Did Constantine the Great ever meet Diocletian? Constantine the Great and Diocletian ever met in person. Diocletian, who ruled as Roman Emperor from 284 to 305 AD, abdicated the throne in 305 AD and retired to his palace in Dalmatia. Constantine, who became the Roman Emperor later, ruled from 306 to 337 AD.

While Constantine and Diocletian did not meet, their reigns were closely connected through the broader context of the Tetrarchy, a system of government established by Diocletian in an attempt to stabilize and secure the Roman Empire. In this system, the empire was divided into four parts, with each section having a senior and junior emperor. Constantine initially served as a junior emperor in the West under Emperor Maxentius and later emerged victorious in the power struggles that followed Diocletian’s abdication.

So, although they didn’t meet face-to-face, Constantine’s rise to power and the subsequent events were influenced by the political framework established by Diocletian.