What period of history does The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire cover?

The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, written by Edward Gibbon, provides a continuous narrative covering the period from the 2nd century CE to the fall of Constantinople in 1453.1

The work is divided into two parts:
* The first half: Covers approximately 300 years, concluding with the end of the Roman Empire in the West around 480 CE.12
* The second half: Compresses nearly 1,000 years of history, tracing the developments of the Eastern Roman Empire until the final siege and capture of Constantinople.12

Gibbon framed this extensive timeline as a single, coherent narrative of the Roman Empire, which he viewed as being in a state of undeviating decline from the ideals of political and intellectual freedom found in classical literature.12