The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

What it is

This is a volume of Edward Gibbon's famous history of Rome, first published in the 18th century and reprinted here in 1906. It covers the decline of the Roman Empire across many chapters, including Constantine's reign.

Why it matters

Gibbon's work shaped how generations understood the fall of Rome, including the role of Constantine's conversion to Christianity and his political and military reforms. It is a secondary source, written over a thousand years after Constantine's death, reflecting Gibbon's own Enlightenment-era views.

Look closer

• What does Gibbon's choice of words suggest about his opinion of Constantine?
• Why might a historian writing centuries later interpret events differently from people who lived through them?
• What kinds of evidence might Gibbon have used to write about Constantine?