Iulius Placidianus was a Roman general of the 3rd century. He was a professional soldier who advanced his career under Gallienus and survived into the age of Claudius II and Aurelian. The account of him rehearsed here is largely derived from L.L. Howe’s history of the Praetorian Prefecture.[1]
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There are two inscriptions relating to Placidianus, both from Gaul. The first dates from 269 in which he is Praefectus Vigilium (i.e. Prefect of the Roman Watch), but commanding an army detachment against the Gallic Empire and based in southern Gaul[2] and the second is datable to the early years of Aurelian's rule when he was acting as Praetorian Prefect[3]. The fasti name him as Consul with Aurelian in 273.
Placidianus' nomen, Iulius, may indicate a Gallic origin as many Gallic families became Roman citizens under the patronage of the Julio-Claudian Emperors. However, in the two centuries since the death of the last of the Julio-Caludians, Claudius they could well have become much more widely dispersed. His cognomen, i.e. Placidianus, is not sufficiently common to suggest any geographical focus for those choosing it[4] His date of birth is not known.
Placidianus is first encountered as Prefect of the Roman Watch - see Vigiles - under Claudius II in 269. As Claudius had been so closely associated with Gallienus it is likely that Placidianus too had been a rising star in that Emperor’s military entourage. He must, therefore, have been born with or acquired equestrian status as Gallienus began the policy of excluding senators from military commands. Claudius apparently valued him sufficiently to use him in a very sensitive posting.
That he could be Prefect of the Watch while commanding an army detachment against the Gallic Empire (or, more improbably, the Goths) in southern Gaul 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[5].
Whatever Placidianus' 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 Placidianus making any move to relieve it. At this time Claudius, who was fully engaged either in Italy against the Alamanni or in the Balkans against 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, but would also have required Claudius to assume responsibility for the defense of the Rhine frontier had he been successful. Against this Placidianus is credited with suppressing a potentially dangerous revolt by Domitianus in the region south of Lake Geneva in 271[6]
Aurelian appointed Placidianus Praetorian Prefect on or soon after his accession. It is not known if he directly succeeded 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 Placidianus was still in Gaul when he was promoted. 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.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Titus Flavius Postumius Quietus , Junius Veldumnianus, Tetricus I |
Consul of the Roman Empire 273 with Marcus Claudius Tacitus , Tetricus I |
Succeeded by Aurelian , Capitolinus |