on [[gout]]. Anna treated her father during his final illness.<ref>{{cite book|title=Women in Medicine: An Encyclopedia|last=Windsor|first=Laura Lynn|publisher=ABC-CLIO|year=2002|isbn=978-1-57607-392-6|page=45}}</ref>

==Marriage==
In roughly 1097, Anna's parents married her to [[Caesar (title)|''Caesar'']] [[Nikephoros Bryennios the Younger|Nikephoros Bryennios]],<ref name=":4" /> a member of the [[Bryennios|Bryennios family]] that had held the throne before the accession of Anna's father, Alexios I.{{sfn|Smythe|2006|p=126}} Nikephoros was a soldier and a historian.<ref name=":23" />

Most scholars agree that the marriage was a political one – it created legitimacy for Anna's paternal family through Bryennios' connections to past emperor's family.<ref>Jongh 1953, quoted in {{harvnb|Smythe|2006|p=126}}.</ref> The two were an intellectual couple, and Nikephoros Bryennios tolerated and possibly encouraged Anna's scholarly interests by allowing her to participate in various scholarly circles.<ref name=":5">Neville 2016, p. 5.</ref> The couple had several children, of which many died in infancy.{{Sfn|Varzos|1984|p=197}} Of them the names of six are known: Eirene, Maria, [[Alexios Komnenos (megas doux)|Alexios]], [[John Doukas (son of Nikephoros Bryennios)|John]], Andronikos, and Constantine.<ref name=":9">Neville 2016, p. 4.</ref> Only Eirene,{{sfn|Varzos|1984|pp=326–330}} Maria,{{sfn|Varzos|1984|p=331}} John,{{sfn|Varzos|1984|pp=317–326}} and Alexios{{sfn|Varzos|1984|pp=308–317}} survived to adulthood.

==Claim to the throne==
[[File:Jean II Comnene.jpg|thumb|310x310px|[[John II Komnenos|John II]], Anna's brother and Alexios I's successor to the imperial throne.]]
In 1087, Anna's brother, [[John II Komnenos|John II]], was born. Several years after his birth, in 1092, John was designated emperor.{{sfn|Smythe|2006|p=126}} According to Choniates, Emperor Alexios "favoured" John and declared him emperor while the Empress Irene "threw her full influence on [Anna's] side" and "continually attempted" to persuade the emperor to designate Nikephoros Bryennios, Anna's husband, in John's place.<ref>Choniates 1984, p. 5.</ref> Around 1112, Alexios fell sick with [[rheumatism]] and could not move. He therefore turned the civil government over to his wife, Irene; she in turn directed the administration to Bryennios.{{sfn|Hill|2000|p=46}} Choniates states that, as Emperor Alexios lay dying in his imperial bedchamber, John arrived and "secretly" took the emperor's ring from his father during an embrace "as though in mourning."<ref>Choniates 1984, p. 6.</ref> Anna also worked in her husband's favour during her father's illness.{{sfnp|EB|1878}} In 1118, Alexios I Komnenos died.{{sfn|Smythe|2006|p=127}}  A cleric acclaimed John emperor in [[Hagia Sophia]].{{sfn|Hill|2000|p=47}}

According to Dion C. Smythe, Anna "felt cheated" because she "should have inherited."{{sfn|Smythe|1997|p=241}} Indeed, according to Anna Komnene in the ''Alexiad'', at her birth she was presented with "a crown and imperial diadem."<ref>Komnene 1969, p. 197.</ref> Anna's "main aim" in the depiction of events in the ''Alexiad'', according to Vlada Stankovíc, was to "stress her own right" to the throne and "precedence over her brother, John."<ref>Stankovíc 2007, p. 174.</ref>

In view of this belief, Susan C. Jarratt et al. record that Anna was "almost certainly" involved in the murder plot against John at Alexios's funeral.<ref name="Jarratt 2008, p. 308">Jarratt 2008, p. 308.</ref> Indeed, Anna, according to Barbara Hill, attempted to create military forces to depose John.{{sfn|Hill|2000|p=47}} According to Choniates, Anna was "stimulated by ambition and revenge" to scheme for the murder of her brother.<ref name="Jarratt 2008, p. 308"/> Smythe states the plots "came to nothing."{{sfn|Smythe|2006|p=126}} Jarratt et al., record that, a short time afterward, Anna and Bryennios "organized another conspiracy."<ref name="Jarratt 2008, p. 308"/> However, according to Hill, Bryennios refused to overthrow John, making Anna unable to continue with her plans.{{sfn|Hill|2000|p=47}} With this refusal, Anna, according to Choniates, exclaimed "that nature had mistaken their sexes, for he ought to have been the woman."{{sfnp|EB|1878}} According to Jarratt et al., Anna shows "a repetition of sexualized anger."<ref name="Jarratt 2008, p. 308"/> Indeed, Smythe asserts that Anna's goals were "thwarted by the men in her life."{{sfn|Smythe|2006|p=125}} Irene, however, according to Hill, had declined to participate in plans to revolt against an "established" emperor.{{sfn|Hill|2000|p=47}} Hill, however, points out that Choniates, whom the above sources draw upon, wrote after 1204, and accordingly was "rather far removed" from "actual" events and that his "agenda" was to "look for the causes" of the toppling of Constantinople in 1204.{{sfn|Hill|2000|p=47}}

In contrast, Leonora Neville argues that Anna was probably not involved in the attempted usurpation.<ref name=":10">Neville 2016, p. 111.</ref> Anna plays a minor role in most of the available medieval sources – only Choniates portrays her as a rebel.<ref name=":10" /> Choniates' history is from around 1204, almost a hundred years after Alexios I's death.{{sfn|Hill|2000|p=47}} Instead, most of the sources question whether John II Komnenos' behaviour at his father's deathbed was appropriate.<ref>Neville 2016, p. 112.</ref>

According to the account by Choniates (written after the Fourth Crusade), plots were discovered and Anna forfeited her estates.{{sfnp|EB|1878}} After her husband's death, she entered the [[convent]] of Kecharitomene, which had been founded by her mother. She remained there until her death.<ref>Jarratt 2008, p. 305.</ref>

==Historian and intellectual==
{{main|Byzantine Aristotelianism}}
In the seclusion of the monastery, Anna dedicated her time to studying [[philosophy]] and history. She held esteemed intellectual gatherings, including those dedicated to [[Aristotle|Aristotelian studies]].<ref>Browning 1990, pp. 397–399.</ref> Anna's intellectual genius and breadth of knowledge is evident in her few works. Among other things, she was conversant with philosophy, literature, grammar, theology, astronomy, and medicine. It can be assumed because of minor errors that she may have quoted [[Homer]] and the [[Bible]] from memory when writing her most celebrated work, the ''Alexiad''.  Her contemporaries, like the metropolitan Bishop of Ephesus, Georgios Tornikes, regarded Anna as a person who had reached "the highest summit of wisdom, both secular and divine."

== The ''Alexiad'' ==
{{main|Alexiad}}
[[File:Anna comnena, alexiade, forse da costantinopoli, XII secolo (pluteo 70.2).jpg|thumb|Anna Komnene's ''[[Alexiad]]'' (12th century manuscript, [[Laurentian Library]])|280x280px]]
Anna wrote the ''Alexiad'' in the mid-1140s or 1150s.<ref name=":5"/> Anna cited her husband's unfinished work as the reason why she began the ''Alexiad''.<ref name=":11">Komnene 2009. Prologue, section 3, p. 5.</ref> Before his death in 1137, her husband, [[Nikephoros Bryennios the Younger]], was working on a history, which was supposed to record the events before and during the reign of Alexios I.<ref name=":11" /> His death left the history unfinished after recording the events of the reign of Emperor Nikephoros Botaneiates.<ref name=":11" /> [[Ruth Macrides]] argues that while Bryennios' writing may have been a source of inspiration for the ''Alexiad'', it is incorrect to suggest that the ''Alexiad'' was Bryennios' work edited by Anna (as Howard-Johnston has argued on tenuous grounds).{{sfn|Macrides|2000|p=70}}

In a statement on how she gathered her sources for the ''Alexiad'', Anna wrote, "My material ... has been gathered from insignificant writings, absolutely devoid of literary pretensions, and from old soldiers who were serving in the army at the time that my father seized the Roman sceptre ... I based the truth of my history on them by examining their narratives and comparing them with what I had written, and what they told me with what I had often heard, from my father in particular and from my uncles … From all these materials the whole fabric of my history – my true history – has been woven".<ref>Komnene 2009. Book XIV, section 7, p. 422.</ref> Beyond just eyewitness accounts from veterans or her male family members, scholars have also noted that Anna used the imperial archives, which allowed her access to official documents.<ref>Neville 2016, p. 78.</ref>

In the ''Alexiad'', Anna provided insight on political relations and wars between Alexios I and the West. She vividly described weaponry, tactics, and battles. It has been noted that she was writing about events that occurred when she was a child, so these are not [[witness|eye-witness account]]s. Her neutrality is compromised by the fact that she was writing to praise her father and denigrate his successors. Despite her unabashed partiality, her account of the [[First Crusade]] is of great value to history because it is the only [[Byzantine]] eyewitness account available. She had the opportunity to gather information from key figures in the Byzantine elite; her husband, Nikephorus Bryennios, had fought in the clash with crusade leader [[Godfrey of Bouillon]] outside [[Constantinople]] on [[Maundy Thursday]] 1097; and her uncle, [[George Palaeologos]], was present at Pelekanon in June 1097 when Alexios I discussed future strategy with the crusaders. Thus, the ''Alexiad'' allows the events of the [[First Crusade]] to be seen from the Byzantine elite's perspective. It conveys the alarm felt at the scale of the western European forces proceeding through the Empire, and the dangers they might have posed to the safety of [[Constantinople]]. 

Anna referred to the crusaders as "Celts", reflecting old Greek terminology for western barbarians.<ref name="Pocock2002">{{cite book |author1=J. G. A. Pocock |author1-link=J. G. A. Pocock |editor1-last=Pagden |editor1-first=Anthony |title=The Idea of Europe From Antiquity to the European Union |date=2002 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=9780511496813 |chapter=Some Europes in Their History |chapter-url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/idea-of-europe/some-europes-in-their-history/261CF37C1E49E93280878F816D4483F1 |doi=10.1017/CBO9780511496813.003 |pages=61}}</ref>

The ''Alexiad'' was written in Attic Greek,<ref>{{Cite book|title=Anna Comnena|last=Dalven|first=Rae|publisher=Twayne Publishers, Inc.|year=1972|location=New York|pages=155}}</ref> and the [[literary style]] is fashioned after [[Thucydides]], [[Polybius]], and [[Xenophon]].{{sfnp|EB|1911}} Consequently, it exhibits a struggle for an [[Atticism]] characteristic of the period, whereby the resulting language is highly artificial.{{sfnp|EB|1911}} Peter Frankopan argues that the lapses in some of the chronology of events can in part be attributed to errors in, or lack of, source material for those events.{{sfn|Frankopan|2002|p=63}} Anna herself also addressed these lapses, explaining them as a result of memory loss and old age.<ref>Komnene 2009, Book V, section 9, p. 151.</ref> But regardless of errors in chronology, her history meets the standards of her time.<ref>''Catholic Encyclopedia''</ref>

Moreover, the ''Alexiad'' sheds light on Anna's emotional turmoil, including her grief over the deaths of her father, mother, and husband, among other things. At the end of the ''Alexiad'', Anna wrote "But living I died a thousand deaths … Yet I am more grief-stricken than [Niobe]: after my misfortunes, great and terrible as they are, I am still alive – to experience yet more … Let this be the end of my history, then, lest as I write of these sad events I become even more resentful."<ref>Komnene 2009, Book XV, section 11, pp. 472–473.</ref>

==In popular culture==
* Anna Komnene plays a [[Secondary character|secondary role]] in [[Walter Scott|Sir Walter Scott]]'s 1832 novel ''[[Count Robert of Paris]]''.
* She is the principal character in the 1999 novel for young people ''[[Anna of Byzantium (novel)|Anna of Byzantium]]'' by [[Tracy Barrett]].
* She appears prominently in the first volume of the trilogy ''The Crusaders'' by the Polish novelist [[Zofia Kossak-Szczucka]], written in 1935.
* In [[Harry Turtledove]]'s [[Videssos cycle]] of novels (1987-2005) the character Alypia Gavra is a fictionalized version of Anna Komnene.
* The 1991 novel ''Az, Anna Komnina'' ({{langx|bg|Аз, Анна Комнина|translation=I, Anna Comnena}}) was written by [[Vera Mutafchieva]], a Bulgarian writer and historian.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Вера Мутафчиева - Официален уебсайт |url=http://veramutafchieva.net/bibliography_bg.php |access-date=20 November 2022 |website=veramutafchieva.net}}</ref>
* In [[Julia Kristeva]]'s 2004 murder mystery ''Murder in Byzantium'', Anna Komnene is the focus of the villain's scholarly and amorous fantasy of the past. The novel includes considerable detail on Anna Komnene's life, work, and historical context.
* Anna appears in ''[[Medieval II: Total War]]'' (2006) as a Byzantine princess, under the name Anna Comnenus.
* A novel written in 2008 by the Albanian writer [[Ben Blushi]] called ''Living on an Island'' mentions her.
* She is a minor character in Nan Hawthorne's novel of the [[Crusade of 1101]], ''Beloved Pilgrim'' (2011).
* In the board game ''Nations'' (2013), Anna Komnene is an adviser in the Medieval Age.
* Anna Komnene is the main protagonist in ''Anna Comnena'' ({{langx|ja|アンナ・コムネナ|translit=Anna Komunena}}) (2021), a historical manga by {{ill|Futaba Sato|ja|佐藤二葉}}.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2021-12-10|title=ビザンツ皇女で女性歴史家、アンナ・コムネナの少女時代を描く4コマが単行本化|trans-title=|url=https://natalie.mu/comic/news/457058|language=ja|work=[[Natalie (website)|Comic Natalie]]|publisher=Natasha, Inc|access-date=2022-11-20}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Primary sources===
* {{cite book |editor-last=Magoulias |editor-first=Harry J. |title=O City of Byzantium. Annals of Niketas Choniates |location=Detroit |publisher=Wayne State University Press |year=1984 |isbn=0-8143-1764-2}}
*Anna Comnena (2001). Dawes, Elizabeth A., ed. "[https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/basis/AnnaComnena-Alexiad00.asp The Alexiad]." ''The Internet Medieval Sourcebook''. Fordham University. Retrieved 19 November 2020. ([[wikisource:The_Alexiad|The Alexiad]], Wikisource)
* {{Cite book|editor-last=Leib|editor-first=Bernard|title=Anne Comnène: Alexiade (règne de l'empereur Alexis I Comnène 1081-1118)|year=1937|volume=1|location=Paris|publisher=Les Belles Lettres|url=https://archive.org/download/in.ernet.dli.2015.362265/2015.362265.Anne-Comnene.pdf}}
* {{Cite book|editor-last=Leib|editor-first=Bernard|title=Anne Comnène: Alexiade: Règne de l'empereur Alexis I Comnène (1081-1118)|year=1943|volume=2|location=Paris|publisher=Les Belles Lettres|url=https://archive.org/download/in.ernet.dli.2015.362281/2015.362281.Anne-Comnene.pdf}}
* {{Cite book|editor-last=Leib|editor-first=Bernard|title=Anne Comnène: Alexiade: Règne de l'empereur Alexis I Comnène (1081-1118)|year=1945|volume=3|location=Paris|publisher=Les Belles Lettres|url=https://archive.org/download/in.ernet.dli.2015.362278/2015.362278.Anne-Comnene.pdf}}
*Anna Komnene, ''The Alexiad'', translated by E.R.A. Sewter, ed. Peter Frankopan, (New York: Penguin, 2009)
*Georgios Tornikes, 'An unpublished funeral oration on Anna Comnena', English translation by Robert Browning, in ''Aristotle Transformed: The Ancient Commentators and Their Influence'', ed. R. Sorabji (New York: Cornell University Press, 1990)

===Secondary sources===
* {{cite book |last = Connor |first = Carolyn R. |title = Women of Byzantium |location = Connecticut |publisher = Yale University Press |year = 2004}}
*Dalven, Rae (1972). ''Anna Comnena''. New York: Twayne Publishers, Inc.
* {{cite book |last = Frankopan |first = Peter |year = 2002 |chapter = Perception and Projection of Prejudice: Anna Comnena, the ''Alexiad'', and the First Crusade |editor-last = Edgington |editor-first = Susan B. |editor2-last =Lambert |editor2-first = Sarah |title = Gendering the Crusades |location = New York |publisher = Columbia University Press}}
* {{cite book |last = Gouma-Peterson |first = Thalia |chapter = Gender and Power: Passages to the Maternal in Anna Komnene's ''Alexiad'' |pages = 107–125 |title = Anna Komnene and Her Times |editor-first = Thalia |editor-last = Gouma-Peterson |location = New York |publisher = Garland Publishing Inc |year = 2000 |isbn = 0-8153-3645-4 |chapter-url = {{Google Books|edShAwAAQBAJ|page=107|plainurl=yes}} }}
*Hanawalt, [[Emily Albu]] (1982). "Anna Komnene". In Strayer, Joseph R. ed. ''The Dictionary of the Middle Ages.'' '''1'''. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. pp.&nbsp;303–304. {{ISBN|0684167603}}
*{{cite book |last = Hill |first = Barbara |chapter = Actions Speak Louder Than Words: Anna Komnene's Attempted Usurpation |pages = 45–62 |title = Anna Komnene and Her Times |editor-first = Thalia |editor-last = Gouma-Peterson |location = New York |publisher = Garland Publishing Inc |year = 2000 |isbn = 0-8153-3645-4 |chapter-url = {{Google Books|edShAwAAQBAJ|page=45|plainurl=yes}} }}
*[[Lynda Garland]] & Stephen Rapp, "Maria 'of Alania': Woman & Empress Between Two Worlds," ''Byzantine Women: Varieties of Experience'', ed. Lynda Garland, (New Hampshire: Ashgate, 2006). {{ISBN|978-0754657378}}
*{{ODB| last=Kahzdan |first=Alexander |authorlink=Alexander Kazhdan |title=Komnene, Anna |page=1142}}
* {{cite book |last = Laiou |first = Angeliki |author-link = Angeliki Laiou |chapter = Introduction: Why Anna Komnene? |pages = 1–14 |title = Anna Komnene and Her Times |editor-first = Thalia |editor-last = Gouma-Peterson |location = New York |publisher = Garland Publishing Inc |year = 2000 |isbn = 0-8153-3645-4 |chapter-url = {{Google Books|edShAwAAQBAJ|page=1|plainurl=yes}} }}
*Larmour, David (2004). Margolis, Nadia; Wilson, Katherina M., eds. "Comnene, Anna". ''Women in the Middle Ages: an encyclopedia.'' '''1'''. Westport: Greenwood Press. p.&nbsp;203–205. {{ISBN|0313330174}}.
* {{cite book |last = Macrides |first = Ruth |chapter =The Pen and the Sword: Who Wrote the ''Alexiad''? |pages = 63–82 |title = Anna Komnene and Her Times |editor-first = Thalia |editor-last = Gouma-Peterson |location = New York |publisher = Garland Publishing Inc |year = 2000 |isbn = 0-8153-3645-4 |chapter-url = {{Google Books|edShAwAAQBAJ|page=63|plainurl=yes}} }}
*Neville, Leonora (2016). ''Anna Komnene: the life and work of a medieval historian''. New York: Oxford University Press. {{ISBN|978-0190498177}}.
* {{ cite book |last = Reinsch |first = Diether R. |chapter = Women's Literature in Byzantium? – The Case of Anna Komnene |translator = Thomas Dunlap |pages = 83–106 |title = Anna Komnene and Her Times |editor-first = Thalia |editor-last = Gouma-Peterson |location = New York |publisher = Garland Publishing Inc |year = 2000 |isbn = 0-8153-3645-4| chapter-url = {{Google Books|edShAwAAQBAJ|page=1|plainurl=yes}} }}
* {{cite journal |first =Dion C. |last=Smythe |title = Outsiders by taxis perceptions of non-conformity eleventh and twelfth-century literature |journal=Byzantinische Forschungen: Internationale Zeitschrift für Byzantinistik |year =1997 |pages = 229–249 |volume = 24 }}
* {{cite book |first =Dion C. |last=Smythe |chapter=Middle Byzantine Family Values and Anna Komnene's Alexiad |pages= 125–139 |editor-last = Garland |editor-first = Lynda |title= Byzantine Women: Varieties of Experience |year=2006 |publisher = Ashgate |location = Burlington |isbn = 978-0-7546-5737-8 |chapter-url = {{Google Books|T4eMlP3nV4YC|page=125|plainurl=yes}}}}
* {{cite EB9 |mode=cs2 |wstitle=Anna Comnena |volume=2 |ref={{harvid|EB|1878}} |pages=59–60 }}
* {{cite EB1911 |mode=cs2 |wstitle=Anna Comnena |volume=2 |ref={{harvid|EB|1911}} |page=59}}
*[[Thomas Joseph Shahan]] (1907). "[[wikisource:Catholic_Encyclopedia_(1913)/Anna_Comnena|Anna Comnena]]". In ''Catholic Encyclopedia''. '''1'''. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
* {{ Η Γενεαλογία των Κομνηνών |volume = A1}}
*Wittek-De Jongh, Suzanne (1953). "Le César Nicéphore Bryennios, l'historien, et ses ascendants". ''Byzantion.'' '''23:''' 463–468.

==Further reading==
* Georgina Buckler, ''Anna Comnena: A Study'', Oxford University Press, 1929. {{ISBN|0-19-821471-5}}
* John France, "[https://deremilitari.org/2014/04/anna-comnena-the-alexiad-and-the-first-crusade/ Anna Comnena, the Alexiad and the First Crusade]", ''Reading Medieval Studies'' v. 9 (1983)
*Ed. Kurtz, 'Unedierte Texte aus der Zeit des Kaisers Johannes Komnenos, in ''Byzantinische Zeitschrift'' 16 (1907): 69–119 (Greek text of Anna Comnene's testament).
* Jonathan Harris, ''Byzantium and the Crusades'', Bloomsbury, 2nd ed., 2014. {{ISBN|978-1-78093-767-0}}
* Levin, Carole, et al. ''Extraordinary Women of the Medieval and Renaissance World''. Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2000.
* [[Naomi Mitchison]], ''Anna Comnena'', Gerald Howe, 1928. "Representative Women" series.
*Ellen Quandahl and Susan C. Jarratt, "'To recall him…will be a subject of lamentation': Anna Comnene as rhetorical historiographer" in ''Rhetorica: A Journal of the History of Rhetoric'' (2008): 301–335. {{JSTOR|10.1525/rh.2008.26.3.301}}
*Vlada Stankovíc, "Nikephoros Bryennios, Anna Komnene and Konstantios Doukas. A Story of Different Perspectives," in Byzantinische Zeitschrift (2007): 174.
* Paul Stephenson, "Anna Comnena's Alexiad as a source for the Second Crusade?", ''[[Journal of Medieval History]]'' v. 29 (2003)

==External links==
{{wikiquote|Anna Comnena}}
* [http://www.womeninworldhistory.com/heroine5.html Female Heroes ''From The Time of the Crusades: Anna Comnena'']. 1999. Women in World History.

{{Medieval women writers}}
{{Byzantine historians}}
{{Komnenoi}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Komnene, Anna}}
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