What did diolection do and why?

How did the emperor diolection affect the course of roman history?

Diocletian created the tetrarchy (rule by four) and subdivided the Empire into four main administrative units, the praetorian prefectures. He appointed fellow general Maximian as co-emperor in 285. Maximian took overall control of the western part of the empire, while Diocletian took overall control of the eastern part. Then these two men became senior emperors (Augusti) with the creation, in 293, of two junior emperors (Caesars) who were subordinates of the Augusti. The Caesars Constantius and Galerius.. One of the tasks of the Caesars was to defend the troubled frontiers along the rivers Rhine and Danube respectively, which had been under constant attack from outside the empire.Each of the four emperors headed one of the four praetorian prefectures. Galliae (Gaul, Britannia and Hispania), was headed by Constantius; Italia et Africa (Italy, Switzerland and north-western Africa) was headed by Maximian; Illyricum (the Balkan Peninsula except for Thracia, in modern eastern Bulgaria) was headed by Galerius; and Oriens (Thracia, the Roman territories in Asia, Egypt and eastern Libya) was headed by Diocletian. Galliae and Italia et Africa were in the west. Illyricum and Oriens were in the east. These were administrative subdivisions. Diocletian stressed that the four praetorian prefectures were administrative units and that the empire was indivisible.Diocletian also created imperial capitals (or better imperial seats), one for each emperor: Milan (in northern Italy, for Italia et Africa) Nicomedia (in north-western Turkey, for Oriens) Augusta Trevorum (Triers in Germany near the river Rhine, for Galliae) and Sirmium (near Belgrade on the river Danube, for Illyricum).This reform had several aims:1) The bad experience of recent sole emperors suggested to Diocletian that sole emperors were vulnerable and that co-emperorship made power more secure.2) Diocletian could not create an informal co-emperorship with a son as previous emperors had done because he was hairless; he had a daughter and no sons. Therefore, he needed a trusted co-ruler from outside the family and had to create a formal co-emperorship3) There was a need to improve imperial control over the empire. There had been conflict between powerful men many provinces of the empire and also attempts at usurpation in some areas. Diocletian shared controlling the provinces with three men.4) There was also a need to improve the efficiency of the defence of the vast frontiers of the empire. He entrusted the defence of the most troubled tracts of the frontiers to the Caesars.Diocletian more than doubled the number of provinces by subdividing them in order to curtail the power of the governors (who could be potential usurpers) and make tax collection and the enforcement of the law more efficient. He grouped the provinces under sixteen dioceses headed by a vicarious (vicars) as deputies of the four praetorian prefectures (see below) into which the dioceses were, in their turn, grouped. He reduced the role of the governors to that of presiding over the lower courts. The higher courts were now presided over by the vicars. Their military command was taken away from them. Diocletian separated civilian and military power by creating new military commanders, the duces (dukes) which were separate from the civil service (previously the governors also commanded the troops in their provinces). The duces sometimes headed troops in two or three provinces. Tax collection, previously assigned to the procurators (juniors of the governors) was assigned to the governors and to the vicars.Diocletian also increased the size of the bureaucracy, probably doubling it from 15,000 to 30,000. This was a disproportionately high number given the population of the empire at the time. Half of this was provincial and diocesan officials. The other half was the staff of the praetorian prefects, the imperial court and grain supply officials.The imperial court was highly structured. It was organised in different departments headed by magistri (ministers). There were legal advisers and two treasurers, one of the public treasuries and one for the imperial estates.In 293 Diocletian reformed the monetary system. He increased the gold content, and therefore the value, of gold coin, the aureus. He replaced the silver denarius with the argenteus which had a higher value. This was an attempt to preserve the price of gold and to revive the flagging silver currency by creating a new silver coin which had a higher value due to higher silver content. The value of the silver coins had collapsed because their silver content had become negligible due to debasement. Since this debasement had caused hyperinflation, which had plagued the empire in the 3rd century AD and led to economic decline, it was thought that a stronger silver coin would solve the problem of inflation. Diocletian also introduced the numnus (a low value copper coin usually called follis by coin collectors) which became the most widely used coin.The new system failed to stem inflation. In September 301 Diocletian issued a new monetary edict and the Edict of Maximum Prices. The official value of the coins was doubled .The intrinsic value of the coins (the value of the precious metal content of the coins) had already increased by 80% due to an increase in the price of gold and silver. The Edict added 20% on top of this. It was also decreed that debts incurred before September 301 were to be repaid at the old value and those incurred after that date were to be repaid at the new value. This was again an attempt to and shore up the silver coins.The price cap on most goods and services was based on the assumption that inflation was caused by the greed of merchants. This measure was short lived. The price levels were empire-wide and ignored regional variations in costs. They were poorly enforced and they were resisted. Goods were sold in the back market. Diocletian had to abandon this measure. The re-tariffing of the coins held up for a few years. However, in the longer term it had inflationary effects. The circulation of the argenteus shrunk. It was issued in limited quantities and was overvalued. It was hoarded and people preferred to pay for goods with the follis, which was issued in large quantities. It was Constantine who later revolved the problems of the monetary system and inflation.Diocletian introduced an inconsistent and unfair tax system. Since hyperinflation had made the coins virtually worthless, he resorted to requisitions as taxation. When payments could not be paid in gold, private assets were confiscated. He introduced a poll tax (for peasants and urban workers) and a land tax (for owners of landed estates). The systems of valuation for both were inconsistent. Tax collection was entrusted to the decurions, who were the administrators of the cities. They were forced to pay what they failed to collect. Many left the cities to avoid this duty. Diocletian introduced a law whereby fugitive decurions were forcibly taken back to their cities.Diocletian was aware that peasants had been had been leaving their fields and moving to the estates of rich landowners to escape the burden taxation. These landowners protected them by chasing the tax collectors away from their gates. Diocletian issued a decree which tied the peasants to the land, which meant that they could not leave the landed estates. In exchange the rich landowners agreed to not chasing away the tax collectors. Diocletian also made the profession hereditary so that people become tied to their professions