Anna Komnene and the Alexiad: The Byzantine Princess and the First Crusade

by Ioulia Kolovou

Anna Komnene is one of the most curious figures in the history of an intriguing empire. A woman of extraordinary education and intellect, she was the only Byzantine female historian and one of the first and foremost historians in medieval Europe. Yet few people know of her and her extraordinary story. Subsequent historians and scholars have skewed the picture of Anna as an intellectual princess and powerful author. She has been largely viewed as an angry, bitter old woman, who greedily wanted a throne that did not belong to her. Accusations of conspiracy and attempted murder were hurled at her and as punishment for her 'transgressions' she was to live the last days of her life in exile. It was during her time in a convent, where she was not a nun, that she composed the Alexiad, the history of the First Crusade and the Byzantine Emperor, Alexios I Komnenos (1081-1118), her father.

This book aims to present Anna Komnene - the fascinating woman, pioneer intellectual, and charismaticc author - to the general public. Drawing on the latest academic research to reconstruct Anna's life, personality and work, it moves away from the myth of Anna the conspirator and 'power-hungry woman' which has been unfairly built around her over centuries of misrepresentation. It places Anna Komnene in the context of her own time: the ancient Greek colony and medieval Eastern Roman empire, known as Byzantium, with the magnificent city of Constantinople at its heart. At the forefront of an epic clash between East and West, this was a world renowned for its dazzling wealth, mystery and power games. It was also known for a vigorous intellectual renaissance centuries before its western counterpart. This was a world with Anna Komnene directly at the centre.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography

272 pages, Hardcover

Published July 19, 2020

Reviews

[Maja - BibliophiliaDK ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

INTRIGUING SUBJECT WHICH COULD HAVE BEEN WRITTEN BETTER

Having a master's degree in Medieval History means that I knew about Anna as well as the Alexiad. She was one of those Unicorn women in medieval history, who wrote acclaimed works. Not many others could say the same, so she has always intrigued me. For that reason I was very much looking forward to this book and to learning more about her and her life.

👍 WHAT I LIKED 👍

Subject: Anna Komnene is a fascinating woman who dared go outside the norm of her time. For that she has been misconstrued ever since. She has been proclaimed a bitter, self-absorbed woman just because she dared enter a mans world. I was very pleased that Kolovou took a stab at rehabilitating her and restoring her good name.

👎 WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE 👎

Confusing: In medieval Byzantine children were named after their grandparents or parents. That means that there are a lot of actors in this book with the same name. Kolovou even notes on the difficulty of this, but she still doesn't make it any easier for herself or her readers. There were definitely some actors who didn't need to be there and much could have been done with alternate names. It would have made this a lot less confusing.

Ahead of herself: Too often the author got ahead of herself and started on a part of the story before she herself was even ready to tell it. Because of this the phrase 'as we will see later on' (and other such phrases) was littered throughout this book, creating an inconsistent reading flow.

ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

First sentence: Anna Komnene is one of the most intriguing figures in the history of an intriguing empire. The Eastern Roman Empire, as it was properly called, or Byzantine, as it is mostly known, took over from Rome in 330 AD and flourished for over a thousand year until it fell to the Ottoman Turks in 1453. Anna was an imperial princess, daughter of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos (r. 1081–1118) and his wife, Empress Eirene Doukaina. A woman of extraordinary education and intellect, Anna Komnene is the only Byzantine female historian and one of the first and foremost historians in medieval Europe.

Premise/plot: Kolovou offers readers a new biography of Anna Komnene, author of The Alexiad. The book focuses on Anna's life as a daughter, granddaughter, sister, wife, mother princess, scholar, author, historian, and nun. (Though she only became a nun her last day of life.) What was it like to be born into a newly royal family? What was it like to be the first born? What were her parents like as rulers and as parents? What was family life like? What things would she have learned? How extraordinary were her circumstances? How did she feel about her siblings? Did she truly hate her brother the heir-apparent? Did she love her husband? Was she a good mother? How did she feel about the first and second crusade? What were her impressions of individual crusaders? What can we learn about the times by reading her book? What contexts are necessary to understand it? What kind of legacy did she leave behind? Why has she been so misunderstood throughout the centuries? How much can we actually know about her?

This book aims to present Anna Komnene, the fascinating woman, pioneer intellectual, and charismatic author to the general public. Drawing on original medieval Greek texts as well as on the latest academic research to reconstruct Anna’s life, personality, and work, it moves away from the myth of Anna the conspirator and ‘power-hungry woman’which has been unfairly built around her over centuries of misrepresentation. At the same time, it places Anna Komnene in the context of her own time, the medieval Eastern Roman Empire, known as Byzantium for its capital city, the ancient Greek colony and later magnificent city of Constantinople.

My thoughts: I definitely enjoyed this one! I did. I said YES on a whim. If you'd asked me before I wouldn't have said that the Byzantine empire was high on my list of interests...but it sounded intriguing to me. I liked the idea of reading about a female historian, one of the earliest. I liked the idea of spending time in the company of someone who LOVED to learn and valued education and knowledge. My curiosity was rewarded. I am glad I read it. I'm not sure there's a huge audience for this one. It isn't your typical beach read, your light and fluffy cozy mystery, your bodice-ripping romance. But I don't usually go for typical when I'm seeking my next book.

I thought the book was mostly clear. It includes a glossary of characters at the beginning. The chapters aren't always strictly chronological. Sometimes things are a bit messy here-and-there--topics get mentioned more than once. But. The chapters do have an arrangement--a progression of how she is presented and to be understood.

[Krista · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anna Komnene was a Byzantine Princess but so much more, she was a scholar, historian and even a doctor and hospital administrator. She led an amazing life, especially for a woman of the late 1000s and early 1100s. History has written her story differently than Ioulia Kolovou shows her in this book. However, the author has taken great pains to share her extensive research with us. They say history is written by the victorious and that is often the case when men are writing the story of such a strong woman. I hadn't known anything about this amazing woman before picking up this book. I only gave the book 3 stars because I did truly enjoy it and learn from it, however, it didn't flow smoothly for me. However, I received my copy from #NetGalley as an unedited draft for my honest review. I hope that by publication the little issues I had will be corrected and I hope you enjoy #AnnaKomneneandtheAlexiad.

[Cynda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book serves as either as a modern retelling of The Alexiad or as a companion book to reading The Alexiad--or both. Here will be found extra information about cultural groups clashing as they begin their approach to Constantinople, as they enter and overrun Constantinople, and as they move further East in the earliest waves of what would become The Crusades. While Anna Komnena (also spelled "Comnena") knew that she and her father the emperor and all their family members were living in interesting times that her father was an educated strong, brave warrior-emperor. Some of the advantages to reading the epic biography that Anna Komnena wrote are that she is scholarly and epic. This book about Anna Komnena, her family, her life and times provides a reader unwilling to trudge through the epic The Alexiad an opportunity to approach The Alexiad without having to read The Alexiad.

It just depends on how much commitment a reader wants to make or how much the topic matters to the reader. I am currently reading The Alexiad. From what I have seen, much of the highlights of The Alexiad are here, and a good analysis of the historical actors and the writer Anna Komnena are here. This is a history, a biography, and a rhetorical analysis all bundled together in an accessible way.
__________

Those who know the most basic outlines of Western civilization or Asian history will be able to read this book without outside materials.
__________

Read as a companion book as I read The Alexiad with others at GR Catching up on the Classics.

[Melisende · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whilst a little prior knowledge would be suggested, it is not necessary. Anyone with an interest in Byzantium, female historians, notable women, will find this to be a welcome addition to their own libraries.

Kolovou discusses Anna's family (important in the scheme of things), her birth, childhood, education, marriage - all though in the context of her father's reign as Emperor. Throughout, Kovolou uses many sources (including Anna's own words), not just those previously favoured by Western writers, to give a more rounded picture of Anna. Kovolou also addresses ambiguous passages or prior critiques of The Alexiad, and sets them up in the context that they were not only originally written but also according to Anna's own education and scholastic reading. Yes there were times when the author mentioned "more of that later" - only to indicate that the current discussion would not be derailed by going off topic midway through to pick up on something that would be presented in more detail - and in context - later on the book.

Most readers of The Alexiad pick up this tome for Anna's detail on the First Crusade - and as has been mentioned, it is the only Greek source available. I myself was tempted on more than one occasion to pick up my copy of The Alexiad and read it in conjunction with Kovolou's work - indeed, the author says at the end that it is her hope that the reader will do just that!

With a glossary of terms, maps, family trees a timeline for Anna herself, and an easy narrative, the reader will have no trouble following the story of this remarkable woman and her creation - The Alexiad.

[Annarella · Rating 4 out of 5]

The fascinating and interesting story of a Byzantine character I didn't know.
It's well researched, fascinating and I liked the style of writing.
A good and informative read, recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

[Nicole Bannister · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Enjoyed everything about this book there was nothing I didn't like about the book .I like the setting,the writing style,the plot,the plot twists and the characters in the book were amazing.I would gladly reread it again.

[Robert Neil Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you think you know Anna Komnene, the 12th Century Byzantine princess, as a ruthless and ambitious shrew who plotted to kill her brother and take the throne, then Ioulia Kolovou is here to put you straight. Anna was none of those things. She was a pioneering intellectual, opinionated, strong in character, and a victim of historical misunderstanding and misogyny.
Kolovou sets the scene with the cast of characters inhabiting the opulence of mediaeval Byzantium. Anna Komnene sits in a nunnery in 1147, writing a eulogy to her father, Alexios I Komnenos, called The Alexiad. Kolovou uses that piece of historical fiction to introduce Anna, her history, and its impact on future historians. Kolovou draws back to narrate the rise of the Komnenoi family in Byzantium. It wasn’t pretty, but in his ascendancy Alexios I Komnenos married and united two great families and secured the throne. Anna’s birth consolidated the dynastic marriage. Kolovou follows Anna as she grew up in Byzantium; her family life in the Imperial palace; her betrothal and moving in with her intended in-laws at 7; her return at 12 after all that fell apart; and her education. Then came marriage to a suitable, beautiful, noble match, when she was 14. Her husband, Nikephoros Bryennios, encouraged Anna’s studies, and she was a brilliant student. She also had children, and Kolovou highlights that it is easier to recover Anna’s boys than her girls in the historical record. With that Kolovou takes us on a tour of the Imperial family and the nature of power in Byzantium.
In 1118, Alexios died, setting off a power struggle that Kolovou presents through the various sources, concluding with a discussion of Anna’s role in it against her brother. Kolovou moves on to Anna writing the Alexiad in the nunnery. She takes great pains to point out that Anna was not forced into the convent, or that she lived out her life as a nun; this was just her new home. With her husband’s death in 1138, Anna was free to pursue her intellectual life and writing her famous history. Kolovou analyses Anna’s take on the First Crusade in a lengthy exegesis for what is a relatively short biography. That precedes her account of Anna’s death as a proper nun in 1153 and a discussion of her legacy. Kolovou tidies up her biography with appendices of maps, genealogy, and chronology.
Kolovou’s hope for her biography of Anna Komnene is that you will read The Alexiad with a new understanding of the woman who wrote it. She therefore writes in a looser style for public consumption rather than for academic scrutiny, but still with authority. Kolovou succeeds in penetrating the elite Byzantine world and making it accessible, which is no mean feat. She also rescues Anna from the talons of misogynist historians and places her where she belongs as an extraordinary, but very human, woman, not the monster we have been led to expect. In doing so, Kolovou has performed a useful service to Anna Komnene and history.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anna Komnene was an exceptional princess and woman of her time. She wrote the "Alexiad" which is the only account of the first crusade in Greek. However, because she was educated, strong, intelligent, and published the men of her day hated her, wrote terrible untrue things about her, and insisted she hide her self away in a nunnery which is what you did to princesses and women you could not kill in the Byzantine era. I had never heard of Anna and I enjoy books about the medieval period so this was a treat. I was a little confused by all the names and characters but since I know very little about the Byzantine period I guess that is understandable. It was good to read about something different than the usual European history. This lady was amazing. Maybe I will take up the Alexiad and the crusades. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read about Anna in exchange for a review.

[Ted · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting history of the only significant female historian in Byzantine history. Kolovou is also endeavoring to rescue Anna's reputation from what it had become in the last 150 years or so in Western culture. Western culture tended to look very negatively at Byzantium in general, but also of women, and Anna suffered from these prejudices of 'modern' Western authors. The book is not profound with insights, but does give some glimpses into what Anna's life was like as well as favorably evaluating her as a historian and scholar. I read the Kindle version and there were several noticeable spelling and grammar errors in this version, which may or may not be in the printed version as Kindle does on occasion misread a text.

[Rebecca Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved this book! Anna Komnene was a woman who was underrated for her time. Women have not been given the proper due through the ages through history. While we are aware and know of them, we have not necessarily given them the deep dive and scrutiny that they deserve.

Anna Konmene was a powerhouse, and she deserves so much more attention than what she has been given this far. I could not believe how much I discovered about her, and so much of what I did not know, was laid out in an easy to read manner, that was not confusing or too jumpy to follow. Loulia Kolovou did a fabulous job with this piece, and I look forward to seeing what they publish next!

[Sally Duffy · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent!

Interesting and well researched, as well as written in a style engaging and commensurate with the subject. Can easily recommend this book about a little known historical period and a remarkable woman.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

[Alexandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

A look at her life that went into her 15 volume homage to the Iliad. A biography and events that went into her work. Do get some passages from the book throughout.

[Aileen · Rating 3 out of 5]

At times Komnene’s life reads like a soap opera: feuding families, alliances, and coups. While the subject matter is interesting, the delivery sometimes misses the mark.

The author does an excellent job of remaining impartial about Komnene’s family by citing and quoting additional references so we get a more well rounded perception of each person’s values, strengths, and faults. However the author neglects to humanize Komnene and makes the historical figure appear too idyllic at times.
This could perhaps be due to the fact she existed a very long time ago, and it is hard to say with utmost certainty what Anna was like. Sure she had many accomplishments, but it would have been better to include her struggles or occasional character flaws too.

At a certain point I didn’t care for the immense detail provided on Anna’s family lineage, I don’t need to know who her third cousins are in order to understand and appreciate her life story. Overall a good read, although at times a bit slow and overly descriptive for a non-historian like myself.

[Sarah - All The Book Blog Names Are Taken · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

You can find my review over on my blog: https://allthebookblognamesaretaken.b...