The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire · Character
Tacitus
Also known as Emperor Tacitus, Marcus Claudius Tacitus
- Minor
- First seen · Book 1 · Ch. 43
A weak old man elevated to the purple in his seventy-fifth year, his feeble constitution and exhausted strength speak of a life spent in peaceful retirement suddenly thrust into the harsh light of imperial responsibility.
- Gender
- male
- Age
- 75
- First appears
- Book 1 · Ch. 43
- Books
- 1
Marcus Claudius Tacitus was a Roman senator of seventy-five years when the army elected him emperor following Aurelian's death. His feeble constitution and exhausted strength made him an unlikely candidate for the demanding role of emperor, and his brief reign was marked by the challenges of governing an empire while possessing limited physical capacity for the task.
Description
Tacitus appears as a man of advanced age, his seventy-five years evident in his white hair, aged features, and feeble constitution. His imperial purple robes contrast with his exhausted frame, creating the image of an elderly man bearing the weight of empire despite his clearly diminished physical capacity.
Story so far
BOOK 1The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire / Table of Contents with links in the HTML file to the two Project Gutenberg editions (12 volumes)
Appearances
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