Anna Dalassene

Anna Dalassene (; ca. 1025/30 – 1 November 1100/02) was an important Byzantine noblewoman who played a significant role in the rise to power of the Komnenoi in the eleventh century. She exercised great influence over her son, the Emperor Alexios I Komnenos, who gave her the title Augusta. She also administered the empire as regent during his many absences from Constantinople on long military campaigns during the early part of his reign. As empress-mother, she exerted more influence and power than the empress-consort, Irene Doukaina, a woman whom she hated because of past intrigues with the Doukai. Life Early life and family Anna was the daughter of Alexios Charon, and a lady of the noble Dalassenos family. Her maternal grandfather was named Adrianos Dalassenos, evidently a son of the magistros and doux of Antioch, Theophylact Dalassenos. Very little is known about her father, who was an obscure imperial official in Italy. Her mother's family, the Dalassenoi, were a distinguished family of the Byzantine military aristocracy, beginning with Theophylact's father Damian Dalassenos in the late 990s. The date of Anna's birth is unknown, but is placed around the years 1025–1030. Likewise the date of her marriage to John Komnenos is variously placed in , or . The couple had eight children, five sons and three daughters. These were, by order of birth, Manuel Komnenos, Maria Komnene, Isaac Komnenos, Eudokia Komnene, Theodora Komnene, Alexios I Komnenos (1057), Adrianos Komnenos, and Nikephoros Komnenos.