Originally published on December 2, 2016 (Episode 73)
Introduction
Anna Komnene was a Byzantine princess, the daughter of Emperor Alexios I. She was also a historian who chronicled her father’s reign in the Alexiad. Written in seclusion at a monastery, her history offers both eyewitness testimony and political intrigue, as Anna herself was rumored to have once plotted to replace her brother with her husband on the throne.
In this episode, Leonora Neville discusses Anna’s life, her scholarship, and why we should take seriously a woman who was both royal and historian in the medieval world.
About the Guest
Leonora Neville is the John W. and Jeanne M. Rowe Professor of Byzantine History at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She is the author of Anna Komnene: The Life and Work of a Medieval Historian (Oxford University Press).
For Further Investigation
Leonora Neville, Anna Komnene: The Life and Work of a Medieval Historian, (Oxford, 2016)
Anna Komnene, Alexiad, translated by E.R.A. Seweter, edited by Peter Frankopan (Penguin, 2009)
Listen & Discuss
Why does Anna Komnene matter today—as historian, as woman, as princess? Share your insights and pass this conversation along to those interested in medieval history or women historians.
