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Edward Gibbon's masterpiece not only marked the beginning of the modern discipline of history, but still provides a solid scholarly foundation for the study of the Middle Ages, thrilling readers with the epic scope of its narrative as much today as it did nearly three centuries ago when it was first published. In this, the first volume, Gibbon examines the struggles of Rome from the Pax Romana to the unification of the Empire under Constantine I.
About the author
Edward Gibbon, born on May 8, 1737, in Putney, Surrey, England, was a renowned historian and scholar. Despite a frail childhood marked by frequent illnesses, he developed a voracious appetite for reading, which laid the foundation for his future intellectual pursuits. ¿In 1752, Gibbon enrolled at Magdalen College, Oxford, but found the academic environment uninspiring, leading to his temporary conversion to Roman Catholicism. His father subsequently sent him to Lausanne, Switzerland, where he reconverted to Protestantism and immersed himself in rigorous studies under the guidance of a Calvinist pastor. ¿Gibbon's magnum opus, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, was published in six volumes between 1776 and 1788. This monumental work is celebrated for its critical use of primary sources and its eloquent prose, offering a comprehensive analysis of the factors leading to the fall of the Roman Empire.
