Marcus Claudius Tacitus (full name: Imperator Caesar Marcus Claudius Tacitus Augustus[1]) was Emperor of the Roman Empire from AD 275 to AD 276.
Life
Not much is known about the life of Tacitus but there are some details. He was a seventy-five-year-old Italian Senator who claimed to be a descendant of the famous first/second-century historian, Publius/Gaius Cornelius Tacitus. Tacitus was probably the senator made Consul by Aurelian in AD 273. He was said to be a kind man with outstanding morals.
Emperor
In AD 275, Aurelian was murdered by high officials who were tricked by a Secretary of Aurelian name Eros. The army did not choose an Emperor, for they were shocked that members of their own murdered Aurelian. They asked the Senate to elect an Emperor, the Senate being long ignored and knowing that any appointment might possibly get overthrown by the Army told them to choose an Emperor. But the Army consulted the Senate again and the Senate chose an Emperor. The old Senator, Marcus Claudius Tacitus was chosen as Emperor. His first actions were to deify Aurelian and make arrangements for commemorations of the late Emperor with monuments and statues. He apparently made it illegal to produce certain alloys of precious metals which might relate to the problems with the Roman coinage at the time.
Barbarian invasions
He also ordered the punishment and execution of Aurelian's murderers. Some, however, apparently survived. Reports came in of barbarian invasions from Gaul and raids in the region of Pontus in Asia Minor by the Herculi and several other tribes. They claimed that they were recruited by Aurelian to aid in the campaign against Persia and when they came from the Black Sea, they received no pay. They raided many cities and managed to even reach Cilicia. Tacitus and the legions were close and they bought off many of the raiders as they can with the fee agreed by Aurelian. The ones who did not quit the raiding were defeated by the army led by the Praetorian Prefect, Florianus. The maternal half-brother of Tacitus. For this, Tacitus received the title of Gothicus Maximus.
Death
After a short reign of only six months, Tacitus died in AD 276 at Tyana in the eastern province of Cappadocia, probably in the month of June. He may have died of natural causes due to old age at seventy-five or of illness.
References
- White, John. The Roman Emperor Aurelian Restorer of the World. New Revised Edition., Pen and Sword Military, 2015.