Gaius Bruttius Praesens
Encyclopedia
Lucius Fulvius Gaius Bruttius Praesens Laberius Maximus Polyonymus (c. 119 – after 180) was a prominent Roman senator and twice consul during the reigns of Roman emperors Antoninus Pius
, Marcus Aurelius and Commodus
. His career is largely known from inscriptions. The epithet Polyonymus appears on his grave inscription but should not itself be understood as a name, like some aristocratic Romans of the period he had ten or twelve names in all.
Praesens was the son and (as far as is known) the only child to Roman consul and senator Caius Bruttius Praesens
Lucius Fulvius Rusticus and from his second marriage to rich Roman heiress Laberia Hostilia Crispina
, daughter of the general and twice consul Manius Laberius Maximus
. He was born and raised in Volceii, Lucania
, Italy
. To judge by the presumed dates of his first offices, Praesens must have been born in or around the year 119. He served as a military tribune in Legio III Gallica
in Syria
, probably about 136 when his father was governing the province. At the beginning of Antoninus Pius’ reign the family evidently stood in high favour: the father took his second consulship in 139 as colleague of the new emperor, and the son was elevated to patrician status about the same time. He went on to fill the coveted position of quaestor augusti to Antoninus.
His first consulship fell in 153: he was consul ordinarius, initiating the year with Publius Septimius Afer for colleague. He continued to prosper under Marcus Aurelius: like his father, he was Proconsul
of Africa
, in 166-167. In 178, Marcus Aurelius' son future Emperor Commodus
was married to Praesens’s daughter Bruttia Crispina
and Marcus designated Praesens consul for the year 180. On 3 August 178, Praesens was one of those who accompanied Marcus and the young Commodus on the so-called 'expeditio Germanica secunda' against the Quadi
, Iazyges
and Marcomanni
, and received military decorations for his part in the campaign. Praesens duly initiated the year 180, again as consul ordinarius, with Sextus Quintillius Valerius Condianus for colleague. His wife is unknown and Praesens had two children: a son, the future consul Lucius Bruttius Quintius Crispinus
and a daughter, future Empress Bruttia Crispina
.
Antoninus Pius
Antoninus Pius , also known as Antoninus, was Roman Emperor from 138 to 161. He was a member of the Nerva-Antonine dynasty and the Aurelii. He did not possess the sobriquet "Pius" until after his accession to the throne...
, Marcus Aurelius and Commodus
Commodus
Commodus , was Roman Emperor from 180 to 192. He also ruled as co-emperor with his father Marcus Aurelius from 177 until his father's death in 180. His name changed throughout his reign; see changes of name for earlier and later forms. His accession as emperor was the first time a son had succeeded...
. His career is largely known from inscriptions. The epithet Polyonymus appears on his grave inscription but should not itself be understood as a name, like some aristocratic Romans of the period he had ten or twelve names in all.
Praesens was the son and (as far as is known) the only child to Roman consul and senator Caius Bruttius Praesens
Caius Bruttius Praesens
Caius or Gaius Bruttius Praesens Lucius Fulvius Rusticus was an important Roman senator of the reigns of Roman emperors Trajan, Hadrian and Antoninus Pius. A friend of Pliny the Younger and Hadrian, he was twice consul, governed provinces, commanded armies and ended his career as City Prefect of...
Lucius Fulvius Rusticus and from his second marriage to rich Roman heiress Laberia Hostilia Crispina
Laberia Hostilia Crispina
Laberia Hostilia Crispina or her full name Laberia Marcia Hostilia Crispina Moecia Cornelia was a noble Roman woman and heiress that lived between the second half of the 1st century and the first half of the 2nd century in the Roman Empire....
, daughter of the general and twice consul Manius Laberius Maximus
Manius Laberius Maximus
Manius Laberius Maximus was a Roman who lived in the 1st and 2nd centuries. Maximus was a significant Roman Senator and military figure in the reigns of Roman Emperors Domitian and Trajan....
. He was born and raised in Volceii, Lucania
Lucania
Lucania was an ancient district of southern Italy, extending from the Tyrrhenian Sea to the Gulf of Taranto. To the north it adjoined Campania, Samnium and Apulia, and to the south it was separated by a narrow isthmus from the district of Bruttium...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. To judge by the presumed dates of his first offices, Praesens must have been born in or around the year 119. He served as a military tribune in Legio III Gallica
Legio III Gallica
Legio tertia Gallica was a Roman legion levied by Julius Caesar around 49 BC, for his civil war against the conservative republicans led by Pompey. The cognomen Gallica suggests that recruits were originally from the Gallic Roman provinces. The legion was still active in Egypt in the early 4th...
in Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
, probably about 136 when his father was governing the province. At the beginning of Antoninus Pius’ reign the family evidently stood in high favour: the father took his second consulship in 139 as colleague of the new emperor, and the son was elevated to patrician status about the same time. He went on to fill the coveted position of quaestor augusti to Antoninus.
His first consulship fell in 153: he was consul ordinarius, initiating the year with Publius Septimius Afer for colleague. He continued to prosper under Marcus Aurelius: like his father, he was Proconsul
Proconsul
A proconsul was a governor of a province in the Roman Republic appointed for one year by the senate. In modern usage, the title has been used for a person from one country ruling another country or bluntly interfering in another country's internal affairs.-Ancient Rome:In the Roman Republic, a...
of Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, in 166-167. In 178, Marcus Aurelius' son future Emperor Commodus
Commodus
Commodus , was Roman Emperor from 180 to 192. He also ruled as co-emperor with his father Marcus Aurelius from 177 until his father's death in 180. His name changed throughout his reign; see changes of name for earlier and later forms. His accession as emperor was the first time a son had succeeded...
was married to Praesens’s daughter Bruttia Crispina
Bruttia Crispina
Bruttia Crispina was the Empress of Rome and wife of Roman Emperor Commodus.Crispina’s mother is unknown and her father was twice consul Gaius Bruttius Praesens. Crispina’s paternal grandparents were consul and senator Caius Bruttius Praesens and rich heiress Laberia Hostilia Crispina, who was the...
and Marcus designated Praesens consul for the year 180. On 3 August 178, Praesens was one of those who accompanied Marcus and the young Commodus on the so-called 'expeditio Germanica secunda' against the Quadi
Quadi
The Quadi were a smaller Germanic tribe, about which little is definitively known. We only know the Germanic tribe the Romans called the 'Quadi' through reports of the Romans themselves...
, Iazyges
Iazyges
The Iazyges were an ancient nomadic tribe. Known also as Jaxamatae, Ixibatai, Iazygite, Jászok, Ászi, they were a branch of the Sarmatian people who, c. 200 BC, swept westward from central Asia onto the steppes of what is now Ukraine...
and Marcomanni
Marcomanni
The Marcomanni were a Germanic tribe, probably related to the Buri, Suebi or Suevi.-Origin:Scholars believe their name derives possibly from Proto-Germanic forms of "march" and "men"....
, and received military decorations for his part in the campaign. Praesens duly initiated the year 180, again as consul ordinarius, with Sextus Quintillius Valerius Condianus for colleague. His wife is unknown and Praesens had two children: a son, the future consul Lucius Bruttius Quintius Crispinus
Lucius Bruttius Quintius Crispinus
Lucius Bruttius Quintius Crispinus was a Roman who lived in the 2nd century. His mother is unknown and his father was Roman consul Gaius Bruttius Praesens. Crispinus' paternal grandparents were consul and senator Caius Bruttius Praesens and rich heiress Laberia Hostilia Crispina, who was the...
and a daughter, future Empress Bruttia Crispina
Bruttia Crispina
Bruttia Crispina was the Empress of Rome and wife of Roman Emperor Commodus.Crispina’s mother is unknown and her father was twice consul Gaius Bruttius Praesens. Crispina’s paternal grandparents were consul and senator Caius Bruttius Praesens and rich heiress Laberia Hostilia Crispina, who was the...
.
Sources
- German version of Wikipedia.
- http://www.forumancientcoins.com/historia/coins/r3/r1361.htm
- http://www.livius.org/bn-bz/bruttius/crispina.html
- Various essays by Sir Ronald Syme, notably 'An Eccentric Patrician', in Roman Papers Volume III (Oxford, 1984).