GALERIO MASSIMIANO (C. Galerius Valerius Maximianus Augustus). — Roman emperor, born in Illyricum around the middle of the 3rd century, died at Nicomedia in May 311. He came from an obscure family and was a savage, coarse, ignorant, cruel, and bestial man; imposing in stature, he inspired everyone with terror. He distinguished himself in the army and, on 1 March 293, in the tetrarchy established by Diocletian, was appointed Caesar for the East, with his residence at Sirmium and jurisdiction over Macedonia, Epirus, Achaea, Illyricum, and the provinces along the Danube. He then married Valeria, the daughter of Diocletian himself. He conducted a series of victorious battles against the barbarians pressing upon the borders of the Empire along the Danube; in 297 he achieved a brilliant victory over the Persians, and in 299 over the Marcomanni and the Sarmatians. He then became overbearing and imperious, completely dominating the weak spirit of Diocletian. Urged on by his mother Romula, a fervent and superstitious pagan and a bitter enemy of the Christians, he was the principal instigator of the persecution against them. Already after the Persian victory he began removing Christians from the army and the court.
At the beginning of 303 he went to Nicomedia, and after a series of secret conversations with Diocletian succeeded in having the first edict of persecution promulgated (February 303),
by which the destruction of the churches and the burning of the sacred books were ordered. Two fires broke out in the imperial palace within a few days of one another; G. succeeded in laying the blame on the Christians and in wresting from the exasperated Diocletian three further sanguinary edicts of persecution (303–304). Eager to exercise ever greater dominion, he compelled the aged Diocletian to abdicate, and on 1 May 305 assumed the title and office of Augustus. He then displayed all his bloodthirsty cruelty, persecuting the Christians with increased fury. But his plans for absolute supremacy were disrupted in 306 when, upon the death of Constantius Chlorus, the latter’s son Constantine was acclaimed Augustus by the soldiers. He became increasingly suspicious and cruel: he degraded and tortured magistrates of rank, punishing with torture, fire, and exposure to wild beasts anyone who aroused suspicion; he humiliated noble matrons and subjected his subjects to oppressive taxes. Meanwhile the tetrarchy established by Diocletian was collapsing because of the emergence of rival emperors; in order to punish the rebel Maxentius, G. attempted to occupy Rome in 307, but, abandoned by his soldiers, was forced to withdraw. In 310 he was stricken by a horrible illness, which caused his body to become cancerous and swarm with worms. All remedies proved useless; he then recognized the hand of God punishing him, and in April 311 promulgated a decree by which he granted Christians permission to exist and rebuild their churches, openly acknowledging the failure of his persecution. A few days later he died amid horrible suffering.