The extract from Anna Comnena’s ‘Alexiad’ is a valuable piece of primary evidence when studying the First Crusade, giving a thorough account of events from the Eastern Christian perspective. However, it can be argued that despite its detail, the passage may depict an inaccurate narrative of events. This is due to its adulation of Alexius and disparagement of the Franks. This suggests an underlying purpose to glorify the emperor. Therefore, the source is useful in discerning how the conquest was portrayed from the perspective of those from the Byzantine empire.
The First Crusade was a military excursion made by Western European Christians, known as ‘Franks’ in the late eleventh century. The maintained aim of the Crusade was to recover sacred …show more content…
A well-educated woman, she had the opportunity to study Greek philosophy, history, math and science. From this we can postulate the credibility of the document, it having been written by a known scholar of the time. The mentioned text, Alexiad, is a biographical narrative of her fathers’ life. Due to their relationship, we cannot deny that Anna would have likely written this from a personal perspective, indicating a subjective attitude. Furthermore, the work was picked up by Anna after her husband failed to complete it before his death, him only beginning to organise and record relevant details. This can also suggest an emotional motivation in the writing of the …show more content…
We can see this from Anna’s use of impassioned language when referring to them, calling the West ‘barbarian tribes’ of ‘unstable and mobile character’. Written between 1143 and 1153, the document was published approximately 50 years after the First Crusade. Therefore, it was written in living memory of the event, and is likely made up of first-hand accounts of those who fought. This also means that the account may be prone to subjectivity, thus giving us a misrepresentative account. When we consider the whole document, we see that Anna states that her intention is to record true events. Still, we cannot deny her predisposition to favour her father, who had been dead for several decades by this point. Anna mentions that her father, Alexius, ‘did not lose heart’ despite the Franks’ arrival. The use of the word ‘heart’ indicating that Alexius was a courageous and spirited character - a trait favoured for kings. We can also call into question the cynical tone of the document, as this conflicts with the knowledge that Alexius was able to work alongside the Franks, that ‘in spite of occasional moments of friction… the Latins had proved themselves to be both cooperative and
The First Crusade was a military excursion made by Western European Christians, known as ‘Franks’ in the late eleventh century. The maintained aim of the Crusade was to recover sacred …show more content…
A well-educated woman, she had the opportunity to study Greek philosophy, history, math and science. From this we can postulate the credibility of the document, it having been written by a known scholar of the time. The mentioned text, Alexiad, is a biographical narrative of her fathers’ life. Due to their relationship, we cannot deny that Anna would have likely written this from a personal perspective, indicating a subjective attitude. Furthermore, the work was picked up by Anna after her husband failed to complete it before his death, him only beginning to organise and record relevant details. This can also suggest an emotional motivation in the writing of the …show more content…
We can see this from Anna’s use of impassioned language when referring to them, calling the West ‘barbarian tribes’ of ‘unstable and mobile character’. Written between 1143 and 1153, the document was published approximately 50 years after the First Crusade. Therefore, it was written in living memory of the event, and is likely made up of first-hand accounts of those who fought. This also means that the account may be prone to subjectivity, thus giving us a misrepresentative account. When we consider the whole document, we see that Anna states that her intention is to record true events. Still, we cannot deny her predisposition to favour her father, who had been dead for several decades by this point. Anna mentions that her father, Alexius, ‘did not lose heart’ despite the Franks’ arrival. The use of the word ‘heart’ indicating that Alexius was a courageous and spirited character - a trait favoured for kings. We can also call into question the cynical tone of the document, as this conflicts with the knowledge that Alexius was able to work alongside the Franks, that ‘in spite of occasional moments of friction… the Latins had proved themselves to be both cooperative and