On May 1, 305, the Co-Emperors of the Roman Empire, Diocletian and Maximian, teamed up to become the first Roman Emperors to ever resign voluntarily. As incredibly difficult as it is to have two leaders of the same empire, it is all the more remarkable that both would agree to retire on the same day. One of their successors, Constantius I, also known as Constantius Chlorus, served only a year before dying and leaving the throne open to whomever could win the ensuing battles.
Digging Deeper
Diocletian was born in 244 in the Roman Province of Dalmatia, a somewhat larger area than the modern Dalmatia that is part of Croatia. Having a humble birth into a working class family did not stop Diocletian from finding success in the Roman Army, a venue where performance was valued above birth. He rose to take command of the Roman Cavalry under Emperor Carus, and when Carus and his son were killed in battle in Persia, Diocletian found himself popularly proclaimed as Emperor in 284. As the transfer of power was not usually an easy one when no clear heir stood to inherit a throne, the surviving son of Carus, Carinus, claimed the throne for himself, leading to a battle for Roman leadership. Diocletian prevailed at the Battle of the Margus and consolidated his power as Emperor.
