安娜·科穆宁娜

安娜·科穆宁娜（希腊语：Ἄννα Κομνηνή，1083年12月1日—1153年），东罗马帝国皇帝阿莱克修斯一世的女儿，也是欧洲历史上最早的女性历史学家之一，她根据父亲阿莱克修斯一世的一生著有《阿莱克修斯传》，这是研究拜占庭帝国历史的重要史料之一。

生平

安娜·科穆宁娜1083年出生于君士坦丁堡的紫色寝宫中。在其早年的生活中，安娜接受到了良好的教育，她学习了文学、修辞和科学，饱读古希腊哲学，还在导师的帮助下学习了历史、医学、天文学，数学。

其父阿历克塞一世最初选定米海尔七世的儿子君士坦丁·杜卡斯为其继承人，并让他与安娜定下了婚约。但后来长子约翰出生，王位继承权就转给了约翰。君士坦丁·杜卡斯去世之后，1097年，安娜与尼基弗鲁斯·布林尼乌斯结婚，安娜与皇后伊琳娜开始出来反对阿历克塞一世的继承人计划。安娜与皇后试图说服阿历克塞一世将皇位转让给布林尼乌斯，但阿历克塞一世还是设法将皇位传给约翰，而约翰也靠着自己的能力保住了皇位继承人的位置。于是安娜开始策划反对其弟弟的阴谋，后来阴谋败露，安娜被迫退出政争。在退出宫廷斗争之后，安娜专心于历史的研究，并仿照古代的风格写出了《阿历克塞传》。南斯拉夫的拜占庭历史研究者奥斯特洛格尔斯基评价这本书是“拜占庭人文主义的杰出见证”，并且为后世研究拜占庭历史提供了宝贵的材料。

家庭

尼基弗鲁斯与妻子安娜·科穆宁娜育有几个孩子：

阿莱克修斯·科穆宁，约1102–约1161/1167年

约翰·杜卡斯，约1103年-1173年之后

伊琳娜·杜卡伊娜，约1105年-？

玛利亚·布林奈娜·科穆宁娜，约1107年-？

Anna Komnene (Greek: Ἄννα Κομνηνή, romanized: Ánna Komnēnḗ; 1 December 1083 – 1153), commonly Latinized as Anna Comnena, was a Byzantine Greek princess and historian. She is the author of the Alexiad, an account of the reign of her father, Byzantine emperor Alexios I Komnenos. Her work constitutes the most important primary source of Byzantine history of the late 11th and early 12th centuries, as well as of the early Crusades. Although she is best known as the author of the Alexiad, Anna played an important part in the politics of the time and attempted to depose her brother John II Komnenos as emperor in favour of her husband, Nikephoros Bryennios the Younger.

At birth, Anna was betrothed to Constantine Doukas, and she grew up in his mother's household. She was well educated in "Greek literature and history, philosophy, theology, mathematics and medicine." Anna and Constantine were next in the line to throne until Anna's younger brother, John II Komnenos, became the heir in 1092. Constantine died around 1094, and Anna married Nikephoros Bryennios in 1097. The two had several children before Nikephoros' death around 1136.

It is commonly believed that, following her father's death in 1118, Anna and her mother attempted to usurp John II Komnenos. Supposedly her husband refused to cooperate with them, and the usurpation failed. As a result, John exiled Anna to the Kecharitomene Monastery, where she spent the rest of her life, and in her confinement there she wrote the Alexiad. However, there is no contemporary evidence of Anna's involvement in any assassination attempt.

Early life and family

Anna was born on 1 December 1083 to Alexios I Komnenos and Irene Doukaina. Her father, Alexios I Komnenos, became emperor in 1081, after usurping the previous Byzantine Emperor, Nikephoros Botaneiates. Her mother, Irene Doukaina, was part of the imperial Doukas family. In the Alexiad, Anna emphasises her affection for her parents in stating her relationship to Alexios and Irene. She was the eldest of seven children; her younger siblings were (in order) Maria, John II, Andronikos, Isaac, Eudokia and Theodora.

Anna was born in the Porphyra Chamber of the imperial palace in Constantinople, making her a porphyrogenita, which underscored her imperial status. She noted this status in the Alexiad, stating that she was "born and bred in the purple." According to Anna's description in the Alexiad, her mother asked Anna to wait to be born until her father returned from war. Obediently, Anna waited until her father came home.

At birth, Anna was betrothed to Constantine Doukas, the son of Emperor Michael VII and Maria of Alania. The two were the heirs to the empire until sometime between c.1088 and 1092, after the birth of Anna's brother, John II Komnenos. Various scholars point out that the betrothal was probably a political match intended to establish the legitimacy of Anna's father, who had usurped the previous emperor.

Starting around 1090, Constantine's mother—Maria of Alania—raised Anna in her home. It was common in Byzantium for mothers-in-law to raise daughters-in-law. In 1094, Maria of Alania was implicated in an attempt to overthrow Alexios I Komnenos. Some scholars argue that Anna's betrothal to Constantine Doukas may not have ended there, as he was not implicated in the plot against Alexios, but it certainly ended when he died around 1094.

Anna's relationships to her mother-in-law Maria of Alania, her paternal grandmother Anna Dalassene, and her mother Irene Doukaina, have been noted as sources of inspiration and admiration for Anna. For example, Thalia Gouma-Peterson argues that Irene Doukaina's "maternal ability to deal with the speculative and the intellectual enables the daughter to become the highly accomplished scholar she proudly claims to be in the opening pages of the Alexiad."