Quote by Anna Komnene: “It is not fitting for me to recount great deeds and conceal great sorrows.”

Komnene expresses her commitment to historical honesty, stating that a true account must include both triumphs and tragedies. She believes hiding difficulties would be inappropriate and misleading in her narrative, demanding full transparency from historians.

As a historian, Anna Komnene faced the challenge of presenting a balanced account of her father's reign, which included both heroic successes and significant setbacks. This statement underscores her dedication to comprehensive truth-telling.

Byzantine princess and historian born in 1083, the eldest daughter of Emperor Alexios I. Her Alexiad, completed around 1148, is a detailed account of her father's reign and the First Crusade. It is the only major medieval historical work written by a woman and remains a foundational text of Byzantine studies.