Edward Gibbon, an English historian, published The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire in six volumes between 1776 and 1788. This is Chapter 62 of that work. He follows Rome from the prosperous age of Trajan and the Antonines, around the year 100, through the fall of the West and on to the Ottoman capture of Constantinople in 1453.

Chapter 62 takes up the Greek Emperors of Nice and Constantinople—Elevation and reign of Michael Palaeologus—His false union with the pope and the Latin Church—Hostile designs of Charles of Anjou—Revolt of Sicily—War of the Catalans in Asia and Greece—Revolutions and present state of Athens. The footnotes are not in this reading; what you have is the narrative.