11-21-2008, 06:16 AM
Avete Omnes,
I'd like to ask about the Tetrarchy as it was originally conceived by Diocletian. Reading a biography of Constantine the Great I came across the fact that Constantine was betrothed to Maximian's daughter, Fausta, in 293 A.D.. (Fourteen years later the two were married.)
This seems strange to me given that the Tetrarchy was supposedly designed not to foster traditional dynasties. It was a merit based system as opposed to a hereditary one. So, then, why was Constantine, the son of a legitimate emperor, betrothed to a daughter of another legitimate emperor in the first place ? Clearly this 14 year engagement between the two imperial offspring had undermined the merit-based system Diocletian had supposedly envisioned. Constantine had all the semblance of being an heir-apparent.
True, the marriage didn't occur for over a decade but, AFAIK, the engagement remained in effect. How do we account for this built-in design flaw ? How could the army or anyone else not anticipate that Constantine would one day become emperor ?
Could it be that maybe Diocletian did not in fact conceive of a clear-cut Tetrarchy based solely on merit ? In other words, was the idea of the Tetrarchy constantly evolving in Diocletian's mind ? What do you think ?
~Theo
I'd like to ask about the Tetrarchy as it was originally conceived by Diocletian. Reading a biography of Constantine the Great I came across the fact that Constantine was betrothed to Maximian's daughter, Fausta, in 293 A.D.. (Fourteen years later the two were married.)
This seems strange to me given that the Tetrarchy was supposedly designed not to foster traditional dynasties. It was a merit based system as opposed to a hereditary one. So, then, why was Constantine, the son of a legitimate emperor, betrothed to a daughter of another legitimate emperor in the first place ? Clearly this 14 year engagement between the two imperial offspring had undermined the merit-based system Diocletian had supposedly envisioned. Constantine had all the semblance of being an heir-apparent.
True, the marriage didn't occur for over a decade but, AFAIK, the engagement remained in effect. How do we account for this built-in design flaw ? How could the army or anyone else not anticipate that Constantine would one day become emperor ?
Could it be that maybe Diocletian did not in fact conceive of a clear-cut Tetrarchy based solely on merit ? In other words, was the idea of the Tetrarchy constantly evolving in Diocletian's mind ? What do you think ?
~Theo
Jaime
