Question 1

What is Edward Gibbon famous for?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 2

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

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 3

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

Accepted Answer

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

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