Why is Diocletian important?
Why is Diocletian important? As Roman emperor for more than 20 years (284–305 CE), Diocletian brought stability, security, and efficient government to the Roman state after nearly half a century of chaos.
What did Diocletian do for the Roman Empire?
Diocletian separated and enlarged the empire's civil and military services and reorganized the empire's provincial divisions, establishing the largest and most bureaucratic government in the history of the empire.
What was Diocletian's most important reform?
His military reforms strengthened the army and restored imperial control over the generals. His economic reforms began compensating for devalued currency. Most significantly, however, Diocletian appointed a co-emperor and divided the Roman Empire in half.
What was Diocletian good at?
To ensure he wasn't vulnerable Diocletian had to make certain people believed power truly resided in his hands and that it could not simply be taken from him. His ability to craft a powerful image of himself as a Godlike ruler was extremely effective, and as a result, he was able to hold power for twenty years.
Why was Diocletian successful?
Unlike previous emperors, Diocletian avoided the patronage system, appointing and promoting individuals who were not only qualified but people he could trust.
What were Diocletian's reforms?
In 301, Diocletian attempted to control inflation by issuing a maximum price edict and salaries of workers. Meanwhile, it radically restructures the tax system, largely by changing the property tax base and strengthening the system of perception.
What was Diocletian's main goal?
To be sure, the financial system was subject to excesses; but Diocletian's purpose was to obtain funds, and he did not even spare Italy, which had until then been free of land taxation.
How did Diocletian succeed in preserving the empire?
How did Diocletian succeed in preserving the empire? He preserved the empire by splitting it into 2 parts, because he knew it was too big to be ruled by one emperor. After he died, Constantine tried to unite it again, but they lost the western part.
Was Diocletian's reform good or bad?
His reforms prolonged the existence of the Roman Empire for 150 more years. However, Diocletian's reforms made the lives of ordinary people unbearable. By forcing farmers and artisans to serve the needs of the army, Diocletian resuscitated the military, but destroyed civilian life. Thus, the Empire lost its soul.
Who started the Great Fire of Rome?
Ancient historians blamed Rome's infamous emperor, Nero, for the fire. One historian said Nero was playing the fiddle while his city went up in flames. Other historians say Nero wanted to raze the city so he could build a new palace. Nero himself blamed a rebellious new cult—the Christians.
Did Diocletian split with Rome?
In 286, the Emperor Diocletian decided to divide Rome into two sections to try and stabilize the empire. For 100 years Rome experienced more divisions and in 395 BC it finally became The Western Empire and The Eastern Empire. The division changed Roman life and government forever.
Why is Diocletian important?
As Roman emperor for more than 20 years (284–305 CE), Diocletian brought stability, security, and efficient government to the Roman state after nea...
What was Diocletian’s religion?
Diocletian was an adherent of the traditional Roman religion involving worship of the pantheon of deities including Jove (Jupiter), Mars, Apollo, a...
What did Diocletian do to Christians?
At the urging of the caesar Galerius, in 303 Diocletian began the last major persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire, resulting in the destru...
What happened to Carus and his sons?
Carus's death, amid a successful war with Persia and in mysterious circumstances – he was believed to have been struck by lightning or killed by Persian soldiers – left his sons Numerian and Carinus as the new Augusti. Carinus quickly made his way to Rome from his post in Gaul as imperial commissioner and arrived there by January 284, becoming legitimate Emperor in the West. Numerian lingered in the East. The Roman withdrawal from Persia was orderly and unopposed. The Sassanid king Bahram II could not field an army against them as he was still struggling to establish his authority. By March 284, Numerian had only reached Emesa (Homs) in Syria; by November, only Asia Minor. In Emesa he was apparently still alive and in good health: he issued the only extant rescript in his name there, but after he left the city, his staff, including the prefect (Numerian's father-in-law, and as such the dominant influence in the Emperor's entourage) Aper, reported that he suffered from an inflammation of the eyes. He travelled in a closed coach from then on. When the army reached Bithynia, some of the soldiers smelled an odor emanating from the coach. They opened its curtains and inside they found Numerian dead. Both Eutropius and Aurelius Victor describe Numerian's death as an assassination.
What was the role of Diocletian in the Third Century?
Diocletian's reign stabilized the empire and marks the end of the Crisis of the Third Century. He appointed fellow officer Maximian as Augustus, co-emperor, in 286. Diocletian reigned in the Eastern Empire, and Maximian reigned in the Western Empire.
What did Diocletian do to the empire?
Diocletian separated and enlarged the empire's civil and military services and reorganized the empire's provincial divisions, establishing the largest and most bureaucratic government in the history of the empire.
When did Diocletian meet Maximian?
Diocletian met Maximian in Milan in the winter of 290–91, either in late December 290 or January 291.
How many acres were in one iugerum?
He introduced an extensive new tax system based on heads ( capita) and land ( iugera ) – with one iugerum equal to approximately 0.65 acres – and tied to a new, regular census of the empire's population and wealth.
Where was Diocletian born?
Diocletian was born near Salona in Dalmatia ( Solin in modern Croatia ), some time around 244. His parents gave him the Greek name Diocles, or possibly Diocles Valerius. The modern historian Timothy Barnes takes his official birthday, 22 December, as his actual birthdate. Other historians are not so certain. His parents were of low status; Eutropius records "that he is said by most writers to have been the son of a scribe, but by some to have been a freedman of a senator called Anulinus." The first forty years of his life are mostly obscure. The Byzantine chronicler Joannes Zonaras states that he was Dux Moesiae, a commander of forces on the lower Danube. The often-unreliable Historia Augusta states that he served in Gaul, but this account is not corroborated by other sources and is ignored by modern historians of the period. The first time Diocletian's whereabouts are accurately established, in 282, the Emperor Carus made him commander of the Protectores domestici, the elite cavalry force directly attached to the Imperial household – a post that earned him the honour of a consulship in 283. As such, he took part in Carus's subsequent Persian campaign.
Who was the junior emperor of the Roman Empire?
Diocletian delegated further on 1 March 293, appointing Galerius and Constantius as junior co-emperors (each with the title Caesar ), under himself and Maximian respectively. Under the Tetrarchy, or "rule of four", each emperor would rule over a quarter-division of the empire.
What did Diocletian wear?
Diocletian took a different approach. He wore a diadem, a symbol of royalty emperors never dared to wear. His subjects were required to kneel in his presence. Rigid court ceremonial was introduced, such as kissing the hem of the emperor’s robe.
Why did the senior emperors adopt their juniors?
In theory, the junior emperors could take over upon the death or retirement of the senior emperors and appoint new juniors in their place.
What did Diocletian believe about the Roman gods?
He believed the turn away from Jupiter and the other Roman gods, who traditionally protected the state, might have led to divine disfavor. Diocletian had a reputation for brutality. When he laid siege to a usurper emperor in Egypt, he asked that his men keep killing until blood came up to the knees of his horse.
What was Diocletian's idea for the economy?
One of Diocletian’s ideas to fix the economy was “the Edict of Maximum prices,” an extraordinary document that attempted to list every item people bought regularly and the maximum people could charge for it .
Why was Diocletian considered a tyrant?
Diocletian’s rule had a dark side. The emperor was seen as a tyrant by many people, not least because he hated the growing sect of Christians in his empire. He was concerned with stability; he wanted to root out the causes of Roman decline. Religious reasons were top of his list.
Why is Diocletian called the dominating?
Diocletian’s rule, and the period that followed it, is sometimes referred to as the dominate, because of the authoritarian character of the monarchy at this time.
What empire conquered the Roman East?
The crisis reached its zenith when Britain and France broke away to form the Gallic Empire, and the Palmyrene Empire conquered large parts of the Roman East.
Where was Diocletian born?
Born probably near Spalatum (Split) with the name Diocles on 22 December AD 240 or 245, Diocletian was the son of a poor family in Dalmatia. It is said, that his father, apparently a scribe of a wealthy senator, might have been a former slave.
What was the last religious edict?
In April AD 304 Diocletian issued his final religious edict. All Christians were ordered to Roman gods. Anyone who would refuse would be executed.
What was the order of Diocletian in AD 297?
In AD 297 or 298 all soldiers and administrators were ordered to make sacrifices to the gods. Anyone who refused to do so, was immediately dismissed. On 24 February AD 303 another edict was issued. This time Diocletian ordered the destruction of all churches and scriptures within the empire.
Why did Diocletian need to be in Rome?
Meanwhile he needed someone in Rome to take care of government. Not having a son, it was a natural choice to pick one of his trusted military comrades to hold the fort for him.
How many men were under arms during Diocletian's reign?
This expansion of the military under Diocletian represented a large increase compared to the previous reigns. 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.
What year was the rebellion of Carausius?
The year Ad 286 however, should not only be remembered for the promotion of Maximian. It also should become known for the rebellion of Carausius, who was the commander of the North Sea fleet, who made himself emperor of Britain. Meanwhile Diocletian embarked on several years of hard campaigning.
How many Augusti would rule?
Two Augusti would rule as major emperors, one in teh east, the other in the west. Each Augustus would adopt as his son a junior emperor, a Caesar, who would help rule his half of the empire with him and who be his appointed successor.
1. He was born in modern-day Croatia
The man we know as Roman Emperor Diocletian was born in the Roman province of Dalmatia, a region that encompassed several modern-day countries including Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo, and Serbia.
2. Little is known about the first 40 years of his life
One of the most remarkable facts about Diocletian is that we know virtually nothing about the first 40 years of his life. This means that he was almost certainly born into a lower-class family, a notion that makes it all the most impressive that he eventually came to reign over the Roman Empire.
3. The first mention of his name came in the early 280s A.D
Because he gradually climbed the ranks of the Roman Army, little is known about how he pulled this magnificent achievement. The first time his name is mentioned in official documents was in the year 282 A.D.
4. He became Roman Emperor in the year 284 A.D
A Persian campaign was launched around the time he became a Consul in which Diocletian participated. During this campaign, Emperor Carus died in mysterious circumstances.
5. The Battle of the Margus made him the sole Roman Emperor
Because Carinus was still alive, it means that he became co-Emperor and ruler in the East. Because of this, the conflict with Carinus to become sole Emperor started and eventually culminated in the Battle of the Margus.
6. He needed a co-emperor and found one in 285 A.D
Just because he got Carinus out of the way didn’t mean he had the ambition to rule over the Roman Empire alone. After all, the Crisis of the Third Century wasn’t solved yet so he needed another trustworthy co-Emperor to rule in the West.
8. He managed to make peace in a troublesome region in the east
The Sassanid Empire of Persia, also known as the Neo-Persian Empire as it was the final Empire before the Muslim Conquest of the region in the 7th century, had always been a troublesome region for the Roman Empire. Countless wars were fought against the Persians over the centuries, and the same happened during the reign of Diocletian.
How many rulers did Diocletian have?
He divided the four rulers into two categories: Caesars and Augusti. Caesars were junior emperors and Augusti were senior emperors. The four of them divided up the empire so they each had fewer people to look after, an interesting fact about Diocletian.
What was Diocletian concerned about?
He was concerned with tradition, family taking care of each other, respecting the laws of marriage, respecting authority, and private property rights.
What were Diocletian's reforms?
Along with his domestic reforms, Diocletian made several financial reforms. He reinstated the use of silver and gold coins, as well as creating a new type of bronze coin for day to day usage, a fun fact about Diocletian. He increased the amount of coins being made, which may have caused the coins to become worthless, but Diocletian also passed laws to fix wages and set maximum prices for certain commodities to combat this. However, there wasn’t really any way to enforce those rules, and they were later revoked.
Why did Diocletian change his name?
They even changed their names to those of gods to let people know they had been chosen to rule with divine wisdom and heroic energy.
How long did Diocletian rule?
Conclusion. Diocletian (full Latin name: Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus) ruled for 20 years, saving the Roman Empire from the brink of ruin and laying the foundation for the Byzantine Empire, and yet, he is rather forgettable. After his rule, which he readily gave up, he retired to a large palace and then died.
What is the most interesting thing about Diocletian?
8 Interesting Facts about Diocletian. Diocletian was declared a Roman emperor in the year 284, although only a few regions such as Asia minor and Syria recognized him as emperor. It wasn’t until 285 when the recognized master of the empire was assassinated, that he took his place as emperor. Like most important figures from this long ago, ...
Why did the four Romans divide up the Greek Empire?
The four of them divided up the empire so they each had fewer people to look after, an interesting fact about Diocletian. 2. His rise to power was foretold. Greek and Roman myth in this time period was filled with gods, fortune tellers, and chosen mortals.
Overview
Diocletian , nicknamed Iovius, was Roman emperor from 284 to 305. Born to a family of low status in the Roman Province of Dalmatia, and originally named Diocles, Diocletian rose through the ranks of the military early in his career, eventually becoming a cavalry commander for the army of Emperor Carus. After the deaths of Carus and his son Numerian on campaign in Persia, Diocletian was proclaimed emperor by the troops. The title was also claimed by Carus's surviving son, Carin…
Early life
Diocletian was born in Dalmatia, probably at or near the town of Salona (modern Solin, Croatia), to which he retired later in life. His name at birth was Diocles (in full, Gaius Valerius Diocles), possibly derived from Dioclea, the name of both his mother and her supposed place of birth. Diocletian's official birthday was recorded at 22 December, and his year of birth has been estimated at between 242 and 245 based on a statement that he was aged 68 at death. His pare…
Early rule
Diocletian may have become involved in battles against the Quadi and Marcomanni immediately after the Battle of the Margus. He eventually made his way to northern Italy and made an imperial government, but it is not known whether he visited the city of Rome at this time. There is a contemporary issue of coins suggestive of an imperial adventus (arrival) for the city, but some mod…
Tetrarchy
Some time after his return, and before 293, Diocletian transferred command of the war against Carausius from Maximian to Flavius Constantius, a former Governor of Dalmatia and a man of military experience stretching back to Aurelian's campaigns against Zenobia (272–73). He was Maximian's praetorian prefect in Gaul, and the husband to Maximian's daughter, Theodora. On 1 Marc…
Religious persecutions
At the conclusion of the Peace of Nisibis, Diocletian and Galerius returned to Syrian Antioch. At some time in 299, the emperors took part in a ceremony of sacrifice and divination in an attempt to predict the future. The haruspices were unable to read the entrails of the sacrificed animals and blamed Christians in the Imperial household. The emperors ordered all members of the court to per…
Later life
Diocletian entered the city of Rome in the early winter of 303. On 20 November, he celebrated, with Maximian, the twentieth anniversary of his reign (vicennalia), the tenth anniversary of the Tetrarchy (decennalia), and a triumph for the war with Persia. Diocletian soon grew impatient with the city, as the Romans acted towards him with what Edward Gibbon, following Lactantius, calls "licentious fa…
Reforms
Diocletian saw his work as that of a restorer, a figure of authority whose duty it was to return the empire to peace, to recreate stability and justice where barbarian hordes had destroyed it. He arrogated, regimented and centralized political authority on a massive scale. In his policies, he enforced an Imperial system of values on diverse and often unreceptive provincial audiences. In th…
Legacy
The historian A.H.M. Jones observed that "It is perhaps Diocletian's greatest achievement that he reigned twenty-one years and then abdicated voluntarily, and spent the remaining years of his life in peaceful retirement." Diocletian was one of the few emperors of the third and fourth centuries to die naturally, and the first in the history of the empire to retire voluntarily. Once he retired, howev…
Rise to Power: The Dyarchy
Breaking The Power of The Provinces
- Diocletian’s biggest challenge was dealing with the structural problems that had brought the empire to its knees. He more than doubled the number of provinces, which were in turn broken into groups of 12 dioceses, and four prefectures. He recognized that by clipping the power of the provinces, very few people would be powerful enough to challenge him. More people held positi…
Tyranny and Christianity in The Roman Empire
- Diocletian’s rule had a dark side. The emperor was seen as a tyrant by many people, not least because he hated the growing sect of Christians in his empire. He was concerned with stability; he wanted to root out the causes of Roman decline. Religious reasons were top of his list. Christianity was experiencing a boom in popularity, perhaps in part as a response to dark times. …