Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus reigned as Roman emperor from 286 to 305 CE. He is notable for bringing an end to the Crisis of the Third Century by creating a more stable bureaucracy, reforming the army into a more easily maneuverable form, tying citizens to their jobs, and, for the first time, splitting the Roman Empire into Eastern and Western halves via the new Tetrachy system (which would not last long past his reign). Diocletian so thoroughly remade Roman imperial government, that the system is now referred to as the Dominate, instead of the Principate, and set the standard for the latter half of the united Roman Empire’s existence, as well as a foundation for the medieval world. Roman imperial power was now more dependent on the Emperor, and not the Senate or Rome itself. Notable amongst all Roman emperors, Diocletian retired to go tend to his vegetable garden at his palace in the modern city of Split, Croatia.
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Amateur classicist and photographer living in lovely Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A. Big fan of maps, film, travel, and hiking.
