Roman Tetrarchy
Sign in to saveThe Tetrarchy was the system instituted by Roman emperor Diocletian to govern the ancient Roman Empire by dividing it between two emperors, the augusti, and their junior colleagues and designated successors, the caesares. It was kept in place between AD 293 and 324.
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The Tetrarchy was a governing system created by the Roman emperor Diocletian that divided the empire among four rulers—two senior emperors called augusti and two junior emperors called caesares who were meant to succeed them. This arrangement lasted from AD 293 to 324 and represented an attempt to make the vast Roman Empire easier to govern and protect.
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17 sectionsContents
- Terminology
- Creation<!--Linked from 'Byzantine Empire'-->
- Regions and capitals
- Public image
- Military successes
- Demise
- Emperors
- Family tree
- Detailed timeline
- Chronological table
- Legacy
- Other examples
- See also
- Notes
- Citations
- References
- External links
The Tetrarchy was the system instituted by Roman emperor Diocletian to govern the ancient Roman Empire by dividing it between two emperors, the augusti, and their junior colleagues and designated successors, the caesares. It was kept in place between AD 293 and 324.
Initially Diocletian chose Maximian as his caesar in 285, raising him to co-augustus the following year; Maximian was to govern the western provinces and Diocletian would administer the eastern ones. The role of the augustus was likened to Jupiter, while his caesar was akin to Jupiter's son Hercules. Galerius and Constantius were appointed caesares in March 293. Diocletian and Maximian retired on 1 May 305, raising Galerius and Constantius to the rank of augustus. Their places as caesares were in turn taken by Valerius Severus and Maximinus Daza.
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290s establishments in the Roman Empire290s in the Roman Empire293 establishments310s disestablishments in the Roman Empire313 disestablishments3rd century in the Roman Empire4th century in the Roman EmpireCleanup tagged articles with a reason field from March 2026Collective heads of governmentCollective heads of stateConstitutional state types