Anna Comnena a Study

by Georgina Buckler

Reprint. 558 pages plus foldout.

Genres: History

Hardcover

Published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Michael Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gibbon had no use whatever for the Eastern Empire and his scorn set the standard for the subsequent ignorance in Britain and America of Byzantine history. But in studying the Crusades and the European noble houses who established the Latin kingdoms of Jerusalem and Constantinople, one must consider the Eastern Empire — and especially the Comnenus and Dukas families who supplied most of the Empire’s rulers between 1040 and 1185. Anna was the daughter of one emperor and the sister of another (whom she hated bitterly) and her own history of her times was written from a very specific viewpoint near the top of the ladder. This book discusses Anna’s character, attitudes, biases, theological opinions, and writing style (all of which are useful and interesting), but of more immediate interest to the genealogist is her chronicling of military affairs, foreign relations with the Crusaders (especially the "Franks"), and political marriages with Balkan rulers. Byzantine ladies of high station were far better educated than their European counterparts, but Anna was unusual even among her peers in Constantinople. An engrossing work that puts as few barriers as possible between the reader and the flavor of the original text.