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Anna Comnena

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Royalty

The Resume

    (December 1, 1083-circa 1153)
    Born in Istanbul, Turkey
    Daughter of Byzantine emperor Alexios I Komnenos
    Wrote 'The Alexiad,' an account of her father's reign
    Considered one of the first Western female historians

Why she might be annoying:

    When her parents banned her from studying ancient poetry, she learned it in secret from a court eunuch.
    She conspired with her mother to have her brother John disinherited so her husband could be named emperor.
    A later unsuccessful attempt to depose John resulted in her being exiled to a convent.
    She used 'The Alexiad' to praise her father and denigrate her political enemies.

Why she might not be annoying:

    Her broad education prompted the Bishop of Ephesus to declare that she had reached 'the highest summit of wisdom, both secular and divine.'
    After her husband backed out of her plot against her brother, she said that 'nature had mistaken their sexes, for he ought to have been the woman.'
    Despite its biases, 'The Alexiad' remains a valuable account of Byzantine history in the 11th and 12th centuries.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 7 Votes: 14.29% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 10 Votes: 90.0% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 18 Votes: 44.44% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 28 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 4 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 12 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 15 Votes: 46.67% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 15 Votes: 53.33% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 23 Votes: 52.17% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 78 Votes: 57.69% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 16 Votes: 37.50% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 18 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 9 Votes: 66.67% Annoying