No, it was not a love affair. The Byzantine princess, Anna Comnena (1083-1153), was a sophisticated, astute, and highly educated woman, a historian whose work is still considered so reliable that it is often cited as one of the most definitive sources for the era of the First Crusade. The barbarian was Bohemond (1058-1111), one of the Norman leaders (there was no single leader -- the First Crusade was the ultimate example of decisions made by a committee, often a committee of lunatics). Here is how Anna described Bohemond at a meeting with her father, the Emperor Alexios I (1048-1118), which she witnessed:
Now the man was such as, to put it briefly, had never before been seen in the land of the Romans [i.e., the Byzantines] be he either of the barbarians or of the Greeks (for he was a marvel for the eyes to behold, and his reputation was terrifying). Let me describe the barbarian's appearance more particularly -he was so tall in stature that he overtopped the tallest by nearly one cubit, narrow in the waist and loins, with broad shoulders and a deep chest and powerful arms. And in the whole build of the body he was neither too slender nor overweighted with flesh, but perfectly proportioned and, one might say, built in conformity with the canon of Polycleitus. He had powerful hands and stood firmly on his feet, and his neck and back were well compacted. An accurate observer would notice that he stooped slightly, but this was not from any weakness of the vertebrae of his spine but he had probably had this posture slightly from birth. His skin all over his body was very white, and in his face the white was tempered with red. His hair was yellowish, but did not hang down to his waist like that of the other barbarians; for the man was not inordinately vain of his hair, but had it cut short to the ears. Whether his beard was reddish, or any other colour I cannot say, for the razor had passed over it very closely and left a surface smoother than chalk, most likely it too was reddish. His blue eyes indicated both a high spirit and dignity; and his nose and nostrils breathed in the air freely; his chest corresponded to his nostrils and by his nostrils . . . the breadth of his chest. For by his nostrils nature had given free passage for the high spirit which bubbled up from his heart. A certain charm hung about this man but was partly marred by a general air of the horrible. For in the whole of his body the entire man shewed implacable and savage both in his size and glance, methinks, and even his laughter sounded to others like snorting. He was so made in mind and body that both courage and passion reared their crests within him and both inclined to war. His wit was manifold and crafty and able to find a way of escape (lit. " handle ") in every emergency. In conversation he was well informed, and the answers he gave were quite irrefutable. This man who was of such a size and such a character was inferior to the Emperor alone in fortune and eloquence and in other gifts of nature. -- From the Alexiad by Anna Comnena
Better on-the-spot reporting you could not find if you sent CNN back in a time machine with a satellite dish and a horde of producers. If you want to see history happen, read Anna Comnena.
