Dominate

Dominate is a common particularly in the older old historical research term for the late-antique section of Roman history between Diocletian and Justinian ( or Heraclius ), roughly the period 4 to 6 century AD The term was coined by Theodor Mommsen, who wanted to clarify a perceived by him contrast between the late imperial period on the one hand and the Early and high Empire ( the Principate so-called ) on the other. The term was alluding mainly aimed at developments in the Constitution of the Empire, have developed through which, as Mommsen, the Roman emperor from princeps, the first citizen of the country with his " Lord" ( dominus ), which accompanied the externally nor republican constitution of the empire have increasingly turned into a " oriental coercive state ."

These ideas have been largely relativized or revised by recent research. For example, the salutation Dominus already appears much earlier, about the reign of Emperor Domitian ( 81-96 AD). But above all, the assumption that the late Roman Empire was a " coercive state ", meanwhile, if not proved to be simplistic as false: Although the imperial administration now rose in fact the claim, more to intervene in the lives of the subjects, but in reality their options were very limited. It is also pointed out recently, on social mobility in truth significantly increased within the society of those years - now have even simple peasants like Justin I ascend to the empire. Moreover, there is much evidence that the late antique rulers about stronger, but tend to be weaker than their predecessors were not the 1st to 3rd century. So in late antiquity took the influence of the army (see Master of the Soldiers ), the court, the management and ( as a new factor) of the church to the emperor, especially as some emperors even arrived at a very young age to the throne and no real powers had. This should only be concealed by the offer as dominus and the ceremonial elevation of the ruler of many researchers.

Today, therefore, for the period 284-565 (or 641 ) preferred the neutral term or late antiquity late Roman Empire. This is however not disputed that the Roman state since Diocletian fundamentally changed - but not in the sense of Mommsen.

See also Principate ( with the statements on the problem of the term ) and late antiquity.