Maximian was a Roman soldier, who served with or under Diocletian during the latter's time in the army. Shortly after Diocletian became emperor and defeated Carinus, he raised Maximian to be his junior emperor, and shortly after that his co-emperor. Diocletian employed religious imagery of himself as Jupiter, and Maximian as Hercules, as part of which Maximian took the honorific 'Herculeus'.

In 293, Maximian chose his son-in-law, Constantius Chlorus, as his Caesar, while Diocletian chose Galerius. This established the Tetrarchy, with Maximian and Constantius governing affairs in the West and Diocletian and Galerius governing in the East.

In 305, Diocletian retired, and forced Maximian to retire too. This left Constantius as Augustus in the West, and Galerius in the East, chosing their own Caesars in turn. Because Maxentius and Constantine, the biological sons of Maximian and Constantius respectively, believed that they had a legitimate claim to emperorship, they both declared themselves emperors, and Maximian returned from retirement to support his son. He was forced back into retirement by Galerius in 308. He declared himself emperor again in 310, but was defeated and forced to commit suicide by Constantine.

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