1. Diocletian Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus (AD 240 - AD 311)

2. Family Born in AD 245 in Dalmatia. His father was a former slave and scribe to a wealthy senator.

3. Obtaining Power Diocles as he was known, rose through the military ranks quickly. He became head of the imperial guard under Carus and his son Numerian. He publicly executed the praetorian prefect Aper for the assassination of Carus and Numerian. He was hailed emperor by the troops on AD 284. He immediately met Carinus (Carus’s brother and co- emperor) on the battle field. Diocletian as he was now known, was in fact losing the battle until one of his own officers killed Carinus from behind enemy lines. Carinus’s army then yielded and swore themselves to Dicloetian.

4. Reign Diocletian reigned from approximately AD 240-311.

5. Structures Built No major structures built.

6. Social and Domestic Programs In AD 293 Diocletian took another new step and made the Tetrarchy. With two emperors (one main emperor and one junior emperor) in the east and two in the west, the entire empire was split up amongst four emperors. Each Tetrarch had his own capital city and territory. Heirs were meant to be selected by merit and capability. This system was to avoid all the political turmoil of corruption, assassination etc. Diocletian and Maximian returned Rome to the religious center piece of the world by proclaiming themselves divine (sent by god) and making the Rome around them worship them as such. Diocletian doubled the provinces to 100 so no one governor was powerful enough to rebel. He also created the thirteen diocese to manage the provinces with a religious hand. He divided the military into border troops (limitanei) and highly mobil inland troops (comitantenses) Diocletian’s government created regional taxation, which taxed different areas based on their resources to as not to strain the public to much. He had all churches destroyed and in 293 he made all soldiers and government officials make a sacrifice to the ancient gods.

7. Military Campaigns After appointing his military friend Maximian to Caeser and then again to Augustus, Diocletian spent years fighting the Danubians and Sarmations and even the Saracen Turks. In AD 286 Carausius, commander of the north sea fleet, rebelled and proclaimed himself emperor of Britain. He was left alone. In AD 296, Diocletian put down revolts in Egypt while his junior emperor Galerious battled the Persians.

8. Loss of Power/Succession In AD 305 he abdicated the throne and convinced Maximian to do so as well. He lived in his estate in Spalatum until his death in AD 311 of illness.

9. Bibliography www.roman-emire.net/decline/alex- severus.htmlwww.roman-emire.net/decline/alex- severus.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/main_page