About the work The Alexiad (original
Greek title : Αλεξιάς) is a
medieval biographical text written around the year 1148 by the Byzantine historian
Anna Comnena, daughter of Emperor
Alexius I.Within the Alexiad, she describes the political and military history of the
Byzantine Empire during the reign of her father (1081-1118), making it one of the most important sources of information on the
Byzantium of the
High Middle Ages. As well as this, within the Alexiad, the
First Crusade's interaction with the Byzantine Empire is documented (despite being written nearly fifty years after the crusade), which highlights the conflicting perceptions of the East and West in the early 12th century.
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The 12th century account of the Byzantine princess Anna Comnena, wherein the earliest reliable reference to tourney-like games is found. The following quotation is from a French Crusader heard at court to say:
"I am a pure Frank and of noble birth. One thing I know: at a crossroads in the country where I was born in an ancient shrine; to this anyone who wishes to engage in single combat goes, prepared to fight; there he prays to God for help and he stays awaiting the man who will dare to answer his challenge. At that crossroads have I often spent time, waiting and longing for the man who would fight, but there was never a one who dared."
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