Here are two coins that represent one of my favorite stories from the Roman Empire. One is a silver coated bronze Antoninianus of the Emperor Carinus, and the other a bronze Follis of the Emperor Diocletian. Carinus ruled from 283-285 AD. After defeating the Germanic Quadi tribes, Carinus retired to Rome to live a life of debauchery and excess. He had nine wives, and that's not counting his original wife, who he badly neglected. At the same time, his brother, Numerian, ruled over the Eastern part of the Empire. After the death of their father, the Emperor Carus, the armies of the East demanded to return to Europe, and Numerian was forced to comply. While the Eastern armies were camped at Chalcedon, Numerian was found dead. 

Diocletian, who commanded Numerian's bodyguards, claimed he had been slain. Why he would do that is baffling, as it was as much as admitting that either he himself had killed him or that his bodyguards had done their jobs miserably. In any event, Diocletian was proclaimed emperor by his troops, and on hearing of this, Carinus marched East with his troops to confront the usurper. Carinus actually won the battle, but when one of his officers discovered that Carinus had seduced his wife, the officer murdered Carinus, and as there was no one else left to declare their alliegance to, the Western armies also swore to follow Diocletian. Thus, Diocletian became master of all the Roman world. 

This was actually one of the few times where a murderous love triangle has actually been beneficial to a government, as the Empire was nearing total collapse, and Diocletian instituted a number of much needed reforms. The most important of these recognized that the Empire was far too large for one man to govern effectively, and put into place a tetrarchical system, in which four men were responsible to rule, two in the East and two in the West. These reforms preserved the Western Empire for nearly another 200 years. The Eastern Empire amazingly lasted for nearly another 1,200 years, until the fall of Constantinople in 1453. 

All because Carinus couldn't keep it in his pants.