Emperor Alexios I Komnenos (r. 1081-1118)
“We have prepared a very fine dish, not without rich savory sauce. If you would like to share the feast, come as soon as you can to sit with us at the perfect banquet.”
- According to Anna Komnene (1083-1153), this is the coded message that her father, Alexios Komnenos, sent to Kaiser John Doukas, announcing the revolt that would eventually make Alexios the emperor of Constantinople. The quote was recorded in The Alexiad (Book II, chapter 6) by Anna Komnene, translated by E. R. A. Sewter (Penguin Classics edition, 2009).
