Alexiad

The Alexiad (Greek: Ἀλεξιάς, translit. Alexias) is a medieval historical and biographical text written around the year 1148, by the Byzantine historian and princess Anna Comnene, daughter of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos.

In the Alexiad, Komnene describes the political and military history of the Byzantine Empire during the reign of her father, the Byzantine emperor, which makes it a reference on the Byzantium of the High Middle Ages. The Alexiad documents the Byzantine Empire's interaction with the First Crusade and highlights the conflicting perceptions of the East and West in the early 12th century.

The text was written in a form of artificial Attic Greek and shows the Byzantine perception of the Crusades.

The Alexiad is divided into 15 books and a prologue; its scope is limited to the duration of Alexios' reign, which it is thus able to depict in full detail. Komnene documents one of the most active periods in the High Middle Ages, especially regarding political relations between the Byzantine Empire and western European powers. The Alexiad remains one of the few primary sources recording Byzantine reactions to both the Great Schism of 1054 and the First Crusade, as well as documenting first-hand the decline of Byzantine cultural influence in both eastern and western Europe.

According to Peter Frankopan, the content of the Alexiad falls into five main categories:

1. Attacks against the Byzantine empire by the Normans, under their leader Robert Guiscard (Books 1–6)

2. Byzantine relations with the Turks (Books 6–7, 9–10, and 14–15)

3. Pecheneg incursions on the northern Byzantine frontier (Books 7–8)

4. The First Crusade and Byzantine reactions to it (Books 10–11)

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