If someone asked you to name one of the most important historians of all time, Anna Komnene probably wouldn’t spring to mind. But maybe she should. Born a Byzantine princess, she watched the First Crusade unfold in front of her, then wrote down what she saw.

Her most notable work, the Alexiad, is filled with vivid accounts of bloodshed, battles, and betrayals stretching from 1081 to 1107. It’s a rare primary source from the period, and it offers a detailed look into her father’s threatened empire and the motley alliance that joined together to fight what they saw as an existential threat to Christianity.

Chances are, though, even history buffs have never heard of her. No matter how brilliant, accomplished, or