The Wife of Aristobulus II – The last Queen of an independent Judea

The Wife of Aristobulus II was the last Queen of Judea of the Hasmonean Dynasty.^[1] She was the daughter-in-law of Salome Alexandra, who was the Queen regnant of Judea. Her husband would fight a civil war against his brother, John Hyrcanus II. King Aristobulus II and his wife’s reign was the end of an independent Judea.^[2] After their reign, Judea would be ruled by the Romans with Herod the Great as its client King.^[3] Thus, Judea would be governed by Rome until 100 C.E.^[4]

In circa 90 B.C.E., the Wife of Aristobulus II was born.^[5] While her name remains unrecorded, there are a few details about her background.^[6] She was the granddaughter of King John Hyrcanus I of Judea.^[7] Her father was Abshalom.^[8] She eventually married her first cousin, Aristobulus II.^[9] Aristobulus II was the younger son of her aunt, Queen Salome Alexandra.^[10] The marriage between Aristobulus II and his wife is the first recorded cousin-marriage of the Hasmonean Dynasty.^[11] Despite the fact that it was an arranged marriage, they were very happy and loved each other.^[12] The Wife of Aristobulus II gave birth to two sons, Antigonus II Mattathias and Alexander of Judea, and an unnamed daughter.^[13] 

At the end of Queen Salome Alexandra’s reign, Aristobulus II must have shown signs that he planned to usurp the throne from his elder brother, John Hyrcanus II.^[14] On her deathbed in 67 B.C.E., Queen Salome Alexandra took the Wife of Aristobulus II and her children as hostages to prevent Aristobulus II from rebelling against his brother.^[15] However, the attempt proved to be unsuccessful as Aristobulus II managed to take possession of the fortresses and the army.^[16] In 66 B.C.E., Aristobulus II deposed his brother, King John Hyrcanus II, and became King of Judea.^[17] Therefore, the Wife of Aristobulus II became Queen of Judea.^[18] However, their reign was short-lived.^[19] John Hyrcanus II never stopped trying to regain his throne.^[20] He turned to the Nabateans for help, but Aristobulus II defeated him.^[21] In 63 B.C.E., Pompey the Great intervened in the Civil War between John Hyrcanus II and Aristobulus II.^[22] The Romans conquered Judea.^[23] John Hyrcanus II submitted to Roman rule, but Aristobulus II did not.^[24] He fought the Romans until he was defeated.^[25] Aristobulus II was captured by the Romans, became their prisoner, and was sent to Rome.^[26] In 61 B.C.E., Aristobulus II, the former King of Judea and High Priest, was forced to march in Pompey’s triumph.^[27]

In 56 B.C.E., Aristobulus II managed to escape from Rome.^[28] He tried to regain his throne of Judea and rebelled against Rome.^[29] Aristobulus II and his sons surrendered at Machaerus.^[30] However, the Wife of Aristobulus II made a deal with Gabinius, the Roman Governor of Judea, to allow her sons to return to Judea.^[31] In 49 B.C.E., Aristobulus II was freed by Caesar and decided to join his army in Syria.^[32] On his way there, Aristobulus II was poisoned by one of Pompey’s allies.^[33] The poison did not kill him.^[34] He was captured and taken back to Rome.^[35] Upon his arrival, he was assassinated.^[36]

John Hyrcanus II became the High Priest but did not regain the throne of Judea.^[37] In circa 55 B.C.E., he married his daughter, Alexandra the Maccabee, to Aristobulus II’s son, Alexander.^[38] In 49 B.C.E., Alexander led a rebellion against Rome but was defeated.^[39] He was executed by the Romans.^[40]

After 49 B.C.E., there is no mention of the Wife of Aristobulus II’s fate.^[41] Her son, Antigonus II Mattathias, led a rebellion against the Romans but was defeated in 40 B.C.E.^[42] He was killed in 37 B.C.E.^[43] The next King of Judea was Herod the Great, the founder of the Herodian Dynasty.^[44] The Wife of Aristobulus II’s unnamed daughter resisted King Herod the Great’s rule and controlled the fortress of Hyrcania in the Judean Desert for seven years.^[45] The Wife of Aristobulus II’s granddaughter, Mariamne I, married King Herod the Great. However, King Herod the Great would execute her in 28 B.C.E. due to a fit of jealousy. The Wife of Aristobulus II is the ancestress of Princess Herodias, Queen Salome, and Queen Julia Berenice I.^[46]

Sources:

“Aristobulus II.” (2015, May 12). New World Encyclopedia. Retrieved on April 11, 2023 from https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/p/index.php?title=Aristobulus_II&oldid=988116.

“Aristobulus II (D. 48 B.C.E.).” (2012). In M. Bunson, Facts on File library of world history: Encyclopedia of ancient Rome (3rd ed.). Facts On File.

“Aristobulus II.” (2012). Britannica Biographies, 1.

Ilan, T. (1999, December 31). “Hasmonean Women.” Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women. Jewish Women’s Archive. Retrieved on April 11, 2023 from https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/hasmonean-women.

Ilan, T. (2022). Queen Berenice: A Jewish Female Icon of the First Century CE. Netherlands: Brill.