Anna Comnena is considered the world's first female historian
and a major source of information about the reign of her father,
Alexius I. Her works are full of details about daily life at
court, the deeds of her family, and the exchanges between the
Byzantines and western crusaders during the first crusades. When
Anna was a child both her mother and father made sure she
received an excellent education. When young, she was given a
crown and had expected that at her father's death she would take
his place as head of an empire which stretched from Italy to
Armenia. But the birth of her brother dashed all her hopes. Anna
married an historian in 1097, and, with her mother's
encouragement, tried to seize the imperial throne for him. The
attempt failed, and she was forced to retire from court life.
After her husband's death, she entered a monastery, one devoted
to learning. Anna was 55 years old when she began serious work
on Alexiad, a 15 volume history of her family, the Comneni. In
her works, Anna directed most o