The princess who rewrote history - Leonora Neville

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Anna Komnene, daughter of Byzantine emperor Alexios, spent the last decade of her life creating a 500-page history of her father’s reign called “The Alexiad.” As a princess writing about her own family, she had to balance her loyalty to her kin with her obligation to portray events accurately. Leonora Neville investigates this epic historical narrative.


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Meet The Creators

  • Educator Leonora Neville
  • Director Els Decaluwe
  • Narrator Susan Zimmerman
  • Music Vincent Groos
  • Sound Designer Samuel Chan
  • Script Editor Alex Gendler
  • Content Producer Gerta Xhelo
  • Editorial Producer Alex Rosenthal
  • Associate Editorial Producer Elizabeth Cox
  • Associate Producer Bethany Cutmore-Scott
  • Fact-Checker Francisco Diez
Additional Resources for you to Explore

To learn more about the Empire Anna’s father ruled, check out this TED-Ed lesson.

You can learn about the Byzantine Empire’s Norman enemies with this TED-Ed lesson.

To learn about Anna Komnene’s life and her history check out this book.

The best way to understand Anna’s history is to read it. You can read the whole history here.

Customize this lesson

Create and share a new lesson based on this one.

About TED-Ed Animations

TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Educator Leonora Neville
  • Director Els Decaluwe
  • Narrator Susan Zimmerman
  • Music Vincent Groos
  • Sound Designer Samuel Chan
  • Script Editor Alex Gendler
  • Content Producer Gerta Xhelo
  • Editorial Producer Alex Rosenthal
  • Associate Editorial Producer Elizabeth Cox
  • Associate Producer Bethany Cutmore-Scott
  • Fact-Checker Francisco Diez

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