The Dominate is the name given by historians to the later phase of the Roman Empire, beginning with Diocletian, in which emperors ruled openly as absolute monarchs. It contrasts with the earlier Principate, founded by Augustus, in which emperors maintained the fiction of sharing power with the Senate. Under the Dominate, emperors were addressed as dominus, meaning lord, and surrounded themselves with court ceremonial. Diocletian and his successors reorganised the provinces, the army and taxation, and Constantine added Christianity as a favoured religion. The distinction is a modern one and is debated, since many features of the later empire developed gradually.
Before and after
- 27 February 272 CEBirth of Constantine the Great
- 274 CEAurelian reunifies the Roman Empire
- 278 CEDiscovery of 278 Paulina
- from 284 CE to 306 CERoman Tetrarchy
- from 284 CE to 565 CEDominate
- from 285 CE to 1453Byzantine Empire
- from 285 CE to 476 CEWestern Roman Empire
- 293 CEConstruction of Diocletian's Palace
- 293 CEDiocletian establishes the Tetrarchy
More in Civilizations & archaeology
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- from 279 BCE to 1480Construction of Lighthouse of Alexandria
- 80 CEThe Colosseum is inaugurated
The era
This moment belongs to the Ancient civilizations (3,200 BCE to 500 CE), writing, cities and empires. You can also browse everything in the 3rd century.