Diocletian's Electing Maximian

Maximian had no native political talents to speak of. Elevating another man with a political mind might cause the new imperial partnership to devolve into mutual scheming, backbiting and then inevitably civil war. By choosing a blunt soldier who had no time for political machinations, diocletian could be assured that he would have a partner in power, not a rival for power. The rapidity with which maximian was promoted means that most likely, all of this had been prearranged. Whether it had been arranged years in advance, or whether it was the final carrot used to secure maximians support following numarian's death, is unknown. But we do know that immediately after