Anna of Byzantium is a historical novel by Tracy Barrett originally published in 1999. The novel places Anna Comnena in the convent where she was exiled by her brother and ByzantineemperorJohn II after her failed attempt to poison him. Anna relates how she was groomed to be the Byzantine empress from birth and how her grandmother, her father Alexius' most trusted advisor, persuaded him to remove Anna from the imperial succession. Anna and her mother the empress Irene unite to ensure that John, Alexius' son, will not rule as the puppet of his grandmother. Upon receiving the throne, John proves he will be manipulated by no one; instead of death, John chooses to exile Anna and Irene.
The manuscript of the Alexiad, which Anna had worked upon in the library at Constantinople, is brought to her to continue at the convent (though in history, she didn't start writing until she arrived there).
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.
Anna married an historian in 1097, and, with her mother's encouragement, tried to seize the imperial throne for him.
Anna lived in an era when women chiefly were expected to remain secluded in their quarters (called gyneceum) attending solely to family matters.
Anna Komnene or Comnena (Greek: Άννα Κομνηνή, Anna Komnēnē), (December 1, 1083 – 1153).
Anna was eventually married, in 1097, an accomplished young nobleman, the kaisar (Caesar) Nikephoros Bryennios, who belonged to one of the aristocratic families that had contested the throne before Alexios' accession.
Anna employed her leisure in writing the Alexiad--a history in Greek of her father's life and reign (1081–1118), supplementing the historical work of her husband.
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