The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire is Edward
Gibbon's magnum opus, written and published over a 13-year period
beginning in 1776. It not only chronicles the events of the downfall
starting with the end of the rule of Marcus Aurelius, but proposes a
theory as to why Rome collapsed: the populace, Gibbon theorizes, lost
its moral fortitude, its militaristic will, and its sense of civic duty.
History is considered a classic in world literature, and Gibbon is
sometimes called the first "modern historian" for his insistence upon
using primary sources for his research. Many scholars today still use
his highly regarded work as reference. In this sixth of seven volumes,
readers will find Chapter 52 ("More Conquests by the Arabs") through
Chapter 63 ("Civil Wars and the Ruin of the Greek Empire"), which cover
the continued wars between Constantinople and the Arabs; the rise of
Harun al Rashid; Islamic advances in the sciences; the invasion of Rome
by the Saracens; the state of the Byzantine Empire in the 10th century;
the rise of Greek power and influence in the Eastern Roman Empire; the
Paulicans; the establishment of a Bulgarian kingdom; the origin of the
Russian monarchy; the rise of the Normans in Italy; the life of Robert
Guiscard; the many conquests of Sicily; the origin of the Seljuk Turks
and their empire; the Turkish conquest of Jerusalem; the First, Second,
and Third Crusades; the break between the Greeks and Latins in
Constantinople; the rule of Emperor Baldwin I; the resurgence of Greek
power in Constantinople; the origins of the family of Courtenay; and the
establishment of the Greek Empire. English parliamentarian and historian
EDWARD GIBBON (1737-1794) attended Magdelan College, Oxford for 14
months before his father sent him to Lausanne, Switzerland, where he
continued his education. He published Essai sur l'Étude de la
Littérature (1761) and other autobiographical works, including Mémoire
Justificatif pour servir de Réponse à l'Exposé, etc. de la Cour de
France (1779).
