Anna Comnena Research Paper

Comnena used her ability of literature to write a work showing readers the truth behind her father, and his actions. She was determined to bring out to the world the truth behind her father, and tell his story of victories, emotions, and charity. Although she tried to keep her opinion to a minimum it seemed to seep through her words. Alexius I was a victorious emperor, who was militarily successful and wise. Anna Comnena showed her fathers military success in the battles, and described his powerful character through his ‘new formation’, the founding of the orphanage and the illness that lead to his death. He sent a messenger to his own ‘folk’ to state that the Roman army was heading their way, following the messenger were his own men dressed
The marriage between the emperors’ daughter and Theodore Gabras’s son Gregory was a mere promise; for the two were still underage, although Gregory was to be taken under the wing of the emperor until the two were legal of age. Soon Gabras’s wife passed and he married a second time to a woman of noble blood, although she and the sebastocrator’s wife were daughters of two brothers. This eliminated any chances of the marriage continuing, for the law and the canons of the church forbad the marriage of being completed. These effects eliminated any possibility of the two emperors staying united; therefore Alexius’s genius worked in a new manner. He decided not to allow Gregory to return to his father as in to keep him as a hostage and possible win Gabras’s friendship. Alexius intended on marrying Gregory to one of his daughter, which was also a reason for the delay of his return to his father. This displayed Alexius’s genius in a new manner; he kept a friend with recognition of the possibility of him becoming a foe, and kept a backup plan on how to keep his empire away from that danger. Through this two points in the eighth book of Anna Comnena’s the reader is being shown that Alexius was indeed a great ruler, powerful and wise. He was able to keep his inhabitants on his side by planting a seed of fear within their hearts as in to keep them willing and prepared to fight for their land. He was able to sense the fear in them and test them to see if they would stand behind their emperor and their land no matter what the consequences may be; therefore he thought the best way to keep them willing to fight for their empire would be to cause fear of the lose of the