Diocletian

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Quote of the Post:

Rome was in crisis. Carus, the Emperor, had just died. How, you might ask? Apparently, he was struck by lightning. This threw Carus’ current military campaign into Persia into chaos. The soldiers realized it was time to march back home, and with a dark cloud hanging over their heads, they prepared for their journey. Carus’ son Numerian was declared Emperor.

Unfortunately, a couple of weeks into the journey, it seemed like nobody had seen Numerian for a while. Eventually, Numerian’s body was discovered rotting in his tent. His praetorian prefect, Aper, was implicated in the murder. Diocletian had to restore the peace. He had to restore order. A career soldier, he understood the importance of unity and the detrimental effects of chaos. In front of all his troops, he murdered Aper. Diocletian was declared Emperor.

In the previous century, Rome had suffered through the crisis of the Third Century. The Gauls rebelled. Valerian, a Roman Emperor, was captured by the Sassanid Empire. Decius, another Emperor, was slain in battle. Gallienus, Claudius, and Aurelian had done their part in bringing back stability to the Empire, but it would be Diocletian who would end the crisis.

Diocletian immediately chose to share power with another soldier named Maximian. He understood that the Roman Empire was now too big to be effectively ruled by one man. However, Diocletian did not stop there. Together, Diocletian and Maximian led military campaigns to push back the Germanic tribes, Sassanids, and the British tribes.

Diocletian then did what had never been done before and appointed another two men to also rule beside him and Maximian. Constantius and Galerius were named Junior Caesars. Together, these four men were able to quell revolts all over the empire. Their wars brought stability back to the Roman Empire. Diocletian had established the tetrarchy, that is the “Rule of Four.”

Diocletian would increase the number of legions from 33 to 50 and reinstated an annual draft. Roman victories soon followed. The Sassanids were once again defeated in 298 AD. The long-lasting rebellion in Britain was crushed in 296 AD. In 297, Diocletian took Alexandria after a siege.

With the borders now secure, Diocletian embarked on extremely ambitious policies back in Rome. He had a massive building program. He built palaces for his tetrarchs, the Baths of Diocletian in Rome, rebuilt the Senate house, and built a large network of forts and roads. Diocletian established arms factories, and finally imposed taxes upon the citizens of Rome.

Diocletian was a builder and reformer, but he also had a bloodthirsty streak. Under his rule, Christians would be persecuted more than ever before. This didn't really accomplish anything, as a couple of decades later Rome would have its first Christian Emperor, Constantine the Great.

In addition, there were still massive currency problems due to rampant inflation. As a result, Diocletian imposed the Edict of Maximum prices, but as anyone who has studied modern economic theory understands, this is a terrible way to combat inflation. Regardless, Diocletian did much to restore balance to what had been a rough couple of years for the Roman economy.

None of this sounds all that interesting though. It just sounds like the typical behavior from the head of a state. What I love about Diocletian, is that he was the only Roman emperor to give up the throne. He retired, preferring to grow cabbages at his home in Dalmatia (modern day Croatia). Unfortunately, his tetrarchy quickly fell apart as political instability gripped Rome.

When Diocletian was asked to return back to power, he remarked,

“If only you could see at Salona the cabbages raised by our hands,” said Diocletian, “you surely would never judge that a temptation.”

Cabbages. I love them in my coleslaw just as much as you do. However, would you give up rule of the Roman Empire to farm cabbages? Diocletian did. This surly, military man saved Rome for at least a hundred more years because of his policies, but even more importantly, he loved cabbages.

Source: Ten Caesars: Roman Emperors from Augustus to Constantine by Barry S. Strauss

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