The classic account of the history of the Roman Empire.

The Portable Gibbon : The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

History

Edward, Gibbon

Dero A. Saunders

Ancient Civilizations

Penguin??Books

Edward Gibbon had a complex and unhappy personal life. At Oxford he was converted to the Roman church and was consequently sent by his father to Lausanne to be Calvinized. There he fell in love with Suzanne Curchod (later the wife of Necker and the mother of Madame de Stael). His father disapproved and Gibbon reports the outcome in the now famous words "I sighed as a lover, I obeyed as a son". From this point on he devoted himself to his reading and writing, as well as having a military and parliamentary career in England before returning to Lausanne to finish "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire". He finished his days under the roof of his friend the Earl of Sheffield, who first edited these memoirs for publication.

Memoirs of My Life (Penguin Classics)

Penguin Books, Ltd.

Gibbon offers an explanation for why the Roman Empire fell, a task made difficult by a lack of comprehensive written sources, though he was not the only historian to tackle the subject.According to Gibbon, the Roman Empire succumbed to barbarian invasions in large part due to the gradual loss of civic virtue among its citizens. They had become weak, outsourcing their duties to defend their Empire to barbarian mercenaries, who then became so numerous and ingrained that they were able to take over the Empire. Romans, he believed, had become effeminate, unwilling to live a tougher, "manly" military lifestyle. In addition, Gibbon argued that Christianity created a belief that a better life existed after death, which fostered an indifference to the present among Roman citizens, thus sapping their desire to sacrifice for the Empire. He also believed its comparative pacifism tended to hamper the traditional Roman martial spirit. Finally, like other Enlightenment thinkers, Gibbon held in contempt the Middle Ages as a priest-ridden, superstitious, dark age. It was not until his own age of reason and rational thought, it was believed, that human history could resume its progress.Gibbon sees the Praetorian Guard as the primary catalyst of the empire's initial decay and eventual collapse, a seed planted by Augustus at the establishment of the empire. He cites repeated examples of the Praetorian Guard abusing their power with calamitous results, including numerous instances of imperial assassination and incessant demands for increased pay.

The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

Harcourt

Excerpt from Histoire de la Décadence Et de la Chute de l'Empire Romain, Vol. 11Origine et doctrine des Pauliciens. Persécutions qu'ils essuyèrent de la part des empereurs grecs. Leur révolte en Arménie, etc. Ils sont transplantés dans la Thrace. Propagation de leur doc trine en Occident. Germes, caractères et suites de la réforme.About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.comThis book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Histoire de la Décadence Et de la Chute de l'Empire Romain, Vol. 11 (Classic Reprint) (French Edition)

Forgotten Books

The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Vol. 12 (Classic Reprint)

Europe

The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Vol. 3 (Classic Reprint)

(Book Jacket Status: Jacketed) Volumes 1, 2, and 3 of the Bury Text, in a boxed set. Introduction by Hugh Trevor-Roper From the Hardcover edition.

The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (Modern Library Classics)

Daniel J. Boorstin

Americas

Modern Library

The History of The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface.We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

John Bagnell Bury

Franklin Classics Trade Press

A Vindication of Some Passages in the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Chapters of the History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire: By the Author

Memoirs of the Life and Writings of Edward Gibbon, Esq Volume 1

HardPress Limited

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