Maximian
Maximian was a prominent Roman emperor and military leader, known primarily for his partnership with Emperor Diocletian. Appointed as Caesar in 285 CE, he became the co-ruler of the Western Roman Empire in 293 CE as part of the Tetrarchy, a system designed to provide stable governance through shared power. Maximian's military campaigns were extensive, successfully defending the Empire against invaders in regions such as Gaul, Germany, Spain, and North Africa. He is also associated with significant architectural projects, including the Baths of Diocletian in Rome.
In 303 CE, alongside Diocletian, he enforced the Great Persecution against Christians, marking a contentious period in Roman religious history. After Diocletian's abdication in 305 CE, Maximian struggled with retirement and eventually returned to political life, aligning with his son Maxentius during a civil conflict. His later efforts to regain power led to an alliance with Constantine the Great, but ultimately, he was captured in 310 CE and forced to take his own life. Maximian's tumultuous career reflects the volatility of imperial authority during a transformative era in Roman history.
Maximian
Related civilization: Imperial Rome
Major role/position: Roman emperor
Life
A career soldier, Maximian (mak-SIHM-ee-an) was a comrade-in-arms of Diocletian. In 285 c.e., Diocletian appointed his old friend to the rank of Caesar to rule over the Roman West. In 293 c.e., Maximian was elevated to Augustus and Diocletian’s coruler in a four-person imperial college called the Tetrarchy. Maximian campaigned against foreign invaders in Gaul, Germany, Spain, and North Africa. After celebrating a triumph in Rome, he began building the famous baths of Diocletian in 299 c.e. A few years later, in 303 c.e., Diocletian joined Maximian in Rome, where they celebrated a joint triumph, the twentieth anniversary of their reign, and enacted the Great Persecution, a state-sponsored pogrom against Christians.
In 305 c.e., Diocletian abdicated from the emperorship and compelled Maximian to follow him. Restless in retirement, Maximian returned to politics in 307 c.e., joining his son Maxentius in a civil war against the legitimate augusti, Flavius Valerius Severus and Gaius Galerius Valerius Maximianus. Failing to depose his own son, Maxentius, Maximian allied himself with Constantine the Great in Gaul and later attempted to subvert his erstwhile benefactor. He was captured in Massilia and forced to commit suicide in 310 c.e.
Influence
Maximian’s political vicissitude pointed to the instability of the tetrarchy without the guidance of Diocletian’s strong personality.
Bibliography
Barnes, Timothy D. Constantine and Eusebius. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1981.
Corcoran, S. Empire of the Tetrarchs. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 1996.