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1st edition cover
Anna of Byzantium is a historical novel by Tracy Barrett originally published in 1999. Plot introduction The novel places Anna Comnena in the convent where she was exiled by her brother and Byzantine emperor John II after her failed attempt to poison him. Plot summary Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow. Anna relates how she was groomed to be the Byzantine empress from birth and how her grandmother, her father Alexius' most trusted advisor, persuaded him to remove Anna from the imperial succession. Anna and her mother the Empress Irene Ducaena unite to ensure that John, Alexius' son, will not rule as the puppet of his grandmother. Upon receiving the throne, John proves he will be manipulated by no one; instead of death, John chooses to exile Anna and Irene. In the novel, the manuscript of the Alexiad, which Anna had worked upon in the library at Constantinople, is brought to her to continue at the convent, though in history, she didn't start writing until she arrived there. Spoilers end here.
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