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The ''Alexiad'' (original Greek title: Ἀλεξιάς, ''Alexias'') is a medieval historical and biographical text written around the year 1148 by the Byzantine historian and princess Anna Komnene, daughter of Emperor Alexius I. In the ''Alexiad'', Komnene describes the political and military history of the Byzantine Empire during the reign of her father, the Byzantine emperor, which makes it a reference on the Byzantium of the High Middle Ages. The ''Alexiad'' documents the Byzantine Empire's interaction with the First Crusade (despite being written nearly fifty years after the crusade), and the text highlights the conflicting perceptions of the East and West in the early 12th century. The text was written in a form of artificial Attic Greek, and shows the Byzantine perception of the Crusades. ==Content== The ''Alexiad'' is divided into fifteen books and a prologue, the scope of which is limited to the duration of Alexius' reign, which it is thus able to depict in full detail.〔Peter Frankopan, Introduction to the ''Alexiad'', Trans. E. R. A. Sewter. Rev. ed. (London: Penguin Books, 2009), ix.〕 Komnene documents one of the most active periods in the High Middle Ages, especially in regards to political relations between the Byzantine Empire and western European powers. The ''Alexiad'' remains one of the few primary sources recording Byzantine reactions to both the Great Schism of 1054 and the First Crusade,〔Frankopan, Introduction to the ''Alexiad'', x–xi.〕 as well as documenting first-hand the decline of Byzantine cultural influence in both eastern and western Europe.〔Frankopan, Introduction to the ''Alexiad'', xv.〕 According to Peter Frankopan, the content of the ''Alexiad'' falls into five main categories: 1. Attacks against the Byzantine empire by the Normans under their leader Robert Guiscard (Books 1–6) :;Book 1: Book 1 talks about Alexius becoming general and Domestikos ton Scholon. It also talks about the Normans preparation for their invasion. :;Book 2: Book 2 talks about the Komnenian revolt. :;Book 3: Book 3 talks about Alexius as Emperor (1081), the internal problems with Doukas family, and the Normans crossing the Adriatic Sea. :;Book 4: Book 4 talks about war against the Normans (1081–1082). :;Book 5: Book 5 also talks about war against the Normans (1082–1083), and their first clash with the "heretics". :;Book 6: Book 6 talks about the end of war against the Normans (1085), and the death of Robert Guiscard. 2. Byzantine relations with the Turks (Books 6–7, 9–10, and 14–15) :;Book 6 :;Book 7: Book 7 talks about war against the Scythians (1087–1090). :;Book 9: Book 9 talks about operations against Tzachas and the Dalmatians (1092–1094), and the conspiracy of Nicephorus Diogenes (1094). :;Book 10: Book 10 talks about war against the Cumans, and the beginning of the First Crusade (1094–1097). :;Book 14: Book 14 talks about Turks, Franks, Cumans and Manicheans (1108–1115). :;Book 15: Book 15 talks about the last expeditions — The Bogomils — Death of Alexius (1116–1118). 3. Pecheneg incursions on the northern Byzantine frontier (Books 7–8) :;Book 7 :;Book 8: Book 8 talks about the end of the Scythian war (1091), and plots against the Emperor. 4. The First Crusade, and Byzantine reactions to it (Books 10–11) :;Book 10 :;Book 11: Book 11 also talks about the First Crusade (1097–1104). 5. Attacks on Byzantine frontiers by Robert Guiscard's son, Bohemond I of Antioch (Books 11–13)〔 :;Book 11 :;Book 12 : Book 12 talks about domestic conflicts, and the Norman preparation for their second invasion (1105–1107). :;Book 13 : Book 13 talks about Aaron's conspiracy, and the second Norman invasion (1107–1108). Although Komnene explicitly states her intention to record true events, important issues of bias do exist. Throughout the ''Alexiad'', emphasis on Alexius as a "specifically Christian emperor," morally, as well as politically laudable, is pervasive. Frankopan frequently compares Alexius' treatment in the text to the techniques of the hagiographical tradition, while contrasting it with the generally negative portrait or outright absence of his successors John II and Manuel I.〔Frankopan, Introduction to the ''Alexiad'', xxi–xxii.〕 Komnene discusses the Latins, (Normans and "Franks"), considering them barbarians. This distaste extends to the Turks, along with the Armenians. The ''Alexiad'' also criticizes John II Komnenos for his accession to the throne (in place of Komnene herself) following Alexius' death. From a modern reader's point of view, the inconsistencies in the descriptions of military events and the Empire's misfortunes – partially due to these literary and especially Homeric influences – may seem exaggerated and stereotypical. Despite these issues, George Ostrogorsky nevertheless emphasizes the ''Alexiads importance as a primary document.〔George Ostrogorsky, ''History of the Byzantine State'', Rev. ed. (New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 1969), 351.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Alexiad」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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