Anna Komnene (c. 1083-1153)
“Full of enthusiasm and ardour they thronged every highway, and with these warriors came a host of civilians, outnumbering the sand of the seashore or the stars of heaven, carrying palms and bearing crosses on their shoulders.”
- In this quote, Anna Komnene (daughter of Emperor Alexios Komnenos of Constantinople) comments on witnessing the armies of the First Crusade march through the realm of her father. The quote was recorded in The Alexiad (Book X, section 5), written by Anna Komnene; the translation is by E.R.A. Sewter (Penguin Classics, 2009).
