Avidius Cassius: The Hero of the Parthian War

Avidius Cassius was on friendly terms with the imperial family for years. Faustina may have offered her hand in marriage to Cassius, in exchange for Cassius protecting Commodus' eventual claim to the throne. The details of all this are sketchy as the correspondence between the two was burned after Cassius' death. It seems that Cassius missed the if Marcus died part of the sentence and took the note to read that the emperor was dead and Faustina was urging him to claim the throne.