Back Diocletianus Afrikaans Diokletian ALS Dioclecián AN ديوكلتيانوس Arabic ديوكلتيانوس ARZ Dioclecianu AST Diokletian Azerbaijani دیوکلسین AZB Дыяклетыян Byelorussian Диоклециан Bulgarian
| Diocletian | |||||
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| Roman emperor | |||||
| Solo-reign Co-reign | 20 November 284 – 1 April 286 1 April 286 – 1 May 305 | ||||
| Predecessor | Carinus (contested until July 285)[1] | ||||
| Successor | Galerius (East) Constantius Chlorus (West) | ||||
| Co-emperor | Maximian (western emperor) | ||||
| Born | Diocles 22 December 242–245[2] Salona | ||||
| Died | 3 December 311/312 (aged c. 68) Aspalathos | ||||
| Burial | |||||
| Spouse | Prisca | ||||
| Issue | Valeria | ||||
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| Religion | Roman | ||||
Diocletian (Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus, about 245 to about 312) was Roman Emperor from 20 November 284 to 11 May 305. He was born in Dalmatia of poor parents. Diocletian ended the period known as the Crisis of the Third Century (235–284). He worked to return Rome to its former glory by making changes in key areas.
Religion: He persecuted Christians, crucifying more than any other emperor. He imposed the traditional polytheistic religion of the Romans.
Economy: Recognizing a gold drain from the western Mediterranean to the east, he tried to stop the inflation of the region by legislation. This did not work. He decreed that coins could only be made of gold or silver, stopping the trend of using lead in their creation. He made the tax system work better.
Military: Diocletian changed the army from the traditional garrison defense. He put small outposts of soldiers on the border. He got local soldiers from the border regions along the Rhine and Danube rivers. These soldiers farmed and lived with their families in a village atmosphere. They lit signal fires on signal towers to warn other outposts of possible invasion by Germans from across the border. These outpost soldiers got regular pay from Rome for their services. He allowed soldiers to move up through the ranks by "military credits" earned by years of loyal service and by actions on the field of battle.