Diocletian

Diocletian (c. 244 – 311/316) was Roman emperor from 284 to 305 and the architect of the Tetrarchy. Born in Dalmatia, possibly at Doclea, he rose through the army and was proclaimed emperor after the death of Numerian. He ended the crisis of the third century by sharing power with Maximian, then with two junior Caesars, creating a college of four rulers with separate courts and military commands. He reorganized the provinces, separated civil and military authority, reformed taxation and coinage, and attempted to control prices with the Edict on Maximum Prices. His reign also produced the Great Persecution of Christians from 303. In 305 he abdicated and retired to his palace at Split, becoming the first emperor to relinquish power voluntarily; he died there, according to most sources in 311, though some ancient accounts give 316. His reforms outlasted the Tetrarchy itself and shaped the later Byzantine and medieval administrative order.