Tetrarchy

the Tetrarchy.

Tetrarchy, or rule of four, refers to the division of the Roman Empire by the Emperor Diocletian around the year 286.

As the Roman Empire expanded, the emperor Diocletian recognized the fact that the empire had grown too large for one man to rule effectively. The Roman Empire was somewhat unstable throughout the third century. There had been problems with German tribes, piracy, invasions on the Danube frontier, and the taxpayers were in revolt. Diocletian felt that if the Empire were divided it would provide imperial presence throughout the Empire and leaders could respond more quickly to problems in the different areas.

Around the year 286 Diocletian divided the Empire into east and west at the Adriatic Sea. He claimed himself an Augustus Of The Tetrarchy and ruled over the eastern half of the Empire. He appointed Maximian a Caesar to rule over the west.  Maximian was soon promoted to an Augustus and the two men established separate capitals over their sections of the Empire. Neither of these capitals were in the city of Rome, which began to take power away from the [Senate] and the city of Rome itself.

In 293 the men decided that even further division was needed. Each man appointed a Caesar to help them rule their section of the empire. Constantius was appointed Caesar of the west and Galerius was appointed Caesar of the east. These Caesars along with the two Augusti would complete what was to be known as the Tetrarchy.

After all of the divisions were complete, Augustus Diocletian ruled over Thrace, the Asiatic provinces, and Egypt. Augustus Maximian ruled from Italy to the Alps, Africa and Spain. Caesar Galerius ruled the Danubian district and the Balkan peninsule (except for Thrace). Finally, Caesar Constantius ruled over the western provinces.

Creation of the position of Caesar was supposed to ensure that the government passed smoothly in case of the death of an Augustus. Caesars would gain experience governing and would replace the Augustus in case of death or abdication. Augustus Diocletian planned that after twenty years of service, the Augustus would step down and the Caesars would be promoted. This process was known as abdication. As the Caesar became Augustus they would appoint a new Caesar, keeping the tetrarchy complete.

In 305 the health of Augustus Diocletian was declining and he desired to abdicate. He persuaded Augustus Maximian to do the same, against his will, and Caesars Constantius and Galerius were promoted to Augusti.

In an unprecedented move, the new Augusti passed over their own sons, the logical choices for Caesars, and appointed two of Galerius’ friends, Flavius Severus and Maximinus Daia. This angered their two sons, Constantine and Maxentius and ignited what would cause later problems for the tetrarchy.

The tetrarchy was somewhat successful in that it eliminated piracy, provided some peace on the borders of the Empire, and eased the tax problems. However, as most systems, tetrarchy had its flaws. With so much division, the Empire existed with too many leaders, each striving to accomplish their own goals. Succession became a

real problem, as there was no set way to appoint new Caesars. This led to many problems down the road and the eventual downfall of the Tetrarchy.