Plautilla was born and raised in
Rome. She belonged to the
gens Fulvia of ancient Rome. The Fulvius family was of
plebeian origin, came from
Tusculum,
Italy and had been active in politics since the
Roman Republic. Plautilla's father, however, came from the
Leptis Magna, in North Africa (located in modern-day Libya). Her mother was named Hortensia; her father was
Gaius Fulvius Plautianus, the Commander of the
Praetorian Guard, consul, paternal first cousin and close ally to Roman Emperor
Lucius Septimius Severus (the father of Caracalla). She also had a brother, Gaius Fulvius Plautius Hortensianus. Severus and Plautianus arranged for Plautilla to be married to Severus' son and heir, Caracalla, in a lavish ceremony in April 202 CE. The forced marriage proved to be very unhappy; Caracalla despised her. Anthony Birley notes that these coins "may indicate no more than pious hopes" and doubts that the marriage was consummated. In the same year, her father-in-law ordered the erection of the
Arch of Septimius Severus, honoring him and his family, including his wife, Empress
Julia Domna, Caracalla, Plautilla and her brother-in-law
Publius Septimius Geta. . On 22 January 205 Gaius Fulvius Plautianus was executed for treachery and his family properties were confiscated. Plautilla and her brother were exiled by Caracalla to
Sicily and then to
Lipari. They were treated very harshly and were eventually strangled, possibly on Caracalla's orders after the death of Septimius Severus on 4 February 211. ==Contemporary depictions==