Plaucianola amenaza de la domus severiana

Resumen

This paper presents a synthetic view of the rise and fall of a little-treated character in modern historiography, Plautian. However, this person played a key role in the accession to power of Septimius Severus and during the years he was Praetorian Prefect, from 197 to January 205, when he died violently. Ancient sources state that he was a patient person, and above all, a very close friend of the Emperor. His proximity to the Emperor, rather than his position proper, enabled him to obtain almost an absolute political and economic power, being considered at the time as a fourth Caesar. He even managed that his daughter Plautilla married the heir of the Caracalla throne. It is precisely his power and his proximity to Septimius that raised suspicions and jealousies among the Imperial community, leading ultimately to his downfall and his immediate death; though the ancient sources that describe these events do not necessary coincide.