Abstract
Anna Komnene’s account of the First Crusade in her work The Alexiad provides invaluable insight into the Byzantine perspective of this pivotal event defining the 11th century. While shunned in a monastery, she wrote her celebrated work known as The Alexiad. Anna’s primary motivation for writing the biography stems from her desire to emphasize the accomplishments of her father, especially in regards to protecting the Byzantine Empire against invaders, both Latin and Turkish. For Anna, the crusade functions as a Western pretext for taking land away from the Byzantines. Comparing specific sieges in the First Crusade to their Latin counterparts provides a significantly more nuanced comprehension of the Crusades from a Christian perspective. Anna's Byzantine perspective contradicts the simplified characterization of the First Crusade as a united Christian front against the Muslim forces.
Recommended Citation
Scarlett, Breya D. (2024) "“Into the Sea of Forgetfulness”: An Analysis of Anna Komnene’s Alexiad in Relation to the First Crusade," Swarthmore Undergraduate History Journal: 5 (1), 255-272. https://works.swarthmore.edu/suhj/vol5/iss1/8