A+Sample+Biography

Photo taken from: http://z.about.com/d/ancienthistory/1/0/I/S/2/Diocletian.jpg = DIOCLETIAN  (December 22, 244 - December 3, 311)  =

The Early Years

 * Diocletian was born in the year AD 244, on the Dalmatian coast. He was originally named Diocles, but his name was changed when he became emperor. As a youngster, Diocletian probably wouldn't have received much education beyond learning to read and write, but he showed a great interest in religion and continued his education. Diocleitan married a woman named Prisca, and they had a daughter named Valeria. Both his wife and daughter were reportedly Christians.
 * Diocletian sought his fortune in the army, where he first began to show his leadership qualities. His first prominent role in the military carried the title of "Duke of Moeisa." His main responsibility was in border defense. He was described as being a "prudent and methodical officer who sought victory rather than glory."
 * Diocletian began his assent towards the top while working for the emperor Carus. In AD 282 he was promoted to Count of the Domestics, the commander of the cavalry arm of the imperial bodyguard. In AD 284, Carus was killed and control was turned over to his two sons. After the death of one of the sons later that year, Diocletian was named emperor of part of the empire. In AD 285, the other son was killed in battle and Diocletian gained control of the entire empire.

Making History

 * Diocletian was faced with many different problems when he took control of the empire.
 * One of his biggest concerns was to unite the Roman armies back under his control and to secure the empire from invasion.
 * To accomplish this goal, Diocletian divided the Roman empire into approximately 100 different provinces. Each province was divided into 12 dioceses, each under the control of a vicar, or an official acting as an agent of the emperor.
 * He also divided the army into two parts, border troops and palace troops. The palace troops were the true field soldiers, and were often led by Diocletian himself.
 * Diocletian determined that the empire was too large to be ruled by only one person, so he introduced "Tetrarchy", or rule by four. He divided the empire and assigned a portion to Maximanius, Constantius, and Galerius.
 * Diocletian also developed a plan to choose new emperors. The successor of each Augustus, or senior emperor, would be the respective Caesar. Each Caesar would choose a new Caesar. The system proved to be very effective.
 * Diocletian was successfully able to restore and strenghten the borders and defeated many enemies, while also crushing rebellions from within Rome.

The Legacy
== Photo taken from: http://www.indiana.edu/~hisdcl/images/diocletian'srome.jpg
 * Diocletian ruled Rome for 21 years, until his voluntary retirement in AD 305. He was one of the few emperors of his time to die of natural causes, instead of being killed in battle or assassinated. He was also the first emperor in Roman history to retire voluntarily.
 * After his retirement, the Tetrarchic system that Diocletian has developed quickly collapsed. In spite of this, many of his achievements survived to later empires
 * The borders remained secure
 * The military remained strong
 * The monetary system, which was reformed under Diocletians control, proved to be successful.
 * Perhaps most importantly, Diocletians tax system was preserved and improved upon.
 * With the help of the many changes that Diocletian brought about, the Roman Empire would remain for over 1000 years after his death.