Definition: Tacitus (Marcus Claudius Tacitus) was Roman emperor from 275-6. His full title was "Imperator Caesar Marcus Claudius Tacitus Pius Felix Invictus Augustus". He may have been killed or died of natural causes.
Tacitus was an elderly senator when the senate appointed him emperor at the request of the military. He deified the emperor Aurelian and executed many of those involved in the murder of Aurelian. After appointing his half-brother Florian as Praetorian Prefect, Tacitus and Florian campaigned in the East. For this, Tacitus earned the title Gothicus Maximus.
Sources: Diana Bowder's Who Was Who in the Roman World.
DIR Tacitus
Also see: Flavi Vopisci Syracusii Tacitus from
Historiae Augustae
