The Roman Empire was slowly loosing its economic grasp close to the end of the Pax Romana. The Roman world, as the citizens had known it, was changing for the worst, and there was little that could have been done. Diocletian and Constantine were the two emperors who in 284 A.D started the efforts to turn around the Empire's economic troubles. .
After the Pax Romana the emperors who ruled devalued the coinage of the Empire. Civil wars had begun all around Rome's land, and they had started to disrupt the commerce in the cities. To raise the amount of money in circulation the emperors changed the coins from all gold or silver, to coins which were made primarily of copper and had a thin coating of each precious metal. Now, the new currency was worth less then the old; this caused prices and wages to sky rocket. As a result businesses and cities declined further in economic problems. .
In 284 A.D. a new emperor by the name of Diocletian came to power. He tried his best to solve economic problems the Empire was experiencing. To slow the increase in money needed to be spent, he gave prices and wages limits. Also he ordered each person to remain in there jobs. For instance, a farmer could not leave his profession, and he must pass down the occupation to his children and grandchildren. Diocletian did this to make sure there were enough farming goods and manufactured products to feed and supply the Empire.
Then the emperor Constantine emerged into the spotlight in the year 312 A.D. The new emperor changed the capital to be Constantinople which happened to be closer to the commercial centers of the eastern half of the Empire. The trade and commerce which was supplied from that region gave the Empire most of its riches. Constantine tried to open the Empire to a vast amount of trading and commerce. .
Even after the two emperors reformed the policies and center of the economy in the Roman Empire, the economic issues did not cease.