Anna Comnena

Anna Comnena was born on December 01, 1083 in Porphyra Chamber, Great Palace of Constantinople, Constantinople, Byzantine Empire, Greek, is Greek Princess & Scholar. Anna Comnena was a Greek princess and scholar who wrote the ‘Alexiad’, an account of her father’s—Emperor Alexios I Komnenos of Byzantium—life and reign. She is considered the world’s first female historian and her work is a valuable source of information about the early Crusaders as she described in detail the daily life at court, her family life, and the political and military history of the Byzantine Empire. She was the eldest of her parents’ children and received a loving though disciplined upbringing. Being a Byzantine royal woman she received a good education and was tutored in literature, philosophy, medicine, astronomy and history among other subjects. A very intelligent and ambitious woman, she managed a large hospital and orphanage that her father had built for her to administer. She also taught medicine at the hospital and was well-known for her medical knowledge; in fact she even treated her own father during his final illness though she was unable to save his life. Initially she harbored the ambition of succeeding the throne after the death of her father, but was not supported in this endeavor by her husband. Thus she retired from court life and entered a monastery where she dedicated her time to studying philosophy and history.
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