Author's Note: all dates will be given A.U.C. (Ab Urbe condita or after the founding of the city) This is the founding of Rome (753 B.C. our calendar)
The Romans underwent a massive political and cultural shift following the Millennial Strife which lasted from 988(235) to 1037(284). As stated previously, the Millennial Strife is commonly held to have begun with the accent of Princeps Maximinus I, more commonly known as Maximinus Thrax and ended with the accent of Princeps Diocletian I. Diocletian is important because he represents the end of the Reformed Republican Period of the Roman state and the start of the Early Imperium Period. In deed, Diocletian is one of the main forefathers of the Early Imperium Period even if he didn't realize it.
Before Diocletian, the Roman Empire was a single political unit presided over by the Princeps. The office of Princeps was inherently unstable do in part because Princeps Augustus, who started the Reformed Republican Period, maintained his power base by working within the apparatus of the Roman Republic's constitution; which he heavily modified to make himself the de facto master of Rome even though he wasn't de jur. One of the main problems with the office of Princeps is the fact that succession issues were never worked out.
Diocletian changed the Roman Empire by effectively abolishing the position of Princeps. In his second year, Diocletian raised Maximian to the position of Augustus of the West and took the title of Augustus of the East for himself. This decision to split rule of the Roman Empire between two emperors in July 1038(285) is considered to be the start of both the Mediolanum Empire and the Nicomedian Empire. However, the immediate effect of Diocletian's edict was to allow both halves of the empire to receive the full attention of an emperor. Another step to insure succession by Diocletian was taken on March 1, 1044(291) with the creation of the office of Caeser. The position of Caeser created two more emperors under the Augusti, one Caesar for the West and one for the East. Constantus Chlorius was chosen as Caesar of the West and Galerius was chosen as Caesar of the East.
This decision to create the offices of Augusti and Caesars was validated in 1053(300) when Augustus Maximian died from a stomach ulcer. Constantus Chlorius quickly ascended to the office of Augustus of the West and appointed his son Constantine as his Caeser. Constantus' decision was controversial because Constanine was at this time in Diocletian's court acting as a hostage for Diocletian of Constantus' good conduct. However, the tension over Constantine's appointment was not necessary as Diocletian allowed Constantine to leave his court to head west as Caesar. Reports from courtiers show that Diocletian was in a depression over his dear friend Maximian's dead and allowed Constantine to leave so that the hard won peace of the empire was preserved.
In any event, Constantine's departure from Nicomedia marks a milestone in the Early Imperium Period. Politically, it represents the establishment of the tradition of transferring of power upon the death of the Augustus to the Caesar. There was the uprising of Maxentius, but this uprising was put down by Constantus and Constantine. The Maxentius uprising was put down by first removing Maxentius's support by marrying Fausta, the daughter of Augustus Maximian and sister to Maxentius, to Constantine and then by Constantine defeating Maxentius in the Battle of Naples in 1054(301).
Constantine's departure also represents a milestone culturally for the West. This is because Constantine took with him Lactantius and several of Lactantius's students. While generally held to be an excellent rhetorician, Lactantius's is most important in history for the development of printing. His invention of printing developed over his observations of the imperial bureaucracy that had developed under Diocletian's reign and the immense amount of writing needed to maintain this bureaucracy. The Lactantian Press was a primitive form of block press and was a godsend to the newly enlarged imperial bureaucracy. It allowed the creation of many common forms needed for the bureaucracy and the mass production of imperial edicts. On November 23, 1053(300) Constantine and his retinue landed in Ravenna where he was officially pronounced Caesar of the West.
The Romans underwent a massive political and cultural shift following the Millennial Strife which lasted from 988(235) to 1037(284). As stated previously, the Millennial Strife is commonly held to have begun with the accent of Princeps Maximinus I, more commonly known as Maximinus Thrax and ended with the accent of Princeps Diocletian I. Diocletian is important because he represents the end of the Reformed Republican Period of the Roman state and the start of the Early Imperium Period. In deed, Diocletian is one of the main forefathers of the Early Imperium Period even if he didn't realize it.
Before Diocletian, the Roman Empire was a single political unit presided over by the Princeps. The office of Princeps was inherently unstable do in part because Princeps Augustus, who started the Reformed Republican Period, maintained his power base by working within the apparatus of the Roman Republic's constitution; which he heavily modified to make himself the de facto master of Rome even though he wasn't de jur. One of the main problems with the office of Princeps is the fact that succession issues were never worked out.
Diocletian changed the Roman Empire by effectively abolishing the position of Princeps. In his second year, Diocletian raised Maximian to the position of Augustus of the West and took the title of Augustus of the East for himself. This decision to split rule of the Roman Empire between two emperors in July 1038(285) is considered to be the start of both the Mediolanum Empire and the Nicomedian Empire. However, the immediate effect of Diocletian's edict was to allow both halves of the empire to receive the full attention of an emperor. Another step to insure succession by Diocletian was taken on March 1, 1044(291) with the creation of the office of Caeser. The position of Caeser created two more emperors under the Augusti, one Caesar for the West and one for the East. Constantus Chlorius was chosen as Caesar of the West and Galerius was chosen as Caesar of the East.
This decision to create the offices of Augusti and Caesars was validated in 1053(300) when Augustus Maximian died from a stomach ulcer. Constantus Chlorius quickly ascended to the office of Augustus of the West and appointed his son Constantine as his Caeser. Constantus' decision was controversial because Constanine was at this time in Diocletian's court acting as a hostage for Diocletian of Constantus' good conduct. However, the tension over Constantine's appointment was not necessary as Diocletian allowed Constantine to leave his court to head west as Caesar. Reports from courtiers show that Diocletian was in a depression over his dear friend Maximian's dead and allowed Constantine to leave so that the hard won peace of the empire was preserved.
In any event, Constantine's departure from Nicomedia marks a milestone in the Early Imperium Period. Politically, it represents the establishment of the tradition of transferring of power upon the death of the Augustus to the Caesar. There was the uprising of Maxentius, but this uprising was put down by Constantus and Constantine. The Maxentius uprising was put down by first removing Maxentius's support by marrying Fausta, the daughter of Augustus Maximian and sister to Maxentius, to Constantine and then by Constantine defeating Maxentius in the Battle of Naples in 1054(301).
Constantine's departure also represents a milestone culturally for the West. This is because Constantine took with him Lactantius and several of Lactantius's students. While generally held to be an excellent rhetorician, Lactantius's is most important in history for the development of printing. His invention of printing developed over his observations of the imperial bureaucracy that had developed under Diocletian's reign and the immense amount of writing needed to maintain this bureaucracy. The Lactantian Press was a primitive form of block press and was a godsend to the newly enlarged imperial bureaucracy. It allowed the creation of many common forms needed for the bureaucracy and the mass production of imperial edicts. On November 23, 1053(300) Constantine and his retinue landed in Ravenna where he was officially pronounced Caesar of the West.
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