Quintillus

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title: "Quintillus" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["3rd-century-roman-emperors", "crisis-of-the-third-century", "suicides-in-ancient-rome", "suicides-by-sharp-instrument-in-italy", "210s-births", "270-deaths", "year-of-birth-uncertain", "year-of-birth-unknown", "illyrian-people", "aurelii", "claudii", "illyrian-emperors", "royalty-who-died-by-suicide", "male-suicides"] description: "Roman emperor in 270" topic_path: "geography/italy" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quintillus" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Roman emperor in 270 ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox royalty"]

Field	Value
image	Aureus Quintillus (obverse).jpg
image_size	250px
alt	Golden coin depicting man with diadem facing right
caption	Aureus depicting Quintillus. Inscription reads QVINTILLVS
succession	Roman emperor
reign	270 (17–77 days)
predecessor	Claudius Gothicus
successor	Aurelian
birth_place	Sirmium, Pannonia Inferior (Sremska Mitrovica, Serbia)
death_date	270
death_place	Aquileia, Italy
issue	2 sons
full name	Marcus Aurelius Claudius Quintillus
regnal name	Imperator Caesar Marcus Aurelius Claudius Quintillus Augustus
::

| image = Aureus Quintillus (obverse).jpg | image_size = 250px | alt = Golden coin depicting man with diadem facing right | caption = Aureus depicting Quintillus. Inscription reads QVINTILLVS | succession = Roman emperor | reign = 270 (17–77 days) | predecessor = Claudius Gothicus | successor = Aurelian | birth_date = | birth_place = Sirmium, Pannonia Inferior (Sremska Mitrovica, Serbia) | death_date = 270 | death_place = Aquileia, Italy | burial_place = | issue = 2 sons | full name = Marcus Aurelius Claudius Quintillus | regnal name = Imperator Caesar Marcus Aurelius Claudius Quintillus Augustus Marcus Aurelius Claudius Quintillus (died 270) was a short-lived Roman emperor. He took power after the death of his brother, Emperor Claudius Gothicus, in 270. After reigning for a few weeks Quintillus was overthrown by Aurelian, who had been proclaimed rival emperor by the legions he commanded. The ancient sources variously report him to have killed himself, to have fallen in battle against Aurelian, or to have been murdered by his own soldiers.

Early life

Marcus Aurelius Claudius Quintillus' exact birthplace is unknown. An Illyrian, he was likely born in Pannonia Inferior, as is indicated by his coinage. Originating from a low-born family, Quintillus came to prominence with the accession of his brother Claudius Gothicus to the imperial throne in 268. Quintillus was possibly made Procurator of Sardinia during his brother's reign.

Reign of Quintillus

Quintillus was declared emperor after Claudius died in 270. Eutropius reports Quintillus to have been elected by soldiers of the Roman army immediately following the death of his brother; the choice was reportedly approved by the Roman Senate. Joannes Zonaras reports him elected by the Senate itself. Records, however, agree that the legions which had followed Claudius in campaigning along the Danube were either unaware or disapproving of Quintillus' elevation. They instead elevated their current leader Aurelian as emperor.

The few records of Quintillus' reign are contradictory. It is variously reported to have lasted 17 days (Jerome, Eutropius and Zonaras), 77 days (Filocalus), or "a few months" (Zosimus). Modern scholars believe "17" to be a misreading of a larger number, since Quintillus had time to produce an abundance of coins. Records also disagree on the cause of his death. The Historia Augusta reports him murdered by his own soldiers in reaction to his strict military discipline. Jerome says that he was slain at Aquileia, without further specifics. According to Joannes Zonaras, Quintillus opened his veins and bled himself to death; John of Antioch concurs, adding that the suicide was assisted by a physician. Claudius Salmasius noted that Dexippus recorded the death without stating causes. All records, however, agree in placing the death at Aquileia. Quintillus was reportedly survived by his two sons.

The Historia Augusta reports Claudius and Quintillus having another brother named Crispus and through him a niece, Claudia, who reportedly married Eutropius and was mother to Constantius Chlorus. Some historians however suspect this account to be a genealogical fabrication to flatter Constantine I.

Legacy

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/Carska_palata_Sirmijum1.JPG" caption="Ruins of Imperial Palace at [[Sirmium]], today in [[Sremska Mitrovica"] ::

His reign was very short and he never managed to visit Rome as emperor. Surviving Roman records considered Quintillus a moderate and capable emperor. He was seen as a champion of the Senate and thus compared to previous emperors Galba and Pertinax. All three were highly regarded by senatorial sources despite their failure to survive a full year of reign. In his reign the priestly offices held by the emperor were separated and the image of the emperor as pontifex maximus was abandoned.

References

Sources

Ancient sources

Secondary sources

• Jones, A.H.M.; Martindale, J.R., Morris, J. (1971). Quintillus 1. The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire I. Cambridge University Press, p. 759.

| years=270 }}

References

1. Cooley, Alison E.. (2012). "The Cambridge Manual of Latin Epigraphy". Cambridge University Press.
2. Syvänne, Ilkka. (2020). "Aurelian and Probus". [[Pen and Sword]].

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