Marcus Peducaeus Plautius Quintillus

Marcus Peducaeus Plautius Quintillus (d. 205) was a two-time consul of the Roman Empire, in 177 with the future emperor Commodus as his colleague, and once again with Commodus at an unknown date.

Family

Plautius was born and raised in Rome. He was the son of the consul Plautius Quintillus and noblewoman Ceionia Fabia. At some point, Plautius was adopted as the heir of Marcus Peducaeus Stologa Priscinus, who was consul in 141. He is known to history by his adoptive name, and his birth name is unknown. Through his adopted father, as well as his natural father and mother, he could claim descent from families of the highest nobility.

Plautius’ paternal grandfather could have been the consul and possible Roman priest Lucius Titius Epidius Aquilinus, and his paternal uncle could have been the consul Lucius Titius Plautius Aquilinus. Plautius’ maternal uncle was the Roman Emperor Lucius Verus, who co-ruled with Marcus Aurelius from 161 to 169, his maternal aunt-in-marriage was the Roman Empress Lucilla and his maternal grandparents was Lucius Aelius Verus Caesar, the first adopted heir of Roman Emperor Hadrian and the well connected noblewoman Avidia Plautia.

During the reign of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius (161-180), Plautius married Annia Aurelia Fadilla, one of the daughters of Marcus Aurelius and his wife Faustina the Younger. Fadilla bore Plautius two children: a son (Plautius) Quintillus and a daughter Plautia Servilla.

Political career

In 177, Plautius served as consul with his brother-in-law the future Roman Emperor Commodus and then again with Commodus at an unknown date in his reign 180-192. He was also an Augur. When Marcus Aurelius died in 180, Fadilla’s brother Commodus succeeded her father as Emperor. Plautius was one of Commodus’ main advisers.

When Commodus was assassinated in December 192, Plautius was ignored as a potential successor as Roman Emperor and Pertinax briefly assumed the Roman throne. After the murder of Pertinax in 193, Didius Julianus briefly became Roman Emperor with Lucius Septimius Severus becoming his rival to becoming Roman Emperor.

Plautius was against Didius Julianus’ proposal in meeting Septimius Severus’ advancing army as suppliants. When Didius Julianus was murdered, Lucius Septimius Severus became the new Roman Emperor and founded a new Roman Imperial Dynasty. Plautius was living at his country estate continuing his duties as a Roman Senator. In 205, Septimius Severus ordered Plautius’ execution and Plautius committed suicide. It is unknown whether Fadilla was still alive then.

Sources

• Septimius Severus: the African emperor, by Anthony Richard Birley Edition: 2 - 1999
• From Tiberius to the Antonines: a history of the Roman Empire AD 14-192, by Albino Garzetti, 1974
• The Cambridge ancient history, Volume 11 By Alan K. Bowman, Peter Garnsey, Dominic Rathbone Limited preview - Edition: 2 - Item notes: v. 11 – 2000
• Marcus Aurelius, by Anthony Richard Birley, Routledge, 2000
• de:Plautius Quintillus
• http://www.livius.org/di-dn/divi_fratres/fadilla.html
• http://img249.imageshack.us/img249/6756/gensadoptengbf2.swf

Political offices
Preceded by Titus Pomponius Proculus Vitrasius Pollio Marcus Flavius Aper	Consul of the Roman Empire 177 With: Commodus	Succeeded by Servius Cornelius Scipio Salvidienus Orfitus Decimus Velius Rufus