The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire: Vols. 1-4

The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

by Edward Gibbon

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Classics, Historical, Roman History, Roman, Reference

1429 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Edward Gibbon (8 May 1737 – 16 January 1794) was an English historian and Member of Parliament. His most important work, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, was published in six volumes between 1776 and 1788. The Decline and Fall is known for the quality and irony of its prose, its use of primary sources, and its open criticism of organised religion.

Gibbon returned to England in June 1765. His father died in 1770, and after tending to the estate, which was by no means in good condition, there remained quite enough for Gibbon to settle fashionably in London at 7 Bentinck Street, independent of financial concerns. By February 1773, he was writing in earnest, but not without the occasional self-imposed distraction. He took to London society quite easily, and joined the better social clubs, including Dr. Johnson's Literary Club, and looked in from time to time on his friend Holroyd in Sussex. He succeeded Oliver Goldsmith at the Royal Academy as 'professor in ancient history' (honorary but prestigious). In late 1774, he was initiated a freemason of the Premier Grand Lodge of England. And, perhaps least productively in that same year, he was returned to the House of Commons for Liskeard, Cornwall through the intervention of his relative and patron, Edward Eliot. He became the archetypal back-bencher, benignly "mute" and "indifferent," his support of the Whig ministry invariably automatic. Gibbon's indolence in that position, perhaps fully intentional, subtracted little from the progress of his writing.

After several rewrites, with Gibbon "often tempted to throw away the labours of seven years," the first volume of what would become his life's major achievement, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, was published on 17 February 1776. Through 1777, the reading public eagerly consumed three editions for which Gibbon was rewarded handsomely: two-thirds of the profits amounting to approximately £1,000. Biographer Leslie Stephen wrote that thereafter, "His fame was as rapid as it has been lasting." And as regards this first volume, "Some warm praise from David Hume overpaid the labour of ten years."

Volumes II and III appeared on 1 March 1781, eventually rising "to a level with the previous volume in general esteem." Volume IV was finished in June 1784; the final two were completed during a second Lausanne sojourn (September 1783 to August 1787) where Gibbon reunited with his friend Deyverdun in leisurely comfort. By early 1787, he was "straining for the goal" and with great relief the project was finished in June. Gibbon later wrote:

It was on the day, or rather the night, of 27 June 1787, between the hours of eleven and twelve, that I wrote the last lines of the last page in a summer-house in my garden. ... I will not dissemble the first emotions of joy on the recovery of my freedom, and perhaps the establishment of my fame. But my pride was soon humbled, and a sober melancholy was spread over my mind by the idea that I had taken my everlasting leave of an old and agreeable companion, and that, whatsoever might be the future date of my history, the life of the historian must be short and precarious.

Volumes IV, V, and VI finally reached the press in May 1788, their publication having been delayed since March so it could coincide with a dinner party celebrating Gibbon's 51st birthday (the 8th). Mounting a bandwagon of praise for the later volumes were such contemporary luminaries as Adam Smith, William Robertson, Adam Ferguson, Lord Camden, and Horace Walpole. Smith remarked that Gibbon's triumph had positioned him "at the very head of [Europe's] literary tribe."

Reviews

[Nick Garbutt · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Enlightenment, that great flowering of intellect that marks the transition between the superstition of the Middle Ages and the ascendancy of the rational is one of the most fascinating and important periods in history.
There were many great writers from that period. One of them is the historian Edward Gibbon (1737 – 1794) whose masterpiece is his six volume The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire which spans 1400 years. It took a vast chunk of his life to complete and has not been superseded in all the years that have followed.
It is a staggering achievement and the scholarship behind it is truly breathtaking. It was after all written before there were public libraries, never mind paper back books, journals, email to contact other academics and the internet. His scholarship depended on him building his own library, which contained more than 7,000 books by the time of his death.
Decline and Fall caused a sensation when it was published, not least because Gibbon, who was a deist, blames the rise of Christianity for the collapse of the Roman Empire. It is also very funny at times. Many of his footnotes are hilarious, Gibbon was not one to suffer fools.
However his declamatory style of writing can be a little wearying at times. Dickens poked fun at it in Our Mutual Friend where he writes that “after three chapters read by Mr Silas Wegg in a dry and unflinching way Mr Boffin sat intently staring with his eyes and mind at the confounding enormity of the Romans, was so severely punished that he could hardly wish his literary friend goodnight.”
Having the piss taken out of your writing by one of the 19th Century’s greatest novelists is, when you think about it, not a bad legacy, and it is one which would surely have amused Gibbon.

[Kate Hoffland]

I thought this day would never come!!!! This was my personal reading crucible for the past year and a half. 🙃 was I having a good time while I was reading this? No. Despite this I feel too guilty to give Gibbons a poor rating on this behemoth even posthumously because I wonder if my TikTok brain just isn’t the target audience here. 🤪 also, Tolstoy got to me first and told me history as a lineage of one great man after the other is a falsification and I think I believe him. So I often felt we were missing the forest for the trees. All this aside am I absolutely proud for repeatedly putting myself in a proverbial chokehold to keep pushing through and get to the finish line? yes, absolutely. 💯 Also, we have a world record here for most uses of the words jurisprudence and sacerdotal.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rome falling is more interesting to Gibbon than Rome rising. Not in some shandenfreude sense, just objectively. Plus, whether intentional or not, he is building upon the classical historians before him. Specifically, I'm thinking of Tacitus who, between his Histories and Annals, covered from the ascension of Augustus to the death of Domitan in 96 A.D. So, after a brief summary of Roman development, Gibbon begins Volume 1 with the Emperor Nerva in 96 A.D. It also marks, for Gibbon, the start of a long process decay and division.

The first four volumes of this eight volume set proceed until the fall of the Western Roman Empire. By the end of Volume 4 (and the 5th century), Leo I rules a timid Eastern Roman Empire from Constantinople, the teenaged Romulus Augustulus is deposed as the last Western Roman Emperor by the Goth king Odoacer, and Clovis consolidates power to begin the Merovingian reign as King of the Franks. With a lot of other things in between.

Gibbon's objectivity is impressive and, at times, tedious. Facts are poured out in a constant stream with little time to appreciate the significance of major events. Emperors and major players come forth and die at times in rapid succession leaving the reader disoriented if you had started to lose focus. Of course, there is special consideration for the history-makers, such as Trajan, Hadrian, Marcus Aurelius, Constantine the Great and his dynasty (most of Volume 2), and Theodosius I to name- drop a few.

It's not until the end of Volume 4, and some chapters critical of Christianity in Volume 1, that Gibbon inserts himself in any substantive way. After the fall of the Western Empire, it becomes clear that the Emperors, with an occasional exception, lacked the expansionist vigor of their more democratically-inclined predecessors. Most tepidly attempted to hold onto the Empire won by the Republic.

As Gibbon stresses, the "story of its ruin is simple and obvious; and instead of inquiring why the Roman Empire was destroyed, we should rather be surprised that it had subsisted so long." Pg. 372, Vol. IV. The obvious culprits being the corruption of a powerful military state to ensure the personal safety of the Emperors, seductive luxury, the division of the Empire and barbarians. Lots of barbarians.

Potentially slightly more subtle was the effusion of Christianity. The promise of future reward undermined cares of the material world. Dueling synods and heretical claims caused political divisions. The pacifist theology subverted martial spirit. But, it wasn't that simple. The invading barbarians also were becoming converts. As Gibbon points out:

If the decline of the Roman Empire was hastened by the conversion of Constantine, his victorious religion broke the violence of the fall, and mollified the ferocious temper of the conquerors. Pg. 374, Vol. IV.

By the end of Volume 4, it's clear that hardened and nomadic barbarians are one of the biggest threats to an established nation state. However, before we start fearing the repetitive historical narrative, Gibbon ends on a positive note. With the application of mathematics, chemistry, and mechanics to the art of war, industrious people can keep the barbarians at the gate. Tartar horse hordes don't fare well against cannons. Thus, Gibbon points out that barbarians can no longer invade as barbarians. They must become civilized to engage in modern warfare.

Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, Gibbon lived in the 18th century. Maybe he'd think differently after seeing the barbaric warfare of "civilized" people in the 20th.

On to the second half!

[Luiz Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Took me 5 years, but I finally did it! Difficult at times, thrilling at others, never superficial, always enriching. Of course, the long time is mostly my fault as I read many other books in parallel. Stopped, started it again... Many times.

The book was for me a long date, almost a wedding. Sometimes I almost thought I would give it up, but I endured and oh, it was well worth it! I know the more modern historians at times hate this book, consider its thesis outdated, but for an amateur like me, it was an excellent introduction to these troubled times.

I strongly recommend the read. As I said, it will take long, but you wont regret it.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

One book down seven more to go. I have always been interested in history especially the history of Rome and Egypt, so when I was able to get the Edward Gibbon’s eight volume set of "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire", I jumped on it. I purchased the Folio Society version which is bound in a nice sturdy cover that appears almost like marble with an interesting gold design around the front, the text is clear and is printed on a slightly heavy stock paper with is a nice touch, there are some black and white illustrations of ancient buildings and temples. Inside of the front and back covers of the books are rough drawn maps showing where the boundaries of the Empire were and where they grew (or shrank in some cases) during the period of time each book covers. I am going to take a break from the collection for a while and probably update reviews as I read the other books.

Book one, "The Turn of the Tide" does not begin with the founding of Rome but actually starts when, what many historians as well as Gibbon would consider the beginning of the end. If you already have a fairly good understanding of the history of Rome it should be fairly easy to pick up and read, I would not suggest this to somebody as a ‘first read’ on the subject though. In the first book you come across a lot of names, a lot of family history, a lot of towns and cities spread across the empire. In fact you will reach a point in the book where it seems that there is a new civil war on nearly a weekly basis, each one ending with a new ruler of Rome. It can get confusing if you do not have a strong understanding of how Rome worked, the way the government and military worked and were structured, and how typical daily life played out.

There are some explanations and definitions of terms used throughout but I would strongly recommend reading some other history books on the subject if you are not familiar with the aspects of the founding and earlier days of Rome and the Roman Empire.

Book One starts with the size and scope of the military forces during the period of the Antonines and ends with the events taking place after the death of Aurelian and the reign of Tacitus. In between you will learn about the Constitution of Rome, the life of Commodus, the attempted reform and death of Pertinax, Caracalla’s tyrannical reign, various civil wars, rebellions, what was happening in Persia and Germany and how it affected the Roman Empire, the rulers, the military, and in some cases the every day lives of citizens. Very well written and researched but it can be a little rough to read at certain points - I found myself flipping a few pages backwards from time to time trying to re-trace who exactly appointed who to which office or who incited a rebellion and who tried to prevent it. Like I said, so far I’ve only read one out of eight books but so far I am enjoying the deeper level of history than other books on the subject that I have read in the past.

[David Cook · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had really had a hard time getting into this book. Not because of content but style. Volume I was published in 1776. Volumes II and III were published in 1781; volumes IV, V, and VI in 1788–89. The work covers the history, from 98 to 1590, of the Roman Empire, the history of early Christianity and then of the Roman State Church, and the history of Europe, and discusses the decline of the Roman Empire in the East and West. Because of its relative objectivity and heavy use of primary sources, unusual at the time, its methodology became a model for later historians.

Gibbons was considered the first modern historian of ancient Rome. Gibbon offers an explanation for the fall of the Roman Empire, a task made difficult by a lack of comprehensive written sources, though he was not the only historian to attempt the task. 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 duty 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, were unwilling to live a tougher, 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 a larger purpose. He also believed that Christianity's comparative pacifism tended to hamper the traditional Roman martial spirit.

[Jwt Jan50 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recently tried to reread this and gave it up. Originally plowed straight through all of it in the winter of '77-'78 after reading Count Belisarius. At the time, I thoroughly enjoyed it and felt the read itself was epic. As well as the narrative. Now, I'd be looking for an updated and less detailed version. If you need to put a 'notch' on your book shelf, go for it.

[Sutherland · Rating 5 out of 5]

A bit hard to follow if you aren't already fimular with Roman history but it rewards attentive reading.

[Arthur Sperry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a deservedly famous mega-work of Roman History. I read it once many years ago, and wanted to refresh my memory of it. So many detailed stories and anecdotes.

[Garry Nixon]

I’ll come back when I retire.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is half of the series, it mixes the eastern and western empires jumping back and forward between them as they intersect. It bored me a little when it got into the religious side of things, a subject i have zero interest in. These 4 volumes are neatly concluded with the complete destruction of the western empire. The following 4 volumes will detail the similar fate of the eastern empire. It is still amazing the breadth of these two empires, and just how long they endured compared to any other empires in human history. The writing in these books doesn't feel like they were written several hundred years ago, the only thing that slowed me down more than the boring religious sections was the far too infrequent footnotes, my reading improved greatly once I'd decided to ignore them all completely.

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another book to help one fall asleep.

I finished reading volume 1 on March 21, 2012; volume 2 on September 13, 2012; volume 3, February 3, 2013; volume 4, August 31, 2013; volume 5, June 1, 2014 and volume 6, April 13, 2015. iBook.

[Emmett Hoops · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bear in mind, this is only half the set. I will read the next four volumes when I feel sufficiently graced with time and inclination.

[Michael Weber]

Interesting, a bit wordy that was to be expected.