Roman Empire · 284-305 AD

Diocletian and the rule of four

Diocletian decided the empire was too big for one man and shared it among four emperors. Students explore the Tetrarchy on the map, his reforms of the army, taxes and prices, and his persecution of Christians.

Teach it live New Open on the map
Length
50 minutes
Ages
12–15
On the map
3 steps, AD 300 to AD 305
Live lesson
7 rounds, 3 on the map
Worksheet
Two A4 pages, with Classroom
You need
A projector; phones for live

Live lesson · new in Classroom

Teach it live. The class answers on their phones.

Put the board on the projector. Students join with a six-digit code, no account needed, and tap the map: where was the frontier, where did the grain come from. Their pins drop in together when you reveal, and the closest student takes the round.

€19 per month: every lesson live, every worksheet, cancel anytime. Rome at its height runs live for free.

A live lesson on the projector: the class's pins on the map around Alexandria, the closest students listed beside it A student's phone: the question and a map to tap
7 rounds
3 places to find on the map, quiz questions, a class vote and a one-line answer.
About 15 minutes
Run it as the map step, or to open the discussion. You move on with the space bar.
A report
Every answer, per student and per round, to read back or print after the lesson.
1

Introduction

5 min

Read aloud

Diocletian decided the empire was too big for one man and shared it among four emperors. Students explore the Tetrarchy on the map, his reforms of the army, taxes and prices, and his persecution of Christians.

By the end of the lesson, students can

  • Explain why Diocletian shared power among four rulers from 293 and how the Tetrarchy worked.
  • Locate the main seats of the four rulers, such as Nicomedia, Sirmium, Milan and Trier, on the map.
  • Evaluate Diocletian's reforms, including the Edict on Maximum Prices (301) and the persecution of Christians (303).
2

Explore the map

15 min

Project the map, or let students follow on their own devices. Each step opens the map at the right year and place.

a

AD 300

Four emperors

Open the map in AD 300. The empire is drawn in four parts, each named after one of its rulers. Which part did Diocletian keep for himself, and which part is the largest?

Open this view on the map
b

AD 300

Capitals near the frontiers

Find the main seats of the four rulers: Nicomedia near the Bosporus, Sirmium on the river Sava, Milan and Trier. Why were they all closer to the frontiers than Rome?

Open this view on the map
c

AD 305

Retirement by the sea

Zoom in on the Adriatic coast of Dalmatia and find Split. Diocletian built a huge palace here and retired to it in 305, the first emperor to give up power of his own free will. Why might he have wanted to?

Open this view on the map
3

Class discussion

15 min

Pick two or three. They run from what happened to why it mattered.

  1. Diocletian thought the empire was too big for one ruler. Was sharing power a sign of strength or of weakness?
  2. Each of the four rulers had his own army and court. What could go wrong when one of them died or retired?
  3. The Edict on Maximum Prices set top prices for hundreds of goods and wages, with death as the penalty. Why did it fail?
  4. In 303 Diocletian ordered churches destroyed and Christian books burned. Why might an emperor who wanted order turn against a religion?
  5. A late Roman story says Diocletian refused to return to power because he preferred growing cabbages. What does it say about power that he gave it up?
4

Game round

10 min

Play the Constantine the Great round in Rule History. Constantine's father was one of Diocletian's four emperors. Discuss: how did the Tetrarchy fall apart after Diocletian retired, and how did that open the way for Constantine?

Open Rule History
5

Worksheet

5 min

This worksheet comes with Classroom

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