One Roman World: Three Divisions.

When Emperor Augustus took control of the Roman world, it was still possible for one man to govern its land given the practical limitations of antiquity communication methods. Stretching from the Atlantic Ocean in the west and Syria in the east at the time of his death, it was the largest and most powerful state in Europe that was only challenged by the Parthian Empire in the east. A territory of this size would be a challenge for any one man to rule, especially as Augustus constantly made every effort to disguise his imperial authority and create the illusion of a still functioning Roman Republic. It was perhaps partly recognizing this challenge that had him warn Tiberius not to needless expand the empire further.

By the last few decades of the third century however the campaigns by pervious emperors had expanded the empire to Britannia in the north and further into Western Asia. This expansion by itself didn’t necessitate the impossibility of a single ruler, however multiple domestic issues and external pressures had nearly brought the empire to a permanent shadow of its former self in the second half of the third century. Usurpers, economic decline, civil wars, and invasions along the empire’s boarders all inflicted heavy damaged and unintentionally demonstrated how strained the position of only a single emperor had become.

It was in this background that the empire changed, the Principate style being discarded for the Regula Tres or “Rule of Three” in which the territory was divided into a west, central, and eastern with each division to be ruled with their own emperor. These empire would be united continuation of roman governance and administrative, but they would be in theory able to respond to internal or external issues and pressures in a more timely and organized manner-a fact that would show itself a key factor just over five decades latter. As one historian put it, “the economic and ethic
demographics had become so varied between Rome’s core territory and the distant provinces, the traditional roman division of government was already facing issues that could not be ignored. The roman east economic base was already greater than the west, while roman Gallo-Britannic had a distant culture from the rest.” A change was truly needed.

Note: I'm using GdwnsnHo division of three way roman empire.
 
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