Diocletian 's reforms fundamentally changed the structure of Roman imperial government , and stabilized the empire economically and militarily . This helped the empire to remain intact for another hundred years , despite having seemed near the brink of collapse in Diocletian 's youth . In spite of his failures , Diocletian 's reforms fundamentally changed the structure of Roman imperial government and helped stabilize the empire economically and militarily , enabling the empire to remain essentially intact for another hundred years despite having seemed near the brink of collapse in Diocletian 's youth .