The Alexiad is a history of the ruler of Byzantine Emperor Alexius I Comnena who presided over what is often referred to as the Comnenian Restoration in the late 11th and early 12th centuries. The Byzantine Empire, the descendant of the Eastern Roman Empire, was ruled by the Emperor from Constantinople. The Alexiad is written by the daughter of Alexius, Anna Comnena who writes a history of her father's deeds, stridently and frequently maintaining that she can give an impartial record despite the fact that her father is the main character.