Anna Comnena

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Anna Comnena

Anna Comnena , b. 1083, d. after 1148, Byzantine princess and historian; daughter of Emperor Alexius I. She plotted, during and after her father's reign, against her brother, John II , in favor of her husband, Nicephorus Bryennius, whom she wished to rule as emperor. Having failed, she retired to a convent. There she wrote the Alexiad (finished in 1148), one of the outstanding Greek historical works of the Middle Ages. Covering the reign of Alexius I and the First Crusade, it tends to glorify her father and his family; however, Anna's familiarity with public affairs and her access to the imperial archives give her work great value. There is an English translation by E. R. Sewter (1979).

Bibliography: See biography by G. Buckler (1929).

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Anna Comnena

The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature | 2003 | | Â© The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature 2003, originally published by Oxford University Press 2003. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

Anna Comnena (1083–?1148), historian, the daughter of the Byzantine Emperor Alexius I, Comnenus. She wrote the Alexiad, a history in 15 books, and in the main part a panegyric about her father's life. She figures in Scott's Count Robert of Paris.

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MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Anna Comnena." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Nov. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Anna Comnena." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (November 11, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-AnnaComnena.html

MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Anna Comnena." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Retrieved November 11, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-AnnaComnena.html

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