What is Edward Gibbon famous for?

Edward Gibbon was an English historian famous for his History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. He presents the fall as due to the rise of Christianity and the abandonment of traditional Roman civic values and freedoms.

What is Gibbon's theory for the fall of the Roman Empire?

Edward Gibbon's theory that explained the fall of the Roman Empire was the rise of Christianity and a corresponding decline in traditional Roman values and freedoms. He also thought the Romans had become too soft militarily and too reliant on mercenary armies. Modern historians suggest this is only a part of a wider spectrum of reasons why the Western Roman Empire ended in the 5th century.

Why was Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire important?

Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire was important because it raised interest in ancient history and was taken by enlightened thinkers as an example of how institutionalised religion can stifle a society, something they were concerned with in their own lifetimes.

Edward Gibbon Timeline

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Definition

Edward Gibbon (1737-1794) was an English historian most famous for his influential work The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, volume one of which was published in 1776, with the final sixth volume coming in 1788. Gibbon's history was a bestseller, and in it, he attributes the decline of Rome to its increasing Christianization and departure from traditional civic values. Most historians today question Gibbon's omissions, inaccuracies, and bias, but the work remains important in Roman studies. In addition, Gibbon created a lasting trend to view history in the light of how it affects the present day.

More about: Edward Gibbon

Timeline

1737 - 1794
Life of the English historian Edward Gibbon.
27 Apr 1737
Edward Gibbon is born in Putney, Surrey, England.
1761
Edward Gibbon publishes his Essay on the Study of Literature.
1770
Edward Gibbon publishes his Critical observations on the sixth book of the Aeneid.
1776 - 1788
Edward Gibbon publishes his The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.
16 Jan 1794
Edward Gibbon dies in London.

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