Diocletian was a Great Politician

It's on the second day of a visit that you start stumbling upon surprises. Do you know anything of the story of Diocletian? All I knew was that he built a great palace in Split... that's all. Wandering around the palace ruins today, and reading the information boards, it turns out this fellow had a very interesting life story. Apparently, he was a local boy... and that is why he chose to die in Split. He became emperor near the time when the Roman Empire was at its strongest. Diocletian didn't conquer the territory... a lot of that credit goes to big Julie and his arch rival Pompey. However, during his 19 years reign, he consolidated the empire and left it in such good condition that it prospered many centuries following his death. Early on, he realised he would need to decentralise. He appointed a senior co-emperor and split the empire into two administration regions. My grandson is named after the co-emperor... Maximilian (and Doug has a daughter-in-law named after Diocletian's wife (Prisca)).

Diocletian planned his retirement by building his palace in Split. The Palace had unusual cellars that followed the same layout as the building above ground level. With the passing of time, the cellars became full of debris and were abandoned. Succeeding civilisations renovated the area above ground, but left the abandoned cellars in tact. Late last century, archaeologists discovered the cellars and cleaned them of debris... leaving us to see the best preserved Roman ruins... certainly the best preserved in this region... and perhaps the best in the world.

During his reign, Diocletian discovered that he was a descendant of the god Apollo... that must have made his day. Early on, he was tolerant of all religions in the empire, and tolerated Christianity. However, in later years, there was troubled reading the entrails of sacrificed chickens... and upon seeking expert advice, found that it was the growing number of Christians that were disturbing the 'vibes' and clouding the ability of oracles to foretell the future. There was only one thing to do... slaughter and torture the lot of them... Christians that is, not chickens.

Diocletian retired... the first Roman emperor to voluntarily vacate the big seat. Years passed... and following a 6-year retirement focused on cabbage growing... Diocletian died (at the age of 66). He had a mausoleum already constructed in the centre of his palace. Lovely position right next to the portico of his living quarters. More time passed. .. Constantine had a go at being emperor... took a fancy to the Christian religion... and allowed freedom to practice within the empire. In Split, the Christians got to rule this region and decided to build a church within the palace. Diocletian's mausoleum was an elegant building in just the right location. They incorporated Diocletian's mausoleum within the church. So the irony of the situation is that Diocletian's bodily remains lie in close proximity to a couple of saints and a pope. He would not be pleased... him being a descendant of Apollo and all.