Tacitus, Marcus Claudius (M. Claudius Tacitus, Roman Emperor; epithets "Ex Victoria" [Gothicus, Maximus] etc.) (TACITO, MARCO CLAUDIO (M. CLAUDIUS TACITUS, IMPERATOR AUGUSTUS; APPELLATIVI « EX VICTORIA » [GOTHICUS, MAXIMUS] ECC.), IMPERATORE ROMANO)

Machine translation of the 1948–1954 Italian original. The original text is authoritative.

TACITO, MARCO CLAUDIO (M. Claudius Tacitus, Imperator Augustus; appellatives « ex victoria » [Gothicus, Maximus], etc.), ROMAN EMPEROR. — He reigned in the years 275–276. The killing of an emperor of high military and civil qualities such as Aureliano, while he was leading a great expedition against Persia, left the soldiers bewildered; instead of proclaiming an emperor themselves, they turned to the Senate, so that it might provide

Article illustration — (Int. Alinari) TADDEO DI BARTOLO – T. di B. Politician with the Annunciation and Saints – Siena, Galleria dell’Accademia.

for the succession. Nor did the Senate know how to demonstrate more decisive readiness, until, after a period of mutual entreaties, it succeeded in persuading its own prince T. to accept the grave and dangerous office.

Born at Interamna (Terni) in Umbria, he enjoyed a good reputation, and Aurelian had entrusted him with important offices and the consulship. Seventy-five years old, he set diligently to work, although it seems somewhat difficult to believe that all the measures attributed to him by the Historia Augusta were in fact his.

T. honoured the memory of Aurelian, punished his assassins, and continued some of his policies—for example, supervision of the mints and care for the proper maintenance of the roads, etc. Faced with a grave threat from barbarians (probably Goths) who had invaded the north-eastern regions of Asia Minor, he did not hesitate to place himself at the head of military forces to fight them. For the successes he achieved, he was awarded the title of Gothicus Maximus. But while the campaign was still in progress, he died—of illness, according to some sources; killed, according to others.

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. Roberto Paribeni