Written between 1143 and 1153 by the daughter of Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos, The Alexiad is one of the most popular and revealing primary sources in the vast canon of medieval literature. Princess Anna Komnene, eldest child of the imperial couple, reveals the inner workings of the court, profiles its many extraordinary personages, and offers a firsthand account of immensely significant events such as the First Crusade, as well as its impact on the relationship between eastern and western Christianity. A celebrated triumph of Byzantine letters, this is an unparalleled view of Constantinople and the medieval world. This Penguin Classics edition is based on E. R. A. Sewter's renowned translation, revised by Peter Frankopan. It also includes an introduction, notes and other critical apparatus by Frankopan.

Die Geschichtsschreiberin Anna Komnene (1083 bis ca. 1153), Tochter des byzantinischen Kaisers Alexios I. Komnenos (1081-1118), behandelt in ihrem Werk die Regierungszeit ihres Vaters von seinen ersten Erfolgen als jugendlicher HeerfA1/4hrer und seiner geglA1/4ckten Rebellion bis zu seinem Tod. Die faszinierende LektA1/4re gehArt zusammen mit den historischen Darstellungen eines Prokop, eines Michael Psellos und eines Niketas Choniates zu den Glanzleistungen der byzantinischen Historiographie.