Born in the Purple

by Dora Ilieva

The year is 1095. Pope Urban II has announced the beginning of the First Crusade. Knights from all corners of the Holy Roman Empire ride towards the Queen of all Cities - the gem of Byzantium and the most magnificent and breathtaking metropolis in the world. Constantinople is the city of Emperor Alexios Komnenos and his daughter, Anna - a woman ahead of her time.
Born in a world that has little regard for women, raised in the luxurious and deadly palaces of the Byzantine capital, Anna Komnena strives to break the chains of familial bondage and affirm herself as a physician, philosopher, and historian. As a child, she is precocious, as a teenager- reckless, and as a young woman, she is determined to follow her heart. Threats, intrigue and imprisonment separate her from the people she loves but are unable to stop the flight of her mind.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical, Greece, Fiction, Historical Romance

226 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 25, 2020

About the author

I am a Bulgarian-Canadian author. My first novel is "The Devil's Gorge" - a tale of mystery, love and betrayal. I grew up in Sofia, Bulgaria and moved to Canada with my family when I was twenty-eight. Reading is what I love best. I often read several books at a time. My time is split between reading, writing, family and work. Travelling, watching crime shows and observing people are also things that I like. My second book, the short story collection "Faces", deals with the all too human problems city dwellers encounter on a daily basis. In August, 2016, I published my third book "The Master" which takes the reader on a roller-coaster journey in search of an artefact that could change the fate of the world.

Reviews

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally a tale of the Crusades that is balanced

We have all heard of the "terrible" ways in which the Crusaders treated everyone in their path. What we have rarely hard is how the Crusades got started in the first place. We have troed to paint W. Europeans as purely evil, the Eastern Roman empire as weak & corrupt, & the Muslims as victims. It is a simple explanation, but it is not the whole truth.
The fact is, we are all human beings & we all do both good & bad things to ourselves & each other. No one side has a lock on virtue.
This story is per the kingdom in the middle of all of this tug of war...the E. Roman Empire. Told through the eyes of the eldest princess of the Emperor, it shows the court intrigue that is present in all monarchies, & that includes oerganized religion of any type. The princess is a highly intelligent woman who has adored learning more than anything. She is able to speak several languages. She is a physician trained by Aesclepius, & she had also studied Galan's & Hippocrates' methods. She has learned higher mathematics, science, philosophy, poetry, & other disciplines which we now consider classical education. She is put on charge of the hospital her father built, as well as the adjacent orphanage, after her mentor dies. She is trained in surgery & has seen cadavers dissected. This offends most of the men, none as much as the church leaders. Her mother is also a strong woman who has gone on campaigns (war) with her husband & has advised him as well. Her grandmother is what Westerners would call a dowager empress & thus in charge when the emperor isn't there. Anna, the princess, is in a nearby town when she accidentally meets one of the Western crusaders ("barbarians") who helps her & her friend get back to the palace when her horse is lamed & her friend is injured..l She falls for him, but does not get to marry him...but she does have an affair with him, 2 encounters, both resulting in a pregnancy but she miscarries the first one. There is one priest who has the hots for her but above a certain level in the clergy, celibacy is required, or was then (E. Orthodox priests are allowed to marry, & in our day do not get their own congregation until they are married...then, it seems, they could not rise above parish priest if they were married).
Some of the battles are described, as well as the beliefs of both non-Muslim groups. Any true student of Islam & history knows that the prophet of Islam conquered wide swaths of land during his life, going as far as the mountainous area where the Slavs lived & taking them as slaves (the word "slave" comes from the word "Slav"). The mandate that went out after the prophet died was to conquer the world for Islam. Mostly Christian areas like present day Iran, Iraq, Syria, Jordan, & the pagan & Christian areas of the Arabian peninsula were captured, including current Israel, whose name had been changed to Palestine after the then-intact Roman Empire defeated a Jewish uprising in 70 CE. They then spead across Northern Africa from present day Egyot to the Atlantic, movong into modern day Spain. In the process, they salted the fields of their enemies, leaving only a narrow fertile area at the Mediterranean coast & increasing the size of the Sahara. All non-Muslims who refuswd to convert could be executed by beheading, taken as slaves, or permitted to stay but forced to pay the Jizyah tax, a prophibitve tax that made later Western serfdom seem generous to the serfs, in an attempt to force more conversions. Thus, the E. Roman Empire, which was far stronger than the W. one, became the only buffer zone between W. Europe & the Muslim conquerors. Once Europe became less tribal & had more countries form under monarchs, & the wars between various Popes gave way to one Pope, the E. Roman. Empire had gotten to the place of needing help to keep the Muslim armies at bay, & so they asked the Pope for help (the Eastern equivalent of a pope is the Patriarch of the church). Serfdom had taken hold by then in W. Europe, Castles were intended as a retreat for everyone & the lord was tasked with protecting his people & with training an army for local & national warfare. Their culture was much different from the East...it was much colder there, & no plumbing meant frequent baths were a hardship, & in an area that cold, could weaken the immune system. As we know, the effort utlimately fialed because the W. forces didn't adapt to the Eastern methods nor were Westerners used to the heat. The Ottoman empire lasted until 9/11/1926, when the Austrian army stopped a push by the Ottomans to increase European holdongs in the aftermath of WWI. E. Europe was under Ottoman control, being free only briefly befire the Nazis, then the Soviets, conquered those areas, which were freed starting in 1989.
No one is fully innocent not fully guilty. The Muslims were following what they believed their holy books said, as were the 2 different Catholic groups. This book is set in that era.

[Joanne Rolston · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Born in the Purple” is a great historical story, which is set in Constantinople and Philippopolis, in the Greek speaking part of the Eastern Roman Empire in the 12th century.
The main character is Anna Komnena, a Byzantine princess who lives in the Mangana Palace above the Sea of Marmara. Anna must navigate a world full of danger, intrigue and powerful figures.
Despite being constrained by the expectations of her position, role in the royal family, and the influence of the powerful Eastern Orthodox Church patriarchs, Anna’s intellect is as strong as her character and her desire for learning.
By today’s standards she would be deemed a ‘nerd.’ At Philippopolis she is able to study medicine with Asclepius.
It’s the time of the Crusades and Anna meets Tancred de Hauteville, a handsome Norman knight - but she must marry Nikephoros Bryennios, a Byzantine general. Anna’s mother, the Empress Eirene, pointed out that in a position like hers, marriage is not an affair of the heart.
I liked Anna’s determined character and enjoyed the story that unfolded immensely.
The scenes are well described, but we only get glimpses of some of the characters, and others are not mentioned at all. For instance, although we see Alexios, Anna’s first-born, I would like to have known more about her other children. It’s probably for the sake of keeping the book at the right length, but although we see Anna the physician, we only get a glimpse of Anna in her role as a mother.
The story was also peppered with some Greek words, a glossary of those at the back of the book would have been nice.
But these are minor issues that don’t detract from the story.
I recommend this to readers who enjoy historical fiction.

[G.J. Griffiths · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the sort of historical fiction that I enjoy reading most of all. It is packed with all kinds of intriguing historical facts and figures from a time and place of which I knew very little, Bulgaria and the Byzantine Empire in the 11th and 12th century. Most importantly it is very well written with plausible conversations between the main characters: Anna Komnena; her siblings; her mother, the Empress; her father, the Emperor; and various patriarchs of the Orthodox Church including, most significantly, Leo the Deacon. The reader is kept in suspense all the way in a book that could also be described as a romantic thriller. There is the political conflict between the Church and Alexios, the Emperor, which is half-expected; but the deeply felt disagreements that exist for Anna, simply because she is a woman, captured the heart and mind of this reader from the very beginning.

The story is told through the main characters involved with the imperial royalty and Constantinople, but in particular through Anna, a strong, intelligent but loyal woman. Her problems arise because she is a woman who finds it very difficult to obey the expectations of the mores of the court and the church. She wishes to be a physician and writer of history when all of the men around her, as well as her grandmother, demand that she marries and has children. Like all the rulers of the world for many centuries she is expected to supply a male successor to the crown. The author provides compelling and realistic romance in this dramatic tale, with beautiful and heart-warming complications that persist until the denouement.

My only criticism would be the odd word or phrase that jumped out at me because it was too contemporary, and a modern idiom like ‘okay’. Notwithstanding that Born in the Purple is a book I heartily recommend to lovers of the historical novel.

[Laura Koerber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Born in the Purple is an historical drama set in the palace life of the Byzantine Empire.
I can’t vouch for the authenticity of the narrative, but it felt realistic. I very much felt like I was back in a different time with different attitudes, assumptions, and values. The only break in the historical feel of the book was the occasional use of a contemporary causal term such as “okay.” Dialog is difficult in historical fiction. How can the language of another time and place be represented in English to contemporary audiences without sounding stilted or idiotic? In this case, the author used a slightly formal version of English which worked well most of the time, but I do think the author should have avoided words like “okay” and “alright.” That said, I thoroughly enjoyed the historical aspect of the story.
I also found the plot compelling. The story centers on Anna, who has the attributes of a prince, which does her no good since she is a princess. Anna is smart, educated, has leadership and administrative abilities…but is a failure at being the submissive, supportive, quiet, little wifey that she is expected to be. Her efforts to be true to herself form the central conflict of the story.
Most of the writing flowed well and the narrative moves along at a good clip. I did find myself distracted sometimes by descriptions that seemed overblown or repetitive. Still, for readers who are interested in the historical period and like narratives about powerful women, this could be a satisfying book.

[Douglas Charles Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

The very first paragraph reveals the thoughts of our heroine at the denouement in an effective thematic summary of the novel that lays before us, promising a powerful experience for the reader. Generally tracking the history of the Byzantine Empire in the days of Princess Anna Konmeme, a fascinating historical woman, scholar, physician, and historian at the turn of the 12th century. Palace intrigue, rife with knights, Crusades, plots, and power struggles, weaves through the credible and well-researched story. Although it is difficult to know to what extent the narrative is supported by historical documentation, as often is the case in historical novels, the story places the reader into the milieu with feeling and empathy. Slowed by the passive presentation of an omniscient narrator, the tale lumbers through seventy years of fascinating biographical events and explores hostility toward women, severe at times, and ancient misogyny, even in royal circles.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book from Goodreads Giveaways. At first glance, I thought I would have a difficult time getting through it, but that was far from the case. I didn’t want to put it down. I do love historical fiction, however this is a time period (late 1000- mid 1100’s) of which I know little. The author did an excellent job of portraying Anna Komnena as a strong intelligent woman living in a troubled times. I look forward to reading more historical novels by Dora Ilieva.

[Jennifer S. Alderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Born in the Purple is a beautifully written historical romance set in the Eastern Roman Empire during and shortly after the First Crusade – a period of turmoil and a fight for power over the Byzantine Empire. It is set against the backdrop of the imperial court in Constantinople, in a time of warring between kingdoms, barbarians, and invaders. The interwoven stories about political intrigue, betrayal, and rivalries for the crown are told mainly from the perspective of the royals.

The main characters are based on real historical figures. The main character, Anna Komnena, refuses to conform to her royal family’s expectations and pays an unbelievably high price for it. Her actions and motivations are believable and well described.

Highly recommended for those who enjoy historical fiction with a dash of romance and intrigue.

(I received an ARC copy of this novel and chose to review it.)

[Ana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting topic, fascinating history, but not a very good read. The writing style is dry and mostly immature, feels like it's a 12 year old's first attempt at fanfiction. Characters are seriously underdeveloped, dialogues seem artificial and strained. A shame.

[Jean H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Born in Purple

Very interesting in the history of this time frame. Continued reading till I was finished. Life was not easy back then and all the twists and plots. Surprised any lived in those days.
Thank you for a very interesting story.

[Aviraj Singh · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Review

An amazing Book about an extraordinary woman a woman who dared to dream and not let anything come between her and her work either as a doctor or as a Historian

[Marjorie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic book to read. This is a great book to add to your bookshelf. Highly recommend it to all.

I was given this book in a Goodreads giveaway for an honest review.

[Carlos Mock · Rating 3 out of 5]

Born in The Purple by Dora Ilieva

The book opens in 1143 A. D. An ailing Anna Komnema - a Byzantine princess, scholar, physician, hospital administrator, and historian who was the daughter of the Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos and his wife Irene Doukaina. She is held at the Philanthropos Monastery where she has been sequestered for trying to usurp her brother, Ionannes II Komnemos' throne. She is reading from her memoir - The Alexiad - which describes the political and military history of the Byzantine Empire during the reign of her father. 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. As she is reading and working on her treatise, she's interrupted by Leo Styppes - Patriarch of Constantinople from 1134 until his death in 1143.

Then there's a flashback and the Alexiad is relieved by the protagonists. For fans of historical fiction, the book is a good easy read.

Narrated from the third person point of view, the book suffers from a lack of clarity as to who the point of view belongs - as the writer switches back and forth with little warning to the reader. The characters are three dimensional and I cared for them. The prose is otherwise quite good. The story is not linear since the writer keeps jumping from 1143 to the past, many times without telling the reader where you've landed.

Despite the lack of clarity, I enjoyed the book.

[Melissa Acquaviva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goodreads GiveAway Review of Born in the Purple

I want to thank Goodreads and the Author Ms. Cleavage the free Kindle copy of Born in the Purple. The novel was interesting and informative about a time of history that i am unfamiliar with. I enjoyed the story and the character. I did find the time jumping to be distracting in parts of the story. The story revolves around Princess Anna Komemnena and her relationships with her family and treachery and intrigue i the Greek Orthodox Court. We meet Anna in seclusion in a monastery at the end of her life. She is being brothers by he brother the Emperor. She is suspected of writing a heretical book about their father that must be destroyed at all costs. The ending of the book is as tragic as this woman's life story and in some ways very unnecessary. It ruined the strength and courage that I had formed in my mind of who she was. I would give this four stars for historical content and decent writing. It self-interest but wasn't the best bookie ever read. There was much more i would have liked explained about the time period and why the plot was falling out the way it did. It's not abolished enthusiastically recommend.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book and plausible story of Constantinople, the Roman Emperor Alexios and his reign and his family. Lots of intrigue, lots of history, lots of culture. I have a very general knowledge of the area and history, but I have never studied it in depth. I have been to Philippopolis (Plovdiv) though, and seen Roman ruins there as well as Roman and Greek ruins in other locations and have been fascinated with the history. I always enjoy learning more about history and culture, foreign and domestic. I don't travel anymore, so reading is my outlet to the world. I'm glad I stumbled onto this book. I enjoyed the story and feel like I've expanded my horizons a little bit more. Blagodarya!

[Cassandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Born in the Purple was an interesting read into the life of Anna Komnena. I was more interested in the political aspects of the novel but I found that the character's speech was dry. Also I felt that it was predictable, there were some pages that did not have paragraph breaks which made it slightly hard to read. It didn't feel like the characters were different people in the aspects of writing and I didn't feel close to the characters.

I didn't hate this book, I found myself looking Anna up and learning more about her life than what was written here.

[Aoife · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is an interesting enough story but i don’t find it particularly well written. Even though written from the perspective of Anna, I didn’t get more of a real sense of her than the other characters. The characters are all 2D with no development or depth. The linking passages between the past and the present felt clumsy.
On the plus side I did enjoy the story itself. It’s always interesting to read about historical women who managed to leave their mark in a time when women were meant to neither wield power or speak out of place. And they certainly weren’t meant to be intelligent!

[Paula Colson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anna is born to the Emperor of the Roman Empire in the year 1083. It is a time when the Holy Roman Church expects women to stay home, sing, read poetry, take care of their children and be obedient to their husbands. But, Anna is very intelligent and curious. As a young girl, her father allows her to study everything from philosophy to medicine. At a very young age she is promised to a boy to be his wife. She must go and live with his mother. Will Anna end up the obedient wife or will she become the Empress? Excellent historical read.

[Kayla Tornello · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked all the historical details in this story. It's not a time period that I read about often. There was definitely a lot of intricate plotting going on! However, I didn't particularly care about any of the characters. I wasn't interested in a single one of them. It was hard for me to stay focused on the story because I just didn't care what happened to any of the characters.

I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway. Yay!

[Kristina Aziz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great historical fiction

I enjoy historical fiction. I do tend to pick up more YA fiction, but Anna was a joy to read. Of the historical books I read, not a lot of them are set so early in history. It was certainly an interesting choice, but not an unwelcome one. This will appeal largely to Character Driven readers, though Dialogue and Setting Driven readers will find some great lines in this book too.

[Todor Panamsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the novel Born in the Purple. It is a historical novel about the Byzantine Empire during the First Crusade. The author describes a period of time far removed from our daily lives, but the problems the characters face resonated with me. Love, ambition, hate and prejudice are just a few topics discussed in the book. The descriptions are engaging and the characters realistic and interesting. I recommend the book to everyone who is interested in history and historical personages.

[MzIce2u · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm happy I found this gem and it's available to read for free with Kindle Unlimited!! Anna Komnena, is a woman that has been forgotten, like so many intelligent women. She should not be forgotten, because she should have been Empress of Constantinople, but due to being born the wrong sex, she was looked over. Given the best education, even though she was a female. I will recommend this book, because it was beautifully written.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very pleasantly surprised

Loosely based on actual events yet starring real life characters, except for the villains and the lovers LOL you might describe this book as historical fiction. However, it is an interesting and enjoyable read with enough things happening to keep you reading to the end. Certainly not a dry history of the times but the author does manage to bring to life the Byzantium Empire in the 11th and 12th century.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting historical fiction novel that deals with an intriguing historical era. The 12th century Byzantine power struggle was as intense and ruthless as it could be. It had no place for the intelligent and bold royal daughter Anna. She is a fascinating figure in a complex world and her story makes an interesting read. I learned a lot from this book.
I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway for this honest review.

[Susan Garatino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well worth reading

I enjoy reading historical fiction. Born in the Purple takes place during the Crusades and tells of a princess of high intellect and talent. It was not accepted in those days for women, no matter how high their rank in society, to study or to be a leader. This well written story tells of this woman's life as she fought against the societal restraints of her time. An excellent read!

[Vickie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book about the Byzantine Empire, and of one of the emperors in the early years. The timing of this book is during the first crusade, when Pope Urban was asked by Emperor Alexios to send soldiers to free the Holy Land from the Muslims. The story centers around Emperor Alexios's family and the "palace intrigues" and the conflicts between himself and the head of the Eastern Orthodox Church. An excellent read!

[Cynthia Price · Rating 4 out of 5]

Medieval Times

What an interesting story in turbulent times. Imagine a young girl being well educated in medicine, astronomy, philosophy, ect. The court is full of deceit and betrayal. This is the life Princess Anna has been born into. We will see her life unfold before us and it is an exciting life. I would recommend this book to all history buffs.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the father daughter relationship and the fact that he saw so much potential in Anna. Personally I was glad that Leo died after what he did but I disliked his character from the beginning. Anna's mother had great insight but her brother was a spoiled little boy. He was not a leader. It was sad that Tancard never new he had a son. Great reafing.

[Chuck Grenier · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story of Princess Anna propels you into a time when women of prestige as well as poverty had very few rights.

Anna's father was different and recognized that women could learn and should be encouraged, even though this went

Against the Church and society of that time. Even though difficult to read at times it is a story of perseverance, love, and

over coming evil.

[LJ · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book was well written; therefore, I would try another book from this author. I cannot say that I enjoyed this one. I simply found too depressing as it exposed that time’s disgusting actions of supposedly Christians, views/actions towards women, rife in royal successions, slavery of conquered people.

[Lily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent novel. Anna Komnena's life was really interesting and I'm glad to see she's getting the attention she deserves. This book was clearly well researched and I found it well written. I would recommend it to anyone who's interested in Byzantine history or historical fiction in general.