| Claudius Tacitus | |
|---|---|
| Emperor of the Roman Empire | |
| |
| Emperor Tacitus on a coin. The reverse celebrates his victory over the Eastern tribes (VICTORIA GOTTHI). | |
| Reign | September 25, 275 - June 276 |
| Full name | Marcus Claudius Tacitus |
| Born | ca. 200 |
| Interamna | |
| Died | June 276 |
| Tyana | |
| Predecessor | Aurelian |
| Successor | Florianus |
Marcus Claudius Tacitus (ca. 200 - June 276) was a Roman Emperor from September 25, 275, to June 276.
Contents |
Biography
He was born in Interamna (Terni), in Italia; Modern historiography[1] rejects the claimed descendance of Tacitus from historian Gaius Cornelius Tacitus as forgery. In the course of his long life he discharged the duties of various civil offices, including that of consul in 273, with universal respect. Six months after the assassination of Aurelian, he was chosen by the Senate to succeed him, and the choice was cordially ratified by the army. His first action was to move against the barbarian tribes that had been gathered by Aurelian for his Eastern campaign, and which had plundered the Eastern Roman provinces after Aurelian had been murdered and the campaign cancelled. His half-brother, the Praetorian Prefect Florianus, and Tacitus himself won a victory against these tribes, among which Heruli, which granted the emperor the title Gothicus Maximus. Tacitus either died of fever (according to Aurelius Victor or Eutropius) or was assassinated (according to Zosimus) at Tyana in Cappadocia in June 276. Modern research has cast considerable suspicion on this traditional image of Tacitus as a venerable old senator. Quite the contrary, evidence (from coins, for example) indicates that Tacitus was just another military emperor, whose only distinction from other short-lived emperors of the time was his attempt to cultivate the image of a learned man and his respect for the Senate.
References
Primary sources
- Historia Augusta, Vita Taciti
- Eutropius, Breviarium ab urbe condita, ix. 16
- "…After him TACITUS succeeded to the throne; a man of excellent morals, and well qualified to govern the empire. He was unable, however, to show the world anything remarkable, being cut off by death in the sixth month of his reign..…"
- English version of Breviarium ab Urbe Condita
Secondary sources
- This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
- Tacitus in De Imperatoribus Romanis, giving the modern view
External links
| Preceded by Aurelian | Roman Emperor 275–276 | Succeeded by Florianus |
