The Tétrarchie is the system of government of the Roman Empire set up by Dioclétien at the end it 3rd century to face the cruel invasions.
The political system
Under the pressure of the cruel invasions, the Roman Empire underwent an serious attack throughout the 3rd century. The emperors had more and more evil to push back the invasions, and the army took, parallel to the growth its manpower, an increasing place in the State, appointing and reversing the emperors. Civil wars were added to the foreign wars, the legions of an area designating a popular general emperor (in the hope of a premium that the new emperors made with their troops: the donativum ). It happened that certain parts of the empire make secession (see the Empire of Gaules).
Dioclétien, arrived at the capacity while being indicated new Auguste by his troops the November 20th 284, then by eliminating its competitors Numérien and Carin, decided to found a new system. Instead of being a only emperor for all the empire, it named Maximien César in 285, charged to defend the Western part of the empire. The distribution was easy, part of the empire (Balkans and Greece in Europe, the Middle East, Egypt) using the Greek traditionally as administrative language, the other part of the empire (Italy, Gaulle S, Spain S, North of the Africa, higher course of the Danube), using the Latin .
However, the empire was not divided, and Dioclétien kept any authority on his/her colleague and the whole of the empire and the legions. It was a question of a delegation of powers. Like many emperors, it particularly chooses a god it protecting, it was Jupiter. Maximien was made allot as for him that of Hercules and was soon high with the row of Auguste, equalizing in titulature Dioclétien.
Dioclétien is the emperor “jovien” which organizes the world and ensures its continuity, helped of sound césar. Maximien is emperor “Herculien” who fights the enemies and restores the order of the world. The four emperors are honoured like gods. Dioclétien regards impérium a function and not as a personal capacity with life. He wants to restore the values which made of Rome an unbeatable power during three centuries, it is a conservative. He preaches the return to the traditions, the end of the family transmission of imperial dignity and the veneration of the traditional gods of Rome against all the religions come from the East which destabilize the Empire, the Christianisme among them.
In 293, satisfied with the operation of this duumvirat, it developed it. Each Auguste chooses a new colleague, charged to assist it in his part of empire, which would be named César and having to succeed the Auguste that it assisted initially. Severe rules were fixed for the choice as for the experiment and the qualification of the selected person. It also prohibits to choose a son like César.
The two selected generals were Galère by Dioclétien, and Constance Chlorinates by Maximien.
History of Tétrarchie
First Tétrarchie, dominated by Dioclétien, functioned perfectly. It is the result of a pragmatic approach of the Imperium by Dioclétien: the Empire must face too many threats to be held by only one man. The tétrarchie is not a political system a priori but well the result of a convincing experiment.When Dioclétien and Maximien took their retirement 20 years after their takeover during a fabulous triumph, their Césars respective, Galère and Constance Chlorinate, replaced them and two Césars were to them in their turn associated, respectively Maximin Daïa and Sévère. But it is well Dioclétien which obliges Maximien to give up the capacity to become again an ordinary person, this one refuses at the bottom this decision. After the departure of Dioclétien, the system subsides and old the jupitérien must réintervenir several times to restore the order.
But the system was disturbed by the death of Constancy Chlorinates into 306. Constantin I {{er}} and Maxence took themselves the capacity, one in Brittany, the other in Rome, in violation of all the rules: it is a return to the family transmission. Very quickly, they declared all the two Majestic ones. Benefitting from defeat from Severe vis-a-vis Maxence, whereas it tried to recover the zone of the empire which was reserved for him, Maximien took again its title of Auguste and made carry out Sévère. Galère, patient, indicated Licinius then to replace this one. Lastly, Domitius Alexander was made proclaim in North Africa. There was thus at a time seven emperors at the same time, all asserting the title of Auguste.
Thereafter, Constantin eliminated Maximien, Maxence at the time of famous the Bataille of the bridge Milvius, Domitius Alexander, Constantin Maxence. During this time, in the East, after the death of Galère, Licinius faced Maximin Daïa and ends up cutting down it. In 324, Constantin Ier came to end from Licinius.
Failure and adaptation of the tétrarchie
Only Auguste from 324, Constantin perpetuated with his advantage the collegial and divine system of the tétrarchie by combining it with the dynastic principle: old Césars, became simultaneously Augustes. The alive last Constance II associates in its turn of Césars, narrowly supervised Gallus then Julien. The title of César thus devaluated was not any more that seldom decreed, and the Empire returned to the collegial structure of two Majestic bound by the relationship.
See the tétrarques ones
Nowadays one can admire a porphyry statue of tétrarques enchased in an exterior angle of the Basilique Saint-Marc of Venice, fruit of the plundering of Constantinople by the Venetian ones after IVe crusade. The characters are held two by two with a little stiffness, but the statue is an invaluable historical document on the Roman military costume of the beginning of the 4th century.
Summary table
Note: crimson the names of the legal leaders and légitimes are written
Augustes
CÉsars
Première Tétrarchie (285-305)
Orient
Occident
Orient
Occident
Dioclétien, Primus Augustus
Maximien Hercule
Galère
Constance Chlore
Deuxième Tétrarchie (305-306)
Galère, Primus Augustus
Constance Chlore
Maximin Daïa
Sévère
Troisième Tétrarchie (306)
Orient
Occident
Rome
Maximin Daïa
Constantin
Galère, Primus
Sévère
Maxence, usurpateur
308
Orient
Occident
Italie and Espagne
Afrique
Maximin Daïa
Galère, Primus Augustus
Constantin
Maxence and Maximien
Domitius Alexander
308, after Carnuntum
Orient
Occident
Orient
Occident
Galère, Primus Augustus
Licinius
Maximin Daïa
Constantin
Maxence and Domitius Alexander, usurpateurs
310
Galère, Primus Augustus, Licinus
Constantin, Maximin Daïa, raised by Galère
Maxence, Maximien Hercules and Domitius Alexander, usurpateurs
311
Orient
Occident
Licinus
Maximin Daïa
Constantin
Maxence, usurpateur
312
Licinius
Maximin Daïa
Constantin, Primus Augustus
313
Licinius
Constantin
Bassianus, César of a state-plug enters Constantin and Licinus
317, after a first war enters Constantin and Licinius (agreement)
Licinius
Constantin
Crispus and Constantin II, wire of Constantin
Licianinus, wire of Licinius
326
Constantin, alone main of the Romain
See too
Internal bonds
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