Roman portrait head.

Emperor from 285 to 305, Diocletian wished to restore the old stability of the Roman empire and to some extent succeeded — his reign was the first for well over a century to last twenty years.

Starting out as sole emperor, then as one of the Tetrarchs from 293, he based himself in the eastern empire and did not visit Rome until 303. He initiated numerous reforms in the political system, economy and the army. Unusually for a Roman emperor Diocletian abdicated peacefully, and retired to Croatia, his native country