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The term tetrarchy refers to a form of government in which political power is divided into four parts or areas, with a different person governing each of them. The etymology of the term comes from the Greek; tetra means four and ark means power. There have been various Tetrarchies throughout history, but the term is generally used to refer to the division of the Roman Empire into a Western and an Eastern Empire, with subordinate divisions within each.
the roman tetrarchy
Towards the end of the third century the vast Roman Empire was experiencing various problems, with uprisings and resistance movements on various fronts. Faced with the complex situation, Emperor Diocletian decided to divide the power concentrated in the emperor and granted Maximian the rank of “Caesar” in 285, later raising him to that of “August”, a rank that was equal to that of the emperor himself. Maximian ruled the west of the empire, while Diocletian ruled the east. The division of the Roman Empire into the Eastern Empire and the Western Empire instituted a diarchy, that is, the government of two.
But the uprisings and political problems continued to multiply in the empire, so Diocletian decided to establish a tetrarchy in the year 293. Diocletian appointed Gaius Galerius Valerius Maximian as Caesar in the east, and Maximian appointed Flavius Valerius in turn. Constantius in the West. The new government structure did not imply sharing power, since the highest authority continued to reside in Diocletian, and the Caesars were in charge of executing the measures provided by the Augusts.
Maximian governed the territories of Italy, Africa and Hispania, while Caesar Constantius governed in the Gallic, Belgian and German provinces and was also in charge of recovering Britain, which had been usurped by Carausius. Diocletian directly governed the territories of Asia Minor, the East, and Egypt, and Caesar Galerius was in charge of Greece and the Danubian provinces.
Diocletian’s reforms were also aimed at ensuring the unity of the empire and delimiting the chaotic situations that had been generated by the assassination of emperors and power struggles. The system provided that, after 20 years of government, the Augustans would transfer power to the Caesars, who would pass to the rank of Augustans while appointing new Caesars.
But the system of transfer of power was only effectively maintained during Diocletian’s regime, since after his abdication disputes arose between the tetrarchs. At the end of the first Tetrarchy, which lasted between 293 and 305, Diocletian and Maximian handed over leadership to the two subordinate Caesars, Galerius and Constantius, and they appointed two new Caesars, Severus II and Maximinus Daia. But the premature death of Constantius in the year 306 led to a political dispute in which several changes in power took place, until in the year 313 the sixth and last tetrarchy was established that would last until the year 324 when Constantine became the sole emperor of the Roman Empire.
The Herodian tetrarchy
The Roman tetrarchy is the best known, but there have been others throughout history. The Herodian tetrarchy is another example of the rule of four regents. The Herodian dynasty in Judea began with Herod I the Great, having assumed the throne with the support of Rome. At his death in 4 BC, Judea was divided into kingdoms among his four sons, constituting a tetrarchy that would last about 10 years, when most of the kingdoms were absorbed into the Roman province of Judea. The exception was the kingdom ruled by Herod Agrippa II, which remained independent until his death.
Sources
Bruno Blackmann. Diocletianus . In Cancik, Hubert; Schneider, Helmut, editors. Brill’s New Pauly. Volume 4.2002.
G. Bravo. Diocletian and the Administrative Reforms of the Empire . Akal History of the Ancient World No. 58, 1991.
Olivier Hekster. The City of Rome in late imperial ideology: The Tetrarchs, Maxentius, and Constantine. Ancient Mediterranean , 1999.
