Princess Alexandra the Maccabee was one of the “strongest and shrewdest” [1] enemies of King Herod the Great of Judea. She was a Hasmonean princess who constantly schemed against King Herod. As a result, both of her children and her father were killed by King Herod. Thus, Princess Alexandra the Maccabee tried to oust King Herod from the throne and crown herself Queen regnant of Judea. However, her rebellion failed, and she had to suffer heavy consequences.
Princess Alexandra the Maccabee was born in Judea sometime before 63 B.C.E. She was the daughter of King Hyrcanus II of Judea, who briefly reigned for three months until his brother Aristobulus II ousted him from the throne in 66 B.C.E. Her grandmother was Queen regnant Salome Alexandra of Judea. In 55 B.C.E., Princess Alexandra married her cousin, Prince Alexander (the son of King Aristobulus II).[2] She gave birth to two children, Aristobulus and Mariamne. In 49 B.C.E., Prince Alexander was executed by the Romans, and Princess Alexandra became a widow.[3]
When Herod became King of Judea, Princess Alexandra wanted to establish Hasmonean influence in the Herodian court.[4] Therefore, she married her daughter, Mariamne, to King Herod in 37 B.C.E. After Queen Mariamne’s marriage, Princess Alexandra hoped that King Herod would appoint her son, Aristobulus, as the High Priest of Judea.[5] However, King Herod went against her wishes and appointed Hananel as the High Priest instead.[6] Princess Alexandra was outraged and publicly protested against Hananel’s appointment.[7] She wrote to Queen Cleopatra VII of Egypt and Mark Antony and begged them to help her son become the High Priest.[8]
With the help of Queen Cleopatra and Mark Antony, King Herod had no choice but to appoint Aristobulus as the High Priest in 36 B.C.E.[9] He claimed that the reason why he did not appoint his brother-in-law earlier was because Aristobulus was too young.[10] Shortly after Aristobulus was appointed High Priest, he drowned under mysterious circumstances in King Herod’s winter palace at Jericho.[11] Princess Alexandra believed King Herod murdered her son.[12] She mentioned her suspicions in a letter to Queen Cleopatra VII of Egypt and Mark Antony.[13] Mark Antony summoned King Herod to explain his side of events.[14] However, King Herod was very charismatic and persuaded Mark Antony that he was innocent.[15]
After King Herod was deemed innocent, Princess Alexandra tried to escape to Egypt but was caught by King Herod’s men.[16] Princess Alexandra asked her father to ally himself with the King of Nabatea.[17] However, King Herod intercepted her father’s letter to the King of Nabatea and executed him for treason in 30 B.C.E. She even persuaded her daughter, Queen Mariamne, to run away from King Herod.[18] This led to Queen Mariamne’s execution in 29 B.C.E.[19] When Queen Mariamne was sentenced to be executed, Princess Alexandra abandoned her daughter in order to save herself.[20] She called Queen Mariamne a “proud and vile woman” [21] as well as King Herod’s enemy.[22]
After Queen Mariamne was executed, King Herod immediately regretted his decision.[23] He began to grow insane.[24] Princess Alexandra declared that King Herod was unfit to rule and started a rebellion to become the Queen regnant of Judea.[25] She tried to take over Jerusalem by having them surrender the city and the Temple.[26] However, King Herod learned of Princess Alexandra’s rebellion.[27] He captured her and executed her in 28 B.C.E.[28] She died just one year after her daughter.[29]
Princess Alexandra the Maccabee was King Herod’s greatest rival for the throne of Judea. She represented the fallen Hasmonean Dynasty under the new Herodian Dynasty. She was very ambitious and was a constant schemer. She tried to become Queen regnant of Judea but ultimately failed. Thus, all of Princess Alexandra the Maccabee’s plots ended in vain, and it caused her to lose everyone she loved.
Sources:
Ilan, T. (31 December 1999). “Hasmonean Women.” Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women. Jewish Women’s Archive. Retrieved on December 19, 2022 from. https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/hasmonean-women.
Macurdy, G. H. (1937). Vassal-queens and Some contemporary Women in the Roman Empire. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins Press.
Milwitzky, W. (1906). “Alexandra”. The Jewish Encyclopedia. Retrieved on December 19, 2022 from https://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/1165-alexandra.
[1] Milwitzky, 1906, “Alexandra”, para. 1
[2] Ilan, 31 December 1999, “Hasmonean Women”
[3] Ilan, 31 December 1999, “Hasmonean Women”
[4] Milwitzky, 1906, “Alexandra”
[5] Milwitzky, 1906, “Alexandra”
[6] Milwitzky, 1906, “Alexandra”
[7] Milwitzky, 1906, “Alexandra”
[8] Macurdy, 1937
[9] Milwitzky, 1906, “Alexandra”
[10] Milwitzky, 1906, “Alexandra”
[11] Ilan, 31 December 1999, “Hasmonean Women”
[12] Ilan, 31 December 1999, “Hasmonean Women”
[13] Milwitzky, 1906, “Alexandra”
[14] Milwitzky, 1906, “Alexandra”
[15] Milwitzky, 1906, “Alexandra”
[16] Ilan, 31 December 1999, “Hasmonean Women”
[17] Ilan, 31 December 1999, “Hasmonean Women”
[18] Ilan, 31 December 1999, “Hasmonean Women”
[19] Ilan, 31 December 1999, “Hasmonean Women”
[20] Milwitzky, 1906, “Alexandra”
[21] Milwitzky, 1906, “Alexandra”, para. 2
[22] Milwitzky, 1906, “Alexandra”
[23] Milwitzky, 1906, “Alexandra”
[24] Milwitzky, 1906, “Alexandra”
[25] Milwitzky, 1906, “Alexandra”
[26] Milwitzky, 1906, “Alexandra”
[27] Milwitzky, 1906, “Alexandra”
[28] Milwitzky, 1906, “Alexandra”
[29] Ilan, 31 December 1999, “Hasmonean Women”
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