This renowned biography of the great Catholic saint, famous for converting Ireland to Christianity, is also a stunningly vivid portrait of life in the British Isles in the fifth century. Born in Britain as a Roman citizen and kidnapped by raiders to Ireland as a teenager, where he remained to do his holy work, Patrick's life encapsulates the themes of the era, as the new religion won out of paganism as the Roman Empire fell. Almost as valuable as the biography itself are Bury's complex appendices, which comprise more than half the book, and include such important scholarly details as the author's notes on Patrick's own writings, the memoirs of the saint by other writers including Trechn and Muirchu, an examination of other Irish source materials, and a look at the historical evidence for such events as the dates of Patrick's birth and captivity, his possible visit to Rome in 432, his consecration, the location of his burial, and much more. British historian JOHN BAGNELL BURY (1861-1927) was professor of modern history at Cambridge. His writings, known for a readability combined with a scholarly depth, include History of the Later Roman Empire (1889), History of Greece (1900), and Idea of Progress (1920).

Volume 2 of classic history. One of the world's foremost historians chronicles the major forces and events in the history of the Western and Byzantine Empires from the death of Theodosius (395 a.d.) to the death of Justinian (565 a.d.).

The classical historian J. B. Bury (1861-1927) was the author of a history of Greece which was a standard textbook for over a century. He also wrote on later periods, and, in this two-volume work of 1889, examines Byzantine history from 395 to 800. Arguing for the underlying continuity of the Roman empire from the time of Augustus until 1453, Bury nevertheless begins his account in the year in which, on the death of Theodosius I, the empire was divided into eastern and western parts, and Constantinople began to take on the metropolitan role formerly held by Rome. Broadly chronological, but with an extended section on the state of the empire at the end of the fourth century, Volume 1 covers the period to the deaths of Belisarius and Justinian in 565, examining the decline of paganism, the inroads of 'barbarians', and the cultural milieu of the early Byzantine empire.

The classical historian J. B. Bury (1861-1927) was the author of a history of Greece which was a standard textbook for over a century. He also wrote on later periods, and, in this two-volume work of 1889, examines Byzantine history from 395 to 800. Arguing for the underlying continuity of the Roman empire from the time of Augustus until 1453, Bury nevertheless begins his account in the year in which, on the death of Theodosius I, the empire was divided into eastern and western parts, and Constantinople began to take on the metropolitan role formerly held by Rome. Volume 2, after reviewing Justinian's legacy, takes the history down from the accession of Justin II to the death of Irene in 803. Topics examined include civil strife, including the period of iconoclasm, and the increasing problems of maintaining the imperial borders against incursions from both east and west.

The classical historian J. B. Bury (1861-1927) was the author of a history of Greece which was a standard textbook for over a century. He also wrote on the later history of the Roman empire, and, in this 1912 work, examines the Byzantine empire in the ninth century. The book is a continuation of his two-volume History of the Later Roman Empire of 1889, which covers the period from 395 to 800 (and is also reissued in this series), and reflects Bury's belief that the century-long so-called Amorian epoch 'is not a mere epilogue, and is much more than a prologue' between the better-known periods of Byzantine history that preceded and followed it. In this period, iconoclasm again became a cause of civil strife, and wars on the eastern frontier were a strain on the military resources of the empire, while at least two of the emperors were murdered.

The classical historian J. B. Bury (1861-1927) was the author of a history of Greece (also reissued in this series) which served as a standard textbook for over a century. He also wrote on the later history of the Roman empire, and, in this 1911 work, examines the text (of which he provides an edition) of the 'Kletorologion' of Philotheos, an otherwise unknown official at the court of Byzantine Emperor Leo VI in the late ninth century. The work is a guide to precedence and court hierarchy, which at this time were of great political and social importance. Bury uses it to throw light on an administrative process in a period from which few other administrative documents have survived, but also works backwards from it to the far better recorded period of the reign of Justinian, demonstrating the likely developments of the imperial system in the intervening three centuries.

The pre-eminent historian of his day, Edward Gibbon (1737-94) produced his magnum opus in six volumes between 1776 and 1788. Reissued here is the authoritative seven-volume edition prepared by J. B. Bury (1861-1927) between 1896 and 1900. Immediately and widely acclaimed, Gibbon's work remains justly famous for its magisterial account of Roman imperialism and Christianity from the first century CE through to the fall of Constantinople and beyond. Innovative in its use of primary sources and notable for its tone of religious scepticism, this epic narrative stands as a masterpiece of English literature and historical scholarship. Volume 1 commences with the early emperors and a survey of the empire's extent and expansion. Examining Roman culture, law, government, slavery and agriculture, Gibbon guides the reader through three centuries to Constantine's emergence as sole emperor in 324.

The pre-eminent historian of his day, Edward Gibbon (1737-94) produced his magnum opus in six volumes between 1776 and 1788. Reissued here is the authoritative seven-volume edition prepared by J. B. Bury (1861-1927) between 1896 and 1900. Immediately and widely acclaimed, Gibbon's work remains justly famous for its magisterial account of Roman imperialism and Christianity from the first century CE through to the fall of Constantinople and beyond. Innovative in its use of primary sources and notable for its tone of religious scepticism, this epic narrative stands as a masterpiece of English literature and historical scholarship. Volume 2 seeks to explain the rise of Christianity, focusing on its emergence from and early interactions with Judaism, and the nature of Christian belief and worship. It also examines the founding of Constantinople and the pagan reign of Julian.

The pre-eminent historian of his day, Edward Gibbon (1737-94) produced his magnum opus in six volumes between 1776 and 1788. Reissued here is the authoritative seven-volume edition prepared by J. B. Bury (1861-1927) between 1896 and 1900. Immediately and widely acclaimed, Gibbon's work remains justly famous for its magisterial account of Roman imperialism and Christianity from the first century CE through to the fall of Constantinople and beyond. Innovative in its use of primary sources and notable for its tone of religious scepticism, this epic narrative stands as a masterpiece of English literature and historical scholarship. Volume 3 mainly covers the period 363-455 CE, including the division of the Eastern and Western Empires, the rise of the Huns, the end of paganism, the German invasion of Gaul, the Vandal conquest of Africa, and the life of Attila the Hun.

The pre-eminent historian of his day, Edward Gibbon (1737-94) produced his magnum opus in six volumes between 1776 and 1788. Reissued here is the authoritative seven-volume edition prepared by J. B. Bury (1861-1927) between 1896 and 1900. Immediately and widely acclaimed, Gibbon's work remains justly famous for its magisterial account of Roman imperialism and Christianity from the first century CE through to the fall of Constantinople and beyond. Innovative in its use of primary sources and notable for its tone of religious scepticism, this epic narrative stands as a masterpiece of English literature and historical scholarship. Volume 4 focuses on the fifth and sixth centuries CE, examining the Vandal sack of Rome and the fall of the Western Empire, the conversion of barbarians to Christianity, the Saxon conquest of Britain, and the wars of the Goths and the Vandals.

The pre-eminent historian of his day, Edward Gibbon (1737-94) produced his magnum opus in six volumes between 1776 and 1788. Reissued here is the authoritative seven-volume edition prepared by J. B. Bury (1861-1927) between 1896 and 1900. Immediately and widely acclaimed, Gibbon's work remains justly famous for its magisterial account of Roman imperialism and Christianity from the first century CE through to the fall of Constantinople and beyond. Innovative in its use of primary sources and notable for its tone of religious scepticism, this epic narrative stands as a masterpiece of English literature and historical scholarship. Volume 5 covers the period 565-1356 CE, addressing the Lombard conquest of Italy and the Persian siege of Constantinople, the divisive Christian doctrine of the incarnation, Byzantine rulers up to 1185, the reign of Charlemagne in the West, the life of Mohammed and the spread of Islam.

The pre-eminent historian of his day, Edward Gibbon (1737-94) produced his magnum opus in six volumes between 1776 and 1788. Reissued here is the authoritative seven-volume edition prepared by J. B. Bury (1861-1927) between 1896 and 1900. Immediately and widely acclaimed, Gibbon's work remains justly famous for its magisterial account of Roman imperialism and Christianity from the first century CE through to the fall of Constantinople and beyond. Innovative in its use of primary sources and notable for its tone of religious scepticism, this epic narrative stands as a masterpiece of English literature and historical scholarship. Volume 6 covers the period from the seventh to the fourteenth centuries CE, addressing the Arab sieges of Constantinople, the culture of the Eastern Empire at the end of the first millennium, the origins of the Bulgarian, Hungarian and Russian peoples, the rise of the Turks and the conquest of Asia Minor, and the Crusades.

The pre-eminent historian of his day, Edward Gibbon (1737-94) produced his magnum opus in six volumes between 1776 and 1788. Reissued here is the authoritative seven-volume edition prepared by J. B. Bury (1861-1927) between 1896 and 1900. Immediately and widely acclaimed, Gibbon's work remains justly famous for its magisterial account of Roman imperialism and Christianity from the first century CE through to the fall of Constantinople and beyond. Innovative in its use of primary sources and notable for its tone of religious scepticism, this epic narrative stands as a masterpiece of English literature and historical scholarship. Volume 7 covers the period 1206-1590 CE, examining the rise of Genghis Khan, the conquests of Tamerlane, the Council of Basel, the Ottoman capture of Constantinople, the Western schism and reunion, and the ruins of ancient Rome. Indexes to the text and appendices are also included.