.jpg) 12th-century manuscript of the Alexiad in Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana, Florence | |
| Author | Anna Komnene |
|---|---|
| Original title | Ἀλεξιάς |
| Language | Attic Greek |
| Genre | Historiography, biography |
| Publication place | Byzantine Empire |
The Alexiad (Greek: Ἀλεξιάς, romanized: Alexias) is a medieval historical and biographical text written around the year 1148, by the Byzantine princess Anna Komnene, daughter of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos.[1] It was written in a form of artificial Attic Greek. Anna described the political and military history of the Byzantine Empire during the reign of her father, thus providing a significant account on the Byzantium of the High Middle Ages. Among other topics, the Alexiad documents the Byzantine Empire's interaction with the Crusades and highlights the conflicting perceptions of the East and West in the early 12th century. It does not mention the schism of 1054 – a topic which is very common in contemporary writing. It documents firsthand the decline of Byzantine cultural influence in eastern and western Europe, particularly in the West's increasing involvement in its geographic sphere.[2] The Alexiad was paraphrased in vernacular medieval Greek in mid-14th century to increase its readability, which testifies to the work's lasting interest.[3]
- ^ Kazhdan 1991, p. 1142 puts the date of the composition after 1148 without arguing his case.Neville 2016, p. 5 explains that "Anna was working on the Alexiad after the mid-1140s because in it she comments obliquely on the politics surrounding the Second Crusade (1145–1149)."
- ^ Frankopan 2009, p. xv.
- ^ Hunger 1981.