Diocletian (244-311 CE) was Roman emperor from 284 to 305, credited with ending the prolonged period of military and political instability known as the Crisis of the Third Century. He restructured the empire's government by creating the Tetrarchy, dividing rule among two senior emperors and two junior successors, and carried out sweeping reforms of the army, taxation and provincial administration that reshaped the late Roman state. His reign also saw the Diocletianic Persecution, the last and most severe empire-wide persecution of Christians under Roman law. In 305 he took the unprecedented step of voluntarily abdicating the throne, retiring to a purpose-built palace on the Dalmatian coast, becoming the first Roman emperor to relinquish power willingly rather than dying in office or being overthrown.
Facts
Death YearAncient sources disagree on whether Diocletian died in 311 or 312; the source states the date as 3 December 311 (or 312). BirthplaceDalmatia (probably near Salona, modern Solin, Croatia) 1 Death PlaceDiocletian's Palace at Spalatum (modern Split, Croatia), on the Dalmatian coast 1 Disputed
Death DateAncient sources disagree on whether Diocletian died in 311 or 312; the source states the date as 3 December 311 (or 312). Role
Role (category) FAQs
What was the tetrarchy that Diocletian created?
A system of two senior emperors, each with a junior Caesar, built to make succession smooth.
The tetrarchy was Diocletian's answer to the problem of succession. It kept two emperors, with two Augusti, Diocletian in the East and Maximian in the West, and a Caesar serving under each of them, so that power could pass smoothly if an emperor died or abdicated.
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Source Wikipedia: Diocletian
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Originated In
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Source Wikipedia: DiocletianLead paragraph of the cited Wikipedia articletier 2Quote, Lead paragraph of the cited Wikipedia article
He was born Diocles to a family of low status in the Roman province of Dalmatia.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.
Source Wikidata: Diocletian
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Diocletian
WikipediaEarly life section
His original name was Diocles (in full, Gaius Valerius Diocles), possibly derived from Dioclea, the name of both his mother and her supposed place of birth.
Retirement and death section
He moved into the expansive Diocletian's Palace, a heavily fortified compound located by the small town of Spalatum on the shores of the Adriatic Sea, and near the large provincial administrative center of Salona.
Lead paragraph, role
Diocletian ( DY-ə-KLEE-shən; Latin: Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus; Ancient Greek: Διοκλητιανός, romanized: Diokletianós; 242/245 - 311/312), nicknamed Jovius, was Roman emperor from 284 until his abdication in 305.
Lead paragraph, nickname
Diocletian ( DY-ə-KLEE-shən; Latin: Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus; Ancient Greek: Διοκλητιανός, romanized: Diokletianós; 242/245 - 311/312), nicknamed Jovius, was Roman emperor from 284 until his abdication in 305.
Diocletian: Gender
He restructured the empire's government by creating the Tetrarchy, dividing rule among two senior emperors and two junior successors, and carried out sweeping reforms of the army, taxation and provincial administration that reshaped the late Roman state.
In Era: Classical Antiquity, lead paragraph, lifespan
Infobox: born 23 December c. 242-243sfnm|1a1=Barnes|1y=1982|1pp=30, 46|2a1=CAH|2p=68; died 3 December 311/312 (aged c.|68)
View the Source 2. World History Encyclopedia: Diocletian
World History EncyclopediaEarly life
was born of humble origins on 22 December 245 CE in the Balkan province of Dalmatia
Retirement
raising cabbages until his death in October of 311 CE
View the Source Wikidata: Diocletian
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