Alexios Komnenos, Byzantine emperor, led his army to meet the Scythian hordes in battle. For good luck, he carried one of the holiest relics in Christendom: the veil that had belonged to the Virgin Mary. Unfortunately, it didn’t help. Not only was his army defeated, but as they fled, the Emperor was stabbed in the buttocks. To make matters worse, a strong wind made the relic too heavy to carry, so he stashed it in some bushes as he escaped. But even as he fled, he managed to slay some Scythians and rescue a few comrades.
Aleksije Komnin, vizantijski car, predvodio je svoju vojsku u bici sa skitskom hordom. Kao amajliju nosio je jednu od najsvetijih relikvija u hrišćanstvu: veo koji je pripadao Bogorodici. Nažalost, nije bio od pomoći. Ne samo da je njegova vojska poražena, već je i tokom bega car zadobio ubod u zadnjicu. Da situacija bude još gora, od vetra je relikvija postala teška za nošenje, stoga ju je sakrio u neko žbunje dok je bežao. Međutim, čak i u begu uspeo je da ubije par Skita i spasi nekoliko drugova po oružju.
At least, this is how Alexios' daughter Anna recounted the story, writing nearly 60 years later. She spent the last decade of her long life creating a 500-page history of her father’s reign called The Alexiad. Written in Greek, the book was modeled after ancient Greek epics and historical writings. But Anna had a different, trickier task than the writers in these traditions: as a princess writing about her own family, she had to balance her loyalty to her kin with her obligation to portray events accurately, navigating issues like Alexios’s embarrassing stab to the buttocks. A lifetime of study and participation in her father’s government prepared Anna for this undertaking.
Na kraju krajeva, ovako je Aleksijeva ćerka Ana prepričala priču nakon skoro 60 godina. Provela je poslednju deceniju svog dugog života u spravljanju 500 strana duge istorije o vladavini njenog oca, pod imenom "Aleksijada". Napisana na grčkom jeziku, knjiga je rađena po modelu na grčke epove i istorijske spise. Međutim, Ana je imala drugačiji, složeniji zadatak u odnosu na ove pisce: kao princeza koja piše o sopstvenoj porodici, morala je da pronađe sredinu između lojalnosti prema bližnjem svom i obaveze da događaje prikaže precizno, i obrati posebnu pažnju na delikatne teme poput Aleksijeve rane na zadnjici. Čitav život učenja i učestvovanja u vladavini njenog oca pripremio je Anu za ovaj poduhvat.
Anna was born in 1083, shortly after her father seized control of the Roman Empire following a decade of brutal civil wars and revolts. The empire was deep in decline when he came to power, and threatened from all sides: by the Seljuk Turks in the East, the Normans in the West, and Scythian raiders to the north. Over the course of Anna’s childhood and adolescence, Alexios fought constant military campaigns to secure the frontiers of his empire, even striking up an uneasy alliance with the Crusaders.
Ana je rođena 1083. godine, ubrzo nakon što je njen otac zavladao Rimskim carstvom posle čega je usledila decenija surovih građanskih ratova i pobuna. Carstvo je uveliko propadalo kada je on stupio na vlast, a pretnje su stizale sa svih strana: od turskih Seldžuka sa istoka; Normana sa zapada; i skitskih napadača sa severa. Tokom Aninog detinjstva i odrastanja Aleksije je vodio neprestane borbe da sačuva granice svog carstva, a čak je oformio ne tako ugodan savez sa krstašima.
Meanwhile in Constantinople, Anna fought her own battle. She was expected to study subjects considered proper for a Byzantine princess, like courtly etiquette and the Bible, but preferred classical myth and philosophy. To access this material, she had to learn to read and speak Ancient Greek, by studying secretly at night. Eventually her parents realized how serious she was, and provided her with tutors. Anna expanded her studies to classical literature, rhetoric, history, philosophy, mathematics, astronomy, and medicine. One scholar even complained that her constant requests for more Aristotle commentaries were wearing out his eyes.
U međuvremenu je u Carigradu Ana vodila svoje bitke. Od nje se očekivalo da uči predmete prikladne za jednu vizantijsku princezu, poput pravila ponašanja na dvoru i Biblije, ali je ona više volela klasični mit i filozofiju. Da bi mogla da proučava taj materijal, morala je da nauči da čita i piše starogrčki i to krišom, noću. Roditelji su na kraju shvatili koliko je ozbiljna i obezbedili joj tutore. Ana je proširila svoje učenje na klasičnu književnost, retoriku, istoriju, filozofiju, matematiku, astronomiju i medicinu. Jedan učenjak se čak i požalio da njena neprestana žeđ za tumačenjima Aristotela umara njegove oči. Sa petnaest godina
At age fifteen, Anna married Nikephoros Bryennios to quell old conflicts between their families and strengthen Alexios’s reign. Fortunately, Anna and Nikephoros ended up sharing many intellectual interests, hosting and debating the leading scholars of the day. Meanwhile, Alexios’s military excursions began to pay off, restoring many of the empire’s former territories. As her father aged, Anna and her husband helped her parents with their imperial duties. During this time, Anna reportedly advocated for just treatment of the people in their disputes with the government.
Ana se udala za Nićifora Vrijenija kako bi izmirila dve zavađene porodice i ojačala Aleksijevo carstvo. Srećom, Ana i Nićifor su delili mnoga intelektualna interesovanja, gostili i ulazili u debate sa najznačajnijim učenim ljudima tog doba. U međuvremenu su Aleksijevi vojni poduhvati počeli da urađaju plodom, čime se povratio veliki deo nekadašnjih teritorija carstva. Kako je njen otac stario, Ana i njen suprug pomagali su njenim roditeljima u obavljanju kraljevskih dužnosti. Za to vreme Ana se navodno zalagala za pravedno postupanje prema ljudima u raspravama sa vladajućim poretkom.
After Alexios’s death, Anna’s brother John ascended to the throne and Anna turned back to philosophy and scholarship. Her husband had written a history arguing that his grandfather would have made a better emperor than Alexios, but Anna disagreed. She began working on the Alexiad, which made the case for her father's merits as emperor.
Nakon Aleksijeve smrti Anin brat Džon je preuzeo presto, a Ana se vratila filozofiji i učenju knjiga. Njen suprug je napisao povest u kojoj ističe da bi njegov deda bio daleko bolji vladar od Aleksija, ali se Ana nije složila. Počela je da piše Aleksijadu gde je opisala očeve zasluge kao cara. Aleksijada, koja obuhvata periode kasnog 11.
Spanning the late 11th and early 12th centuries of Byzantine history, the Alexiad recounts the tumultuous events of Alexios’s reign, and Anna’s own reactions to those events, like bursting into tears at the thought of the deaths of her parents and husband. She may have included these emotional passages in hopes that they would make her writing more palatable to a society that believed women shouldn't write about battles and empires. While her loyalty to her father was evident in her favorable account of his reign, she also included criticism and her opinions of events.
i ranog 12. veka vizantijskog carstva, opisuje turbulentne događaje za vreme Aleksijeve vladavine i Anine reakcije na te događaje, poput plakanja pri pomisli na smrt roditelja i supruga. Možda je napisala ove emotivne rečenice u nadi da približi svoje delo društvu koje je verovalo da žene ne bi trebalo da pišu o bitkama i carstvima. Premda je njena lojalnost ocu očigledna u ovom spisu o njegovoj vladavini, dala je i dozu kritike, kao i svoja mišljenja o tim dešavanjima.
In the centuries after her death, Anna’s Alexiad was copied over and over, and remains an invaluable eyewitness account of Alexios’s reign today. And through her epic historical narrative, Anna Komnene secured her own place in history.
Vekovima nakon njene smrti, Anina Aleksijada je kopirana bezbroj puta i do danas ostaje neprocenjivo svedočanstvo Aleksijeve vladavine. I tako je, kroz ovo epsko, narativno, istorijsko delo, Ana Komnina sačuvala svoje mesto u istoriji.