Marcus Claudius Tacitus
Marcus Claudius Tacitus, (c.200 - 276) Roman Emperor from September 25, 275, to April 276, was a native of Interamna (Terni) in Umbria. In the course of his long life he discharged the duties of various civil
offices, including that of consul in 273, with universal respect. Six months after the assassination of Aurelian he was chosen by the senate to succeed him, and the choice was cordially ratified by the army. During his brief reign he set on foot some domestic reforms, and sought to revive the authority of the senate, but, after a victory over the Alans near the Palus Maeotis, he succumbed to the hardships and fatigues of his new duties at Tyana in Cappadocia. Tacitus, besides being a man of immense wealth (which he bequeathed to the state) had considerable literary culture, and was proud to claim descent from the historian Gaius Cornelius Tacitus, whose works he caused to be transcribed at the public expense and placed in the public libraries.
This article incorporates text from the public domain 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica.
See also: Roman Empire
This is a list of Roman Emperors with the dates they controlled the Roman Empire.
(Note that, contrary to popular belief, Julius Caesar was never Emperor (princeps), although he was named dictator for life in 45 BC (but was not the first Roman to hold that title) and was regarded as such by Roman historians. On the other hand, the name Caesar became the family name of the first dynasty and was effectively treated as a title, a practice which continued throughout the Empire. Similarly, Suetonius wrote of The Twelve Caesars (including the Flavians) so some sense of continuity was evidently felt.)
For the worship of the Roman Emperor as a god, see imperial cult.
For a simplified list see: Concise List of Roman Emperors
italics: claimant who cannot be conisdered to have ruled or held power over part of the empire only
bold italics: nickname by which the individual is commonly known
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