Fulvia Plautilla

Publia Fulvia Plautilla, Fulvia Plautilla or Plautilla (around 188/189 - early 212) was a Roman Princess, briefly Roman Empress and the only wife to Roman Emperor Caracalla. Caracalla was her paternal second cousin.

Plautilla was born and raised in Rome. Plautilla belonged to the gens Fulvius of ancient Rome. The Fulvius family was originally of plebs status, who originally came from Tusculum, Italy and were active in Roman politics, since the Roman Republic. Her mother is unknown, her father was Gaius Fulvius Plautianus the Commander of the Praetorian Guard, maternal first cousin, consul and close ally to Roman Emperor Lucius Septimius Severus, (who was the father of Caracalla). She also had a brother, who had the same name as her father.

Severus and Plautianus arranged for Plautilla and Caracalla to be married in 202. Caracalla was chosen and forced by his father to marry Plautilla. They were married in a lavish ceremony. Caracalla and Plautilla had a very unhappy marriage, because Caracalla always despised her. According to Cassius Dio, Plautilla had a profligate character.

According to numismatic evidence, Plautilla bore Caracalla a daughter (whose name is unknown) in 204 and in that year, her father-in-law ordered the erection of the arch, "Arcus Septimi Severi", which in scripts and honors, Septimius Severus, Severus’ wife the Roman Empress Julia Domna, Caracalla, Plautilla and her brother-in-law Publius Septimius Geta.

On January 22 205 Gaius Fulvius Plautianus was executed for treachery and his family properties were confiscated. Plautilla and her daughter were exiled by Caracalla to Sicily and then to Lipari. They were treated very harshly, and were eventually strangled on Caracalla's orders after the death of Septimius Severus on February 4 211.

Coins that have survived of her, are mainly from the reign of her father-in-law. Inscriptions of her on coins are: Plautilla Augusta or Plautilla Augustae.

ources

*http://www.treasurerealm.com/coinpapers/romanemperors/plautilla.html
* http://vessels-of-time.com/women_of_rome.htm
* http://www.roman-emperors.org/caracala.htm#Note_pfp
* http://www.forumancientcoins.com/historia/coins/r4/r1461.htm
*http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer/Places/Europe/Italy/Lazio/Roma/Rome/_Texts/PLATOP*/Arcus_Argentariorum.html
* http://www.trajancoins.com/plautilla.htm
* http://www.ancientlibrary.com/smith-bio/2739.html