The various creeds and forms of worship existing in Rome were considered equally true by common people, equally false by philosophers, and equally useful by officials. Moreover, the followers of Christ were divided, which meant that Roman society was no longer united. According to the Christian faith, a better life awaited after death, and what’s more, the apostles advocated pacifism, which was contrary to the militant attitude of the Romans. – Edward Gibbon, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman EmpireĪnother important reason for the fall of Rome was supposed to be the uprising of the Praetorian Guard under Octavian August and its influence on power central later.Įdward Gibbon drew attention to the negative influence of Christianity on all aspects of the Empire, especially the military.

…the volatility of fortune, which spares neither man nor the proudest of his works… burying empires and cities in a common grave. all this was but a preparation, alarming signs of the approaching great catastrophe of Rome. Moreover, the military weakness of the legions was greatly influenced by the moral decline and loss of civic virtue among the Romans.ĭuring the second century of the Christian era, the Roman Empire embraced the most beautiful parts of the world and the most civilized part of humanity… the fire of genius died out and even the military spirit evaporated… internal discord and raids by the fiercest barbarians from the unknown northern regions.

The historian emphasized that the invasion of barbarian tribes from the 3rd century CE had a large impact on the fall of Rome.

Rome’s contacts with Africa and Far EastĪccording to Edward Gibbon (1737-1794), author of the classic work The Decline of the Roman Empire, the greatest influence on the disintegration of the Roman Empire was, among others, Christianity, the loss of civic values by the Romans, or “the great migration of peoples”.

Edward gibbon fall of the roman empire