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




aristobulus ii 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.


[1] “Aristobulus II”, New World Encyclopedia, May 12, 2015

[2] “Aristobulus II”, New World Encyclopedia, May 12, 2015

[3] “Aristobulus II”, New World Encyclopedia, May 12, 2015

[4] “Aristobulus II”, New World Encyclopedia, May 12, 2015

[5] Ilan, 2022

[6] Ilan, 2022

[7] Ilan, 2022

[8] Ilan, 2022

[9] Ilan, 2022

[10] Ilan, 2022

[11] Ilan, 2022

[12] Ilan, 2022

[13] Ilan, 2022

[14] Ilan, 2022

[15] Ilan, 31 December 1999, “Hasmonean Women”

[16] Ilan, 2022

[17] “Aristobulus II”, New World Encyclopedia, May 12, 2015

[18] Ilan, 2022

[19] “Aristobulus II”, New World Encyclopedia, May 12, 2015

[20] “Aristobulus II”, Britannica Biographies,, 2012

[21] “Aristobulus II”, Britannica Biographies,, 2012

[22] “Aristobulus II”, Britannica Biographies,, 2012

[23] “Aristobulus II”, Britannica Biographies,, 2012

[24] “Aristobulus II (D. 48 B.C.E.),” In M. Bunson, Facts on File library of world history: Encyclopedia of Ancient Rome, 2012

[25] “Aristobulus II (D. 48 B.C.E.),” In M. Bunson, Facts on File library of world history: Encyclopedia of Ancient Rome, 2012

[26] “Aristobulus II (D. 48 B.C.E.),” In M. Bunson, Facts on File library of world history: Encyclopedia of Ancient Rome, 2012

[27] “Aristobulus II”, New World Encyclopedia, May 12, 2015

[28] “Aristobulus II”, New World Encyclopedia, May 12, 2015

[29] “Aristobulus II”, New World Encyclopedia, May 12, 2015

[30] Ilan, 2022

[31] Ilan, 2022

[32] “Aristobulus II”, New World Encyclopedia, May 12, 2015

[33] “Aristobulus II”, New World Encyclopedia, May 12, 2015

[34] “Aristobulus II”, New World Encyclopedia, May 12, 2015

[35] “Aristobulus II”, New World Encyclopedia, May 12, 2015

[36] “Aristobulus II”, New World Encyclopedia, May 12, 2015

[37] “Aristobulus II”, New World Encyclopedia, May 12, 2015

[38] Ilan, 2022

[39] Ilan, 2022

[40] Ilan, 2022

[41] Ilan, 2022

[42] “Aristobulus II”, New World Encyclopedia, May 12, 2015

[43] “Aristobulus II”, New World Encyclopedia, May 12, 2015

[44] Ilan, 2022

[45] Ilan, 31 December 1999, “Hasmonean Women”

[46] Ilan, 2022






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About Lauralee Jacks 207 Articles
I am a former elementary teacher in Tennessee. I have a bachelor’s degree in Liberal and Civic Studies from St. Mary’s College of California, a master’s in Elementary Education from the University of Phoenix, and a doctorate in Educational Leadership from the College of Saint Mary. Because my family are from East Asia, I have a passion for historical Chinese and Korean television shows. I always wanted to separate fact from fiction in dramas. Writing articles from History of Royal Women gives me a chance to dig deeper and explore these royal women as they might have been in real life. Also, it gives me a chance to look at the history and culture of where my family originated. I love researching East Asian royalty because they rarely get enough attention in the West often being overshadowed by European royalty. I find these royal women to be just as fascinating and their stories deserve to be told. Thus, I am excited to write for History of Royal Women!

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