Anna Komnene – Medieval Historian
Introduction:
For the last few months we have been focusing on women who have served in God’s kingdom because most church history books leave out women’s stories. The mistaken impression is given that women did nothing of importance since time began. I hope to change that impression on this blog site.
We have steadily moved from the stories of women in the Bible to the Early Church and on to our recent series on women in the Medieval Era. So far, we have looked at the stories of women from the earliest Middle Ages such as Genovefa, Brigid of Ireland and Radegund (5th and 6th centuries). Then we moved on to the 7th and 8th centuries with stories of abbesses and queens such as Gertrude, Frideswide, and Lioba. For the last few weeks we recounted the stories of 9th and 10th century women such as Dhuoda (writer and Theologian), and Irene, Euphrosyne, and Theodora who were Byzantine empresses. Then we presented the story of the amazingly gifted Hrotsvitha, a poet and a playwright whose works are still influential today. Next, we related the story of a strong, passionate, and gifted queen and empress – Adelheid. Then there was another amazing royal ruler – Queen Margaret of Scotland. This godly woman has not been given enough credit for her part in making a better life for the people in Scotland that has lasted until today. This week we travel east to Constantinople for the story of a princess who is renowned as a historian and a philospher – Anna Komnene.
Anna Komnene (1083-1153)
Once in a while a figure comes along who is so much larger than life that it is difficult to know where to begin to recount all of her achievements. Anna Komnene’s accomplishments were far superior to those of most people, male or female, living at any time, let alone the Medieval Era when women were supposed to be silent and submissive. Anna Komnene was “one of the greatest intellectuals of her era and a woman who succeeded in creating a masterwork of history. … of her father and her era that will endure for centuries yet to come.”[1] Her greatest work, the Alexiad, remains to this day as an extraordinary, intelligent, and engaging history of her father’s exploits in the twelfth century.
One of the most outstanding things about Anna is that she was not only intelligent, but she was also very wise. She knew that her work would be discredited simply because she was a female. She took pains to verify her credentials for writing a history while maintaining an attitude of humility. In the Prologue to the Alexiad she assures her readers that she has all of the education, travel experiences with her father, and authorial ability given to her by God that was necessary to write a history.
Having discerned these things, I Anna, daughter of the emperors Alexios and Eirene, born and raised in the purple, not without some share of learning, but rather having studied Greek language in full and being not unpracticed in rhetoric and having read through well the Aristotelian treatises and the Platonic dialogs and having crowned my mind with the Pythagorean terms of mathematics – for it is necessary to betray these things, and this is not bragging; how much nature and the zeal for the learning gave and God above granted and opportunity supplied – I wish on account of this to tell in writing the deeds of my father not worthy to be passed over in silence nor carried away in the stream of time as into a sea of forgetfulness.[2]
Anna gave the credit to God for her abilities and her zeal for learning. She was a devoted daughter and offered humble yet sincere motives for writing the history — it was so the deeds of her father would not be forgotten. She did not write to glorify herself, but to glorify God and honor her parents. Anna maintained this balance – ability and humility – for her entire life.
Anna was born as a royal princess in the Great Palace of Constantinople on December 1, 1083. Anna was the first of nine children born to her father Alexios Komnenos and her mother Eirene Doukaina. Her younger brother John was crowned co-emperor when he was five years old. Alexios fought off several rebellions against him and had to work hard to maintain his throne. Nevertheless, he managed to reign until 1118, when John II Komnenos took over and reigned until 1143.
As was typical of rulers trying to solidify their power, Alexios used his children to form alliances with other empires. He arranged an engagement with the newborn Anna and Constantine Doukas, son of a previously deposed emperor. Constantine died in 1094. Alexios arranged a new marriage for Anna to Nikephoros Bryennios the son of a prominent family in Adrianople. Around 1097, Anna married Nikephoros when she was about fifteen years old and he was a little older. They had two daughters, Eirene and Maria, and four sons, Alexios, John Andronikos, and Constantine. Three of the children seemed to have died early, Maria, Andronikos, and Constantine. Two of her sons married well – John to a woman named Theodora and Alexios to the daughter of King David II of Georgia. Eirene was married but widowed. She went to live in a monastery that had been founded by her namesake grandmother, Eirene.
Anna’s marriage was a political advantage for her father. Yet, Alexios also understood and appreciated his daughter’s giftedness. He allowed Anna access to the full rigorous education that was available at the palace, usually only for men. After marriage Anna was able to continue her studies because she was also blessed with a spouse who was an intellectual and appreciated Anna for her own intellectual qualities. In a time when women were not supposed to read and study, Anna was able to pursue her interests in all of the classics, philosophy, history, medicine, mathematics, astronomy, letter writing and much more.
Throughout her life great learned men would visit the palace just to converse with her. Anna was able to hold her own in discussions about Plato, Aristotle, Euclid, Democritus, and Heraclitus. Anna was eloquent in her speech, persuasive in her argumentation, and skillful in the way that she expressed her ideas. Anna demonstrated complete understanding of the great philosophers while not hesitating to criticize their thinking where it broke with the Scriptures. For example, she appreciated much in Aristotle’s thinking but disagreed with his assertion that the universe was not created. Above all, Anna was a Christian philosopher with a full-orbed Biblical world view.
Anna was given many accolades for her wit and wisdom, but she herself wished to be remembered more for how she served God by providing care to the poor in hospitals and old age homes. Anna was reluctant to put her name on her writings. Even for her greatest work, the Alexiad, she only wished to be remembered as a devoted daughter.
After the deaths of her parents Anna lived in a monastery. Her husband was often away campaigning for her brother the emperor John. As a royal princess she lived in a sumptuous apartment at the monastery and probably had servants. Anna did not take the vows to become a nun and was therefore not obligated to the same tasks as the regular nuns. She was allowed to have visitors and many philosophers continued to visit her. Anna had maintained a pious reputation all through her life so there was never any question about receiving male visitors. Living in a monastery gave Anna time to continue her lifelong intellectual pursuits, reading and writing, all the while maintaining her pious reputation.
Anna began her work on the Alexiad in 1137, around the time that her husband had died. The book
covers the history of Byzantium from 1069 to 1118 (the year her father died). It is the only known historical work by a woman in the Middle Ages. To the right is an image of the coins struck honoring Alexios.
Written in Greek, it consists of 13 chapters and covers the rise of the Komnenos family and their assumption of power; various wars such as those against the Normans and Turks; the First Crusade (1096 – 1104); the Norman invasion in 1105; and her father’s military escapades. She also includes a discussion of the infamous church heretics.
Anna also wrote about medicine and astronomy, demonstrating her knowledge of science. She commented favorably on the accomplishments of a number of women including her grandmother, the pious Anna Dalassena.
Besides writing her own historical work, Anna formed a literary society to encourage others. She also sponsored other scholars such as Eustratius of Nicaea. She was given recognition for her achievement in her own lifetime. Anna died in Constantinople in 1153.
The Alexiad was translated into English for the first time in 1928 by Elizabeth Dawes. Dr. Dawes was a pioneer herself, being the first woman to receive a doctorate in literature from the University of London. The Alexiadremains an important source of Byzantine history to this day.
[1] Leonora Neville. Anna Komnene: The Life & Work of a Medieval Historian (New York, NY: Oxford University Press). P. 178.
[2] Ibid. page 33-34.
