The Great Persecution (303-311 AD)

The Great Persecution, which lasted from AD 303 to 311, was the most severe and widespread campaign of persecution against Christians in the Roman Empire. Ordered by Emperor Diocletian and continued by his imperial colleagues, the persecution marked a turning point in the early Church’s history. It tested the faith of thousands, cost many their lives, and ultimately laid the groundwork for one of the most dramatic shifts in Roman religious policy—the eventual legal acceptance of Christianity.