The History of The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Volume 1

The History of The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. First published in 1776, the six volumes follow Western civilisation from the apex of the Roman Empire to it's eventual fall. The first volume takes us from the Age of Trajan and the Antoninies, Roman rule under Commodus, Septimius Severus, Caracalla, Claudius, Tacitus and others, the defeat of the Goths, and the progress of Christianity. The second volume goes from Nero and Constantine to the foundation of Constantinople, the persecution of heresy, and the reigns of Julian, Jovian, and Valentinian. Volume three goes from the civil wars, and the reign of Theodosius, the destruction of Paganism to the invasion of Italy, and to the invasion of Gaul by Attila. Volume four explores the Gothic kingdom of Italy, and the reign of Justinian, and the state of Italy under the Lombards. Volume five discusses the Franks conquest of Italy, and the conquest by the Arabs. Volume six explores the crusades, the Moguls, the Ottomans, and the state of Rome from the twelfth century. The work was criticised for it's view of Christianity, and this is why is ended up being a banned book in several countries. Whilst he expected a certain amount of backlash for his work, Gibbons was taken aback by the extent of it, even writing a response to a particularly vicious criticism from Henry Edwards Davies, a young cleric.