Diocletian _ the Division of the Roman Empire

							Introductory video clips
 “DE – Ancient Rome’s Decline” (6:11)
    Review of Roman weaknesses & overview of Diocletian
Diocletian (284-305)
                Born a commoner
                Went into military &
                 eventually became
                 commander of
                 emperor’s bodyguard
                After the emperor’s
                 death, the army elected
                 Diocletian emperor
Diocletian’s Reforms
 Economic: tried reissuing new Roman coins b/c old
  ones were almost worthless
   Didn’t work so well b/c not enough gold & silver to
    support new coins
 Social: made certain jobs (e.g. farmer, soldier, etc.)
  hereditary b/c of their importance to Roman Empire
 Political: divided Roman Empire into two halves (East
  & West) & reorganized provinces
Religious Persecutions
 Forced Christians to sacrifice to “old gods” or face
  imprisonment & execution
 Destroyed Christian churches & holy books
 Banned Christians from worshipping together
Diocletian & The Tetrarchy
 Felt empireMaximianbig for one person to control
    Emperor: was too
    Deputy: Constantius             Emperor: Diocletian
 Divided empire into two halves to be ruled Galerius
                                    Deputy:
 independently
   Emperors & their deputies moved wherever they were
    needed instead of being in the capital city
   Each deputy was also the heir of the current emperor
Diocletian’s Later Life & Legacy
 Later life:
    Retired after 21 years of being emperor
    One of the few Roman emperors (after the end of the
     Pax Romana) to die peacefully
 Reforms: made with good intentions, but failed
 Tetrarchy:
    Collapsed after Diocletian’s retirement
    Civil war broke out & lasted until Constantine the Great
     reunited both halves of the Roman Empire in 324 C.E.