As leader of the united East, Diocletian was clearly the greater threat. [14] They opened its curtains and inside they found Numerian dead. [175] Galerius convinced Diocletian that the culprits were Christians, conspirators who had plotted with the eunuchs of the palace. Augustus, the first Emperor, had nominally shared power with his colleagues, and more formal offices of Co-Emperor had existed from Marcus Aurelius onward. [130] Diocletian moved into Egypt to suppress him, first putting down rebels in the Thebaid in the autumn of 297,[122] then moving on to besiege Alexandria. They presided over the government from a raised platform. Constantine's rule, however, validated Diocletian's achievements and the autocratic principle he represented:[300] the borders remained secure, in spite of Constantine's large expenditure of forces during his civil wars; the bureaucratic transformation of Roman government was completed; and Constantine took Diocletian's court ceremonies and made them even more extravagant. Aurelius Victor, 39.15, qtd. Later edicts targeted the clergy and demanded universal sacrifice, ordering all inhabitants to sacrifice to the gods. [187] He contracted a minor illness while on campaign, but his condition quickly worsened and he chose to travel in a litter. [99] No details survive for these events. After the deaths of Carus and his son Numerian on campaign in Persia, Diocletian was proclaimed emperor. tetrarchy. Diocletian was awash in paperwork, and was nearly incapable of delegating his duties. [209] His subjects were required to prostrate themselves in his presence (adoratio); the most fortunate were allowed the privilege of kissing the hem of his robe (proskynesis, προσκύνησις). Corcoran, "Before Constantine", 40; Southern, 142. In a 31 March 302 rescript from Alexandria, he declared that low-status Manicheans must be executed by the blade, and high-status Manicheans must be sent to work in the quarries of Proconnesus (Marmara Island, Turkey) or the mines of Phaeno in southern Palestine. By doing this, … He created Tetrarchy ( " the rule of four " ). Emperor Theodosius made Christianity the official religion in 390 CE. [164] Diocletian found much to be offended by in Manichean religion: its novelty, its alien origins, its perceived corruption of the morals of the Roman race, and its inherent opposition to long-standing religious traditions. [232], This curtailment of governors' powers as the Emperors' representatives may have lessened the political dangers of an all-too-powerful class of Imperial delegates, but it also severely limited governors' ability to oppose local landed elites, especially those of senatorial status, which, although with reduced opportunities for office holding, retained wealth, social prestige, and personal connections,[233] particularly in relatively peaceful regions without a great military presence. And his court grew in size and did its business with elaborate ceremonies and fanfare. Without the guiding hand of Diocletian, the empire fell into civil wars. [61], The relationship between Diocletian and Maximian was quickly couched in religious terms. Constantius succeeded Maximian as augustus of the West, but Constantine and Maxentius were entirely ignored in the transition of power. Diocletian soon grew impatient with the city, as the Romans acted towards him with what Edward Gibbon, following Lactantius, calls "licentious familiarity". He seized the throne in 284 AD and proceeded to restore efficient government to the Empire. [131] The usurper L. Domitius Domitianus declared himself Augustus in July or August 297. Diocletian tried to restore order in the ruined economy by governmental directives. ", This page was last edited on 15 January 2021, at 00:10. [240] Emperors in the forty years preceding Diocletian's reign had not managed these duties so effectively, and their output in attested rescripts is low. Maximian, according to these accounts, swore to uphold Diocletian's plan in a ceremony in the Temple of Jupiter. He laid the foundation for the Byzantine Empire in the East and shored up the decaying empire in the West. Although there were four men ruling, Diocletian had the ultimate power because of his position in the Roman military. 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