Cornelius Repentinus was a

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

who was active in the 2nd century AD. He held a number of positions during the reigns of emperors

Marcus Aurelius Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (Latin: áːɾkus̠ auɾέːli.us̠ antɔ́ːni.us̠ English: ; 26 April 121 – 17 March 180) was Roman emperor from 161 to 180 AD and a Stoic philosopher. He was the last of the rulers known as the Five Good ...

Commodus Commodus (; 31 August 161 – 31 December 192) was a Roman emperor who ruled from 177 to 192. He served jointly with his father Marcus Aurelius from 176 until the latter's death in 180, and thereafter he reigned alone until his assassination. ...

and

Didius Julianus Marcus Didius Julianus (; 29 January 133 or 137 – 2 June 193) was Roman emperor for nine weeks from March to June 193, during the Year of the Five Emperors. Julianus had a promising political career, governing several provinces, including Dal ...

, which included suffect consul and

Urban prefect The ''praefectus urbanus'', also called ''praefectus urbi'' or urban prefect in English, was prefect of the city of Rome, and later also of Constantinople. The office originated under the Roman kings, continued during the Republic and Empire, and ...

of Rome. Repentinus was the son of Sextus Cornelius Repentinus, was

prefect Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area. A prefect's ...

of the

Praetorian Guard The Praetorian Guard (Latin: ''cohortēs praetōriae'') was a unit of the Imperial Roman army that served as personal bodyguards and intelligence agents for the Roman emperors. During the Roman Republic, the Praetorian Guard were an escort fo ...

during the reign of Roman emperors

Antoninus Pius Antoninus Pius (Latin: ''Titus Aelius Hadrianus Antoninus Pius''; 19 September 86 – 7 March 161) was Roman emperor from 138 to 161. He was the fourth of the Five Good Emperors from the Nerva–Antonine dynasty. Born into a senatoria ...

(reigned 138–161) and

(reigned 161–180).

Career

At some point before 193, when the emperor Commodus was assassinated, Repentinus acceded to the suffect consulate. Paul Leunissen suggests this was around the year 188. Leunissen is one of many scholars who suggest that a headless and fragmentary inscription recovered in El Kef in

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

provides details of Repentinus'

cursus honorum The ''cursus honorum'' (; , or more colloquially 'ladder of offices') was the sequential order of public offices held by aspiring politicians in the Roman Republic and the early Roman Empire. It was designed for men of senatorial rank. The '' ...

. (This identification has been questioned in a recent article by

Werner Eck Werner Eck (born 17 December 1939) is Professor of Ancient History at Cologne University, Germany, and a noted expert on the history and epigraphy of imperial Rome.Eck, W. (2007) ''The Age of Augustus''. 2nd ed. Oxford: Blackwell, cover notes. His ...

.) Leunissen argues that this inscription not only confirms that Repentinus was consul and urban prefect, but that during the co-reigns of Marcus Aurelius and Commodus Repentinus was curator of the

Via Flaminia The Via Flaminia or Flaminian Way was an ancient Roman road leading from Rome over the Apennine Mountains to ''Ariminum'' (Rimini) on the coast of the Adriatic Sea, and due to the ruggedness of the mountains was the major option the Romans had ...

(which would be between 177 and 180), then after an unknown appointment (possibly commander of a legion) he served as governor of the imperial province of

Lusitania Lusitania (; ) was an ancient Iberian Roman province located where modern Portugal (south of the Douro river) and a portion of western Spain (the present Extremadura and the province of Salamanca) lie. It was named after the Lusitani or Lusita ...

. Leunissen dates the tenure of this governor, regardless of his identity with Repentinus, possibly from 185 to 188. In the first months of 193, Repentinus married the daughter of

Didia Clara Didia Clara was a daughter and the only recorded child to the Roman Emperor Didius Julianus and Empress Manlia Scantilla. She was born and raised in Rome. Little is known about her personality or life. After Didius Julianus purchased the throne ...

. When the emperor

Pertinax Publius Helvius Pertinax (; 1 August 126 – 28 March 193) was Roman emperor for the first three months of 193. He succeeded Commodus to become the first emperor during the tumultuous Year of the Five Emperors. Born the son of a freed slave ...

was murdered on 28 March, according to the ''

Historia Augusta The ''Historia Augusta'' (English: ''Augustan History'') is a late Roman collection of biographies, written in Latin, of the Roman emperors, their junior colleagues, designated heirs and usurpers from 117 to 284. Supposedly modeled on the sim ...

'', Julianus and Repentinus were outside the senate house where they had been summoned, finding the doors were locked. Two tribunes informed the pair that

Titus Flavius Claudius Sulpicianus Titus Flavius Claudius Sulpicianus ( ca. 137 AD – 197 AD) was a Roman statesman who served as Senator and Consul suffectus. He unsuccessfully attempted to succeed his son-in-law Pertinax as Emperor in 193. Early life Sulpicianus was probably bor ...

was at the camp of the

seeking their support to become emperor; Repentinus was one of a group who encouraged Julianus to compete for the purple, and the tribunes led them to the camp where Julianus outbid Sulpicianus and became emperor. One of his first acts was to appoint Repentinus urban prefect. Despite the fact that Julianus was never secure on the throne, Repentinus remained a firm supporter of his father-in-law his entire reign; reportedly he and the

praetorian prefect The praetorian prefect ( la, praefectus praetorio, el, ) was a high office in the Roman Empire. Originating as the commander of the Praetorian Guard, the office gradually acquired extensive legal and administrative functions, with its holders be ...

Titus Flavius Genialis Titus Flavius Genialis (Latin: ''T. Flavius Genialis'') was Praetorian prefect with Tullius Crispinus in 193 AD. He was appointed by Didius Julianus, who had just bought the throne from the Guard. Even in the face of Julianus' rapidly deterioratin ...

were the only two with Julianus at the end.''Historia Augusta'', "Didius Julianus"
8.6
/ref> The fate of Cornelius Repentinus and his wife after the death of his father-in-law are unknown.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Repentinus, Cornelius Romans from Africa 2nd-century Romans Roman governors of Lusitania Suffect consuls of Imperial Rome Urban prefects of Rome Repentinus, Sextus