Marcus Claudius Tacitus

Tacitus
45th Emperor of the Roman Empire
Bust of the Emperor Tacitus
Reign	September 25, 275 – June 276
Full name	Marcus Claudius Tacitus (from birth to accession); Caesar Marcus Claudius Tacitus Augustus (as emperor)
Born	ca. 200
Birthplace	Interamna, Italia
Died	June 276 (aged 76)
Place of death	Antoniana Colonia Tyana, Cappadocia
Predecessor	Aurelian
Successor	Florianus

Tacitus (Latin: Marcus Claudius Tacitus Augustus;^[1][2] ca. 200 – June 276), was Roman Emperor from 275 to 276. During his short reign he campaigned against the Goths and the Heruli, for which he received the title Gothicus Maximus.

Early Life

Tacitus was born in Interamna (Terni), in Italia.^[3] He circulated copies of the historian Gaius Cornelius Tacitus' work, which was barely read at the time, and so we perhaps have him to thank for the partial survival of Tacitus' work; however, modern historiography^[4] rejects his claimed descent from the historian 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.^[5]

Emperor Of The Roman Empire

After the assassination of Aurelian, Tacitus was chosen by the Senate to succeed him, and the choice was cordially ratified by the army.^[2] This was the last time the Senate elected a Roman Emperor. There was an interregnum between Aurelian and Tacitus, and there is substantial evidence that Aurelian's wife, Ulpia Severina, ruled in her own right before the election of Tacitus.^[6][7] At any rate, Tacitus was situated at Campania when he heard the news of his election, and he quickly rushed to Rome.^[8] He decided to re-involve the Senate in some consultative manner in the mechanisms of government^[9] and asked the Senate to deify Aurelian, before arresting and executing Aurelian's murderers.^[8]

Fighting Barbarians

Next he moved against the barbarian mercenaries that had been gathered by Aurelian to supplement Roman forces for his Eastern campaign.^[10] These mercenaries had plundered several towns in the Eastern Roman provinces after Aurelian had been murdered and the campaign cancelled.^[9] His half-brother, the Praetorian Prefect Florianus, and Tacitus himself won a victory against these tribes, among which were the Heruli, gaining the emperor the title Gothicus Maximus.^[8]

Death

On his way back to the west to deal with a Frankish and Alamannic invasion of Gaul, according to Aurelius Victor, Eutropius and the Historia Augusta, Tacitus died of fever at Tyana in Cappadocia in June 276.^[11][12] It was reported that he began acting strangely, declaring that he would alter the names of the months to honor himself, before succumbing to a fever.^[10] In a contrary account, Zosimus claims he was assassinated, after appointing one of his relatives to an important command in Syria.^[13]

In Popular Culture

He appears in Harry Sidebottoms historical fiction novel series Warrior Of Rome.

Sources

Primary sources

• Historia Augusta, Vita Taciti, English version of Historia Augusta
• Eutropius, Breviarium ab urbe condita, ix. 16, English version of Breviarium ab Urbe Condita
• Aurelius Victor, "Epitome de Caesaribus", English version of Epitome de Caesaribus
• Zosimus, "Historia Nova", Historia Nova
• Joannes Zonaras, Compendium of History extract: Zonaras: Alexander Severus to Diocletian: 222–284

Secondary sources

• McMahon, Robin, "Tacitus (275–276 A.D)", De Imperatoribus Romanis
• Jones, A.H.M., Martindale, J.R. The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire, Vol. I: AD260-395, Cambridge University Press, 1971
• Southern, Pat. The Roman Empire from Severus to Constantine, Routledge, 2001
• Canduci, Alexander (2010), Triumph & Tragedy: The Rise and Fall of Rome's Immortal Emperors, Pier 9, ISBN 978-1-74196-598-8 
• Gibbon. Edward Decline & Fall of the Roman Empire (1888)
•  Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Tacitus, Marcus Claudius". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press 

References

• Cavafy, "The Complete Poems" Harcourt, Brace & World (1961) pg. 201
• Dugan, "Poems 2" Yale University Press (1963) pg. 33

External links

Media related to Marcus Claudius Tacitus at Wikimedia Commons

Regnal titles
Preceded by Aurelian	Roman Emperor 275–276	Succeeded by Florianus
Political offices
Preceded by Titus Flavius Postumius Quietus , Junius Veldumnianus, Tetricus I	Consul of the Roman Empire 273 with Placidianus, Tetricus I	Succeeded by Aurelian, Capitolinus
Preceded by Aurelian , Marcellinus	Consul of the Roman Empire 276 with Aemilianus	Succeeded by Probus, Paulinus

v t e Roman emperors Principate 27 BC – 235 AD Augustus Tiberius Caligula Claudius Nero Galba Otho Vitellius Vespasian Titus Domitian Nerva Trajan Hadrian Antoninus Pius Marcus Aurelius with Lucius Verus Commodus Pertinax Didius Julianus Septimius Severus Caracalla Geta Macrinus with Diadumenian Elagabalus Alexander Severus Crisis 235–284 Maximinus Thrax Gordian I and Gordian II Pupienus and Balbinus Gordian III Philip the Arab Decius with Herennius Etruscus Hostilian Trebonianus Gallus with Volusianus Aemilianus Valerian Gallienus with Saloninus Claudius Gothicus Quintillus Aurelian Tacitus Florianus Probus Carus Carinus Numerian Dominate 284–395 Diocletian Maximian Constantius Chlorus Galerius Severus Maxentius Maximinus Daia Licinius with Valerius Valens and Martinianus Constantine the Great Constantine II Constans I Constantius II with Vetranio Julian Jovian Valentinian I Valens Gratian Valentinian II Theodosius I Western Empire 395–480 Honorius with Constantine III Constantius III Joannes Valentinian III Petronius Maximus Avitus Majorian Libius Severus Anthemius Olybrius Glycerius Julius Nepos Romulus Augustulus Eastern/ Byzantine Empire 395–1204 Arcadius Theodosius II Marcian Leo I the Thracian Leo II Zeno Basiliscus Anastasius I Justin I Justinian I Justin II Tiberius II Constantine Maurice Phocas Heraclius Constantine III Heraklonas Constans II Constantine IV Justinian II Leontios Tiberios III Philippikos Anastasios II Theodosios III Leo III the Isaurian Constantine V Artabasdos Leo IV the Khazar Constantine VI Irene Nikephoros I Staurakios Michael I Rangabe Leo V the Armenian Michael II the Amorian Theophilos Michael III Basil I the Macedonian Leo VI the Wise Alexander Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos Romanos I Lekapenos Romanos II Nikephoros II Phokas John I Tzimiskes Basil II Constantine VIII Zoe Romanos III Argyros Michael IV the Paphlagonian Michael V Kalaphates Constantine IX Monomachos Theodora Michael VI Bringas Isaac I Komnenos Constantine X Doukas Romanos IV Diogenes Michael VII Doukas Nikephoros III Botaneiates Alexios I Komnenos John II Komnenos Manuel I Komnenos Alexios II Komnenos Andronikos I Komnenos Isaac II Angelos Alexios III Angelos Alexios IV Angelos Alexios V Doukas Empire of Nicaea 1204–1261 Constantine Laskaris Theodore I Laskaris John III Doukas Vatatzes Theodore II Laskaris John IV Laskaris Eastern/ Byzantine Empire 1261–1453 Michael VIII Palaiologos Andronikos II Palaiologos Michael IX Palaiologos Andronikos III Palaiologos John V Palaiologos John VI Kantakouzenos Matthew Kantakouzenos Andronikos IV Palaiologos John VII Palaiologos Andronikos V Palaiologos Manuel II Palaiologos John VIII Palaiologos Constantine XI Palaiologos

Authority control VIAF: 20744377 GND: 12877505X

Persondata
Name	Tacitus, Marcus Claudius
Alternative names
Short description	Roman emperor
Date of birth	200
Place of birth	Interamna, Italia
Date of death	276
Place of death	Antoniana Colonia Tyana, Cappadocia