Diocletian
Also known as
- Dioclesian
- Valerius Diocletianus
Profile
Emperor of Rome from 284 to 305. He distinguished himself in the Persian War and was chosen emperor by the army. As the empire was unwieldly and exposed to attack, he associated with himself Maximian, with whom he celebrated the last triumph in Rome, 20 November 303, and further distributed his power by granting the inferior title of Cæsar to two generals, Galerius and Constantius Chlorus. During the greater portion of Diocletian’s reign, Christians enjoyed peace and prosperity, but under the influence of Galerius he inaugurated, beginning in 303, the last and most terrible of the ten persecutions of the early Church, which was waged with greatest severity in the East.
Born
Profiled saints known to have been martyred in the persecutions of Diocletian
- 20,000 Martyrs of Nicomedia
- Four Crowned Martyrs
- Guardians of the Holy Scriptures
- Innumerable Martyrs of Saragossa
- Many Martyrs Who Suffered in Rome
- Martyred Soldiers of Rome
- Martyrs of Aegea
- Martyrs of Agde
- Martyrs of Albitina
- Martyrs of Alexandria
- Martyrs of Alexandria
- Martyrs of Amisus
- Martyrs of Ancyra
- Martyrs of Ancyra
- Martyrs of Antioch
- Martyrs of Aquileia
- Martyrs of Asta
- Martyrs of Augsburg
- Martyrs of Caesarea
- Martyrs of Caesarea
- Martyrs of Caesarea
- Martyrs of Campania
- Martyrs of Campania
- Martyrs of Cappadocia
- Martyrs of Chalcedon
- Martyrs of Cologne
- Martyrs of Concordia
- Martyrs of Heraclea
- Martyrs of Lichfield
- Martyrs of Nicomedia
- Martyrs of Nicomedia
- Martyrs of Nicomedia
- Martyrs of Nicomedia
- Martyrs of Nicomedia
- Martyrs of Nicomedia
- Martyrs of Nicomedia
- Martyrs of Nicomedia
- Martyrs of Novellara
- Martyrs of Noyon
- Martyrs of Palermo
- Martyrs of Piacenza
- Martyrs of Plovdiv
- Martyrs of Porto Romano
- Martyrs of Ravenna
- Martyrs of Rome
- Martyrs of Rome
- Martyrs of Rome
- Martyrs of Rome
- Martyrs of Rome
- Martyrs of Rome
MLA Citation
- “Diocletian”. New Catholic Dictionary. CatholicSaints.Info. 8 October 2023. Web. 25 April 2024. <>