Diocletian

Diocletian (lived c. 242—312 AD, reigned 284—305 AD, was a Roman emperor known for his severe persecution of Christians from 303—312 AD. Believing, on the advice of others, that the Christians were responsible for impeding the Roman gods from interacting with humans and that they had started fires in the royal palace, Diocletian ran a campaign of extermination of Christians and Christianity. This involved the destruction of Christian places of worship and Christian scriptures and the torture and execution of Christians unless they renounced Christianity and made offerings to the Roman gods. The persecution failed since those who were executed were considered martyrs, and it only served to strengthen the Christian population. The persecution ended in February 313 AD when Constantine I came to power and issued the Edict of Milan, which declared tolerance of Christianity.