TACITUS, MARCUS CLAUDIUS (M. Claudius Tacitus, Imperator Augustus; appellations "ex victoria" [Gothicus, Maximus] etc.), ROMAN EMPEROR. - He reigned in the years 275-76. The killing of an emperor of high military and civil qualities such as Aurelian, while he was leading a great expedition against Persia, left the soldiers bewildered, who, instead of proclaiming an emperor themselves, turned to the Senate, so that it might provide to the succession. Nor did the Senate prove capable of any more decisive readiness, until, after a period of mutual invitations, it succeeded in persuading its own princeps T. to accept the grave and dangerous charge.
Born at Interamna (Terni) in Umbria, he enjoyed a good reputation, and Aurelian had conferred important offices on him and the consulate. At the age of 75, he set to work energetically, even if it appears a little difficult to believe that all the measures which the Historia Augusta attributes to him were his.
T. honored the memory of Aurelian, punished his murderers, and continued some of his policies, for example the supervision of the mints, the care for the good upkeep of the roads, etc. In the face of a grave threat from barbarians (probably Goths) who had invaded the northeastern regions of Asia Minor, he did not hesitate to place himself at the head of military forces to fight them. For the successes obtained, he was awarded the title of Gothicus Maximus. But still during the campaign he met his death, from illness according to some sources, killed according to others.
Bibliography5 worksE. Hohl, Vopiscus und die Biographie des Kaisers Tacitus, in Klio, 11 (1911), pp. 186-90, 284-324; O. Th. Schultz, Vom Prinzipat zum Dominat
BIBL.: E. Hohl, Vopiscus und die Biographie des Kaisers Tacitus, in Klio, 11 (1911), pp. 186-90, 284-324; O. Th. Schultz, Vom Prinzipat zum Dominat, Paderborn 1919, p. 144; G. M. Bersanetti, La pretesa restaurazione senatoria dell'imperatore, in Rivista indo-graco-italica, 19 (1935), pp. 19-24; R. Paribeni, L'Italia imperiale, Milano 1938, p. 508; A. Calderini, La crisi dell'Impero nel sec. III, Bologna 1949, p. 211.
Paribeni, Roberto. “Tacito, marco claudio (m. claudius tacitus, imperator augustus; appellativi « ex victoria » [gothicus, maximus] ecc.), imperatore romano.” In Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. XI, coll. 1694–1695. Città del Vaticano: Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico, 1953. https://azioneromana.com/article/tacito-marco-claudio-m-claudius-tacitus-imperator-augustus-appellativi-ex-victoria-gothicus-maxi.
MLA
Paribeni, Roberto. “Tacito, marco claudio (m. claudius tacitus, imperator augustus; appellativi « ex victoria » [gothicus, maximus] ecc.), imperatore romano.” Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. XI, Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico, 1953, coll. 1694–1695. Azione Romana, https://azioneromana.com/article/tacito-marco-claudio-m-claudius-tacitus-imperator-augustus-appellativi-ex-victoria-gothicus-maxi.
BibTeX
@incollection{ec11_tacito_marco_claudio_m_claudiu,
author = {Paribeni, Roberto},
title = {Tacito, marco claudio (m. claudius tacitus, imperator augustus; appellativi « ex victoria » [gothicus, maximus] ecc.), imperatore romano},
booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica},
volume = {XI},
pages = {1694--1695},
note = {Cited by column},
publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico},
address = {Città del Vaticano},
year = {1953},
url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/tacito-marco-claudio-m-claudius-tacitus-imperator-augustus-appellativi-ex-victoria-gothicus-maxi}
}
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