(Re-)Writer of History: Anna Komnene
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
also known as Anna Comnena
Born: 1083
Died: 1153
Country: Turkey
Culture or Era: Byzantine Empire
Anna Komnene was born royal. In fact, the Byzantines had a word for it: porphyrogenita, a person who was born in the royal birthing room of the imperial palace. The room had walls of purple stone, and the nickname for royal children literally means “born in the purple.”
Anna’s future was decided before she even learned to walk. As an infant she was betrothed to marry a nobleman named Constantine Doukas. This was more than just a royal engagement; it was a political move. Her father had no other children and so when Anna was wed, she would be the heir apparent to her father’s throne.
Around age seven, Anna was sent to live with her future mother-in-law, a common practice at the time, where she was tutored in mathematics, theology, philosophy, literature, history, science, rhetoric, military affairs, and medicine. And yet even with so much education, Anna thirsted for more. She secretly hired a private tutor to teach her additional fields of philosophy, particularly the works of Aristotle. This was an extensive education, much more than the average young girl received at the time, but it made sense for someone preparing to become empress of the powerful Byzantine Empire. She studied like her life depended on it—which it kind of did. Some people would object to having a woman on the throne, and Anna could not give anyone any reason to doubt her.
Then, the rug was yanked out from under her. Around the age of 14, her parents had a son, John, and suddenly Anna’s future was in jeopardy. Her parents declared John as their heir and just like that, she was demoted. But Anna wasn’t about to let that go without a fight.
When her fiancé Constantine suddenly died, she realized her claim to power was looking shakier than ever. So, at 17, she did what any smart, ambitious woman would do: she analyzed the situation and took matters into her own hands. She married a general named Nikephoros in a political match that was more about power than passion. But the two seemed a good enough pair, and Nikephoros encouraged Anna’s intellectual pursuits.
Though no longer her father’s heir, Anna still had responsibilities as a princess. Her father entrusted her as the head of a hospital and orphanage in Constantinople, and Anna dived into learning everything that she could about medicine, health, and administration. She made significant improvements to both institutions and became an expert in treating illnesses.
Despite her new busy life, Anna never forgot how her younger brother had usurped her right to the throne. She secretly gathered a group of rebels and started plotting to seize the palace and replace John with her husband Nikephoros, which would make her empress. But when she told her husband about the plot, he outrightly refused, declaring himself loyal to the emperor and little John. Anna was so exasperated at her husband that she exclaimed, "that nature had mistaken their sexes, for he ought to have been the woman."
Anna’s ambitions never faded, and they eventually got the best of her. In 1118, her younger brother John was crowned emperor and Anna, who had already tried to overthrow him once, was exiled to a monastery. Her property was confiscated, and she was banned from stepping foot in Constantinople ever again. But Anna wasn’t the type to just sit around and sulk. No, she kept studying, writing, and working. During her exile, she wrote The Alexiad, a 13-volume history of the Byzantine Empire from 1069 to 1118. It’s now considered a priceless resource for historians, so while she didn’t get the throne, she did leave a lasting mark on history. You can read a digital English translation of The Alexiad on the Internet Archive.
For a shorter video about Anna and how she rewrote history, here's a short video:
Comments