Placidianus
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Julius Placidianus was a Roman general of the Third Century AD. He was obviously a professional soldier who advanced his career under Gallienus and survived into the age of Claudius II and Aurelian. The information concerning him rehearsed here is largely derived from L.L. Howe’s history of the Praetorian Prefecture[1].
P is first encountered as Prefect of the Roman Watch - see Vigiles - under Claudius II in 269 AD. As Claudius had been so closely associated with Gallienus it is likely that P too had been a rising star in that Emperor’s military entourage. Obviously the new regime thought it worthwhile to promote him.
He is recorded as holding the office of Prefect of the Watch while commanding an army detachment against the Gallic Empire (or, more improbably, the Goths) in southern Gaul. This supports the notion that high-flying army officers might be rewarded by appointments to offices in the Roman garrison while their substantive postings were elsewhere in the Empire[2]. (In this connection see article on L. Petronius Taurus Volusianus).
Whatever P’s mandate in Gaul it did not include taking direct action against the Gallic Empire for it was during his watch that the ‘Gallic Emperor’ Victorinus took and sacked the city of Augustodunum (Autun) which had declared for Claudius without P making any move to assist it. Obviously at this time Claudius who was fully engaged with the Goths in the Balkans did not wish to open a second theatre of operations in Gaul which would not only have involved a major military effort a major war, but would also have required Claudius to assume responsibility for the defense of the Rhine frontier had he been successful. Against this P is credited with suppressing a potentially dangerous revolt by Domitianus in the region south of Lake Geneva in 271[3]
Aurelian appointed P Praetorian Prefect on or soon after his accession. It is not known if he directly succeeded Marcus Aurelius Heraclianus who had been Gallienus's last praetorian prefect and one of the leading lights of the plot to murder him. It is likely that P was still in Gaul when he was appointed. Howe thinks he remained Praetorian Prefect until Aurelian’s death. In 273 he served as Consul with Aurelian.
Nothing is known of his career after the death of Aurelian in 275.
