Roman emperor diocletian biography channel
Home / Historical Figures / Roman emperor diocletian biography channel
He decided that it was too large to be ruled by one person, and eventually, he split the empire into two parts. The palace remains a UNESCO World Heritage site and a testament to Diocletian's architectural vision.
What is Diocletian’s palace known for?
More edicts followed that year, ordering all Christian clergy to be thrown in prison, to be released only after having made sacrifice to the Roman gods.
In April AD 304, Diocletian issued his final religious edict. Many goods also became unprofitable to sell, which therefore also meant that trade in those goods simply disappeared.
But Diocletian, the great reformer of the empire, should also become known for a very harsh persecution of the Christians.
To solve this problem, Diocletian divided the Roman Empire into four distinct territories, each to be governed by a different ruler.
How did Diocletian fall out of power?
Although effective while he ruled, Diocletian’s tetrarchic system collapsed after his abdication under the competing dynastic claims of Maxentius and Constantine, sons of Maximian and Constantius, respectively.
Franco Cavazzi
Historian Franco Cavazzi dedicated hundreds of hours of his life to creating this website, roman-empire.net as a trove of educational material on this fascinating period of history.
Two Augusti would rule as major emperors, one in the east, the other in the west. It remained one unit but was ruled by four men.
The Persian Invasion
In AD 296, the Persians attacked the empire. He launched campaigns against the Sarmatians, Carpi, and Alamanni in Europe and played a key role in defeating a Persian incursion.
His efforts culminated in the Peace of Nisibis in 299, securing favorable terms for Rome, including the return of several provinces.
All Christians were ordered to Roman gods. Then, after a serious illness, in AD 304, he took a step – unimaginable to Romans – of abdicating from the throne on 1 May AD 305, compelling a reluctant Maximian to do the same.
From his place of retirement at Spalatum (Split) in Dalmatia, Diocletian briefly returned to the political scene in AD 308 to aid Galerius at the Conference of Carnuntum.
Later, when it became known that he kept most of the “spoils of war” for himself, he was outlawed, and Maximian issued the death sentence. There were many attacks along the Danube River and from the eastern provinces.
In 303, he initiated the Diocletianic Persecution, the empire’s last and most severe campaign against Christians. He standardized taxation based on land and population censuses, ensuring a more equitable distribution of the tax burden. Each ruler governed a quarter of the empire, allowing for more localized decision-making and military defense.
The system introduced by Diocletian brought stability after decades of turmoil but would ultimately collapse following Diocletian’s abdication.
Difference between an Augustus and a Caesar
Military Campaigns and Border Security
Diocletian was a strong military leader who successfully defended the empire’s borders.
All this was no doubt introduced to yet further increase the authority of the imperial office. With now well over half a million men under arms, as well as a struggling economy, the tax burden was becoming hard to bear for the ordinary population.
Diocletian’s government, though, was well aware of this. :)
Diocletian: A Military and Administrative Biography
The formidable emperor who divided the Roman Empire and restored order.
How to Play
- ✓Read or listen to the 10 Minute Micro-Course and take the quiz
- ✓Review the Key Facts to prepare for the Fact Fragment Game
- ✓Study the Timeline to learn the order of events, then test yourself with the Temporal Tangle Game
- ✓Learn the Vocabulary and then unscramble the words in the Rune Ravel game
- Score 90% or higher across all games to unlock the badge above!
Step into the shimmering realm of ancient Rome and meet Diocletian, the enigmatic emperor whose reign marked a pivotal moment in the empire’s history.
They were no longer really military commanders, but they were expert jurists and administrators overseeing imperial administration. Diocletian solved this perennial problem with the help of tetrarchy – an idea that preserved the empire in its current state with two emperors but allowed a smooth transition in the event of the death or abdication of the Emperor.
One expedition took him as far as Syria, where he campaigned against the Saracen invaders from the Sinai peninsula in AD 290.
Then, in AD 293, Diocletian took another huge step into the unknown by founding the ‘Tetrarchy’, the rule of four. However, Christianity prevented it.