Download Diolcetian and the Tetrarchy

Diocletian and the
establishment of the
Tetrarchy
Diocletian
Diocletian was a Roman emperor
from 284 to 305 AD. He was born to
a family of low status in the Roman
province of Dalmatia. Diocletian
became the cavalry commander to
the Emperor Carus. After the deaths
of Carus and his son Numerian on
campaign in Persia, Diocletian was
proclaimed emperor. Diocletian
battled Carus’s son Carinus for the
title, eventually defeating him.
Diocletian's reign stabilized the
empire.
In 303 AD, Diocletian, along with
the other rulers of the Roman
Empire, issued edicts rescinding the
rights of Christians and mandating
that they comply with traditional
Roman cult practices. At first, the
edict was non violent, but
subsequent edicts ordered noncompliant Christians to be
executed. The persecution ended
with Constantine in 313 AD.

The Tetrarchy, or "rule of four" was
established by Diocletian as a means to more
effectively administrate the empire.

The four men chosen by Diocletian were given
the title of “Augustus” for a senior emperor or
“Caesar” to designate a junior emperor.

The Tetrarchy consisted of four emperors
reigning over two halves of the empire. Each
pair of emperors was given control over either
the eastern or western portion of the empire.
This allowed Diocletian and his fellow
emperors to better organize the
administration of the provinces.

Diocletian continued to rule in the east. He
made Maximian co-emperor in the west. They
were each called “Augustus”. The two
“Caesars” were: Galerius, in the east, and
Constantius in the west.


This method of creating emperors and their
successors bypassed the need for approval of
emperors by the Senate.
The reforms of Diocletian came after a period
when many emperors had been assassinated.
Thus the Tetrarchy was seen as a more stable
form of government.
Diocletian and
the Tetrarchy
Caesar Gaius Aurelius Valerius
Diocletianus Augustus
Diocletian reigned from 284 to
305 AD both as an individual
emperor and as a member of the
Tetrarchy.
Statue of the Tetrarchy
The statue of the Tetrarchs depicts the
four Tetrarchs together. It symbolizes
the concept of co-rule and
cohesiveness instead of the power of
the individual. The idea of the
Tetrarchy, which is apparent in the
statue, is based on the idea of four
men working together to establish
peace and stability throughout the
empire. This sculpture of the Tetrarchs,
originally from the city of
Constantinople, now resides in Venice
at St. Marks. The rulers in the statue
Palace of Diocletian
Diocletian abdicated power in 305 AD and left the rule of the
Tetrarchy to his co-emperors. Diocletian then moved to his
palace in Dalmatia, which lies in modern day Croatia. Diocletian's
palace was built using limestone and marble as a fortress- half of
the palace was for Diocletian’s personal use; the other was for
military purposes. Diocletian's palace nicely illustrates the
Roman use of barrel vaults in the substructure and the use of
columns, peristyles, and entablatures to create monumental
spaces. In addition, the central court leading up to the other
rooms and to the peristyle was sunken into the floor. This
difference in elevation emphasized the power of Diocletian, as
members of the court would have to stand several steps below.