Alexiad

About “Alexiad”

The Alexiad is a historical and biographical work written around 1148 by Anna Komnene, a Byzantine princess and daughter of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos. Composed in artificial Attic Greek, it covers the political and military history of the Byzantine Empire during her father's reign, offering a key perspective on the empire during the High Middle Ages. The text addresses the empire's interactions with the Crusades and reflects the differing views between the East and West in the early 12th century. It does not mention the 1054 schism, a topic often discussed in modern writings. The Alexiad also records the decline of Byzantine cultural influence in Europe, especially in the West. In the mid-14th century, it was paraphrased in vernacular Greek to improve its accessibility, showing its continued relevance. (Summary adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.)