About the Author

Anna Comnena (1083 - 1153) was the eldest child of the Emperor Alexius I. She obtained an education in literature and philosophy due to her position. After a broken engagement to the heir to the throne, Anna was involved in an attempt to assasinate her brother, who had become King. She was exiled to a convent, where she wrote the Alexiad. E.R.A. Sewter was a well-known Byzantine scholar.