FLORIAN

born Aug. 19, 232 died Sept. 9, 276 Latin in full Marcus Annius Florianus Roman emperor from June to September 276. The brother, by a different father, of the emperor Tacitus, he at once seized power on the death of his brother. Although his action was tolerated by the Senate and the armies of the West, the legions in Syria promoted their own general, Probus. A civil war broke out but ended in the sudden death of Florian, either at the hands of his own soldiers or by suicide.