Diocletian

Diocletian
Diocletian: marble, made in Florence, 17th century
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	Diocletian's Palace
Spouse	Prisca
Issue	Valeria
Full name Gaius Valerius Diocles Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus
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.

1. ↑ Barnes, New Empire, 4.
2. ↑ Barnes, New Empire, 30, 46; Bowman, "Diocletian and the First Tetrarchy" (CAH), 68.