Queen Julia Berenice I of Chalcis and Cilicia was one of the most remarkable queens of the Herodian Dynasty. She ruled Chalcis alongside her brother, King Herod Agrippa II. Yet, her greatest legacy was her infamous romance with Emperor Titus. She was almost made the Empress of Rome. However, their romance was met with opposition. In the end, Emperor Titus sacrificed his love for Queen Julia Berenice I of Chalcis and Cilicia for the good of the Roman Empire.
Queen Julia Berenice I of Chalcis and Cilicia was born in 28 C.E. She was the descendant of King Herod the Great and the Hasmonean kings. She was born before her father, Prince Herod Agrippa I, became king. Her mother was Cypros. She had an older brother who would become the future King Herod Agrippa II of Chalcis, and two younger sisters named Mariamne and Julia Drusilla. She was the niece of Princess Herodias and the cousin of Queen Salome (both of whom would play major roles in the execution of John the Baptist). Princess Julia Berenice was said to be very beautiful.[1]
In 36 C.E., Herod Agrippa I and Cypros became the King and Queen of Judea. In 41 C.E., at the age of thirteen, she married Marcus. He was the son of Alexander (the leader of the Jewish community in Alexandria) and the nephew of Philo (the famous Alexandrian philosopher) in 41 C.E.[2] However, he died shortly afterwards.[3] In 44 C.E., Princess Julia Berenice married her uncle, King Herod V of Chalcis, when she was sixteen.[4] Therefore, Julia Berenice was Queen of Chalcis. She bore him two sons named Hyrcanus and Berenicianus.
In 48 C.E. King Herod V of Chalcis died. He gifted Chalcis to her brother, Herod Agrippa II. However, Queen Julia Berenice reigned alongside him as co-ruler.[5] Her name even preceded her brother’s.[6] King Agrippa II must have been extremely fond of her.[7] If he was not, he would not have let her rule equally as his co-ruler.[8] This gave rise to many rumours that they were in an incestuous relationship.[9] These rumours may have been true.[10] Many of their contemporary Eastern monarchs, such as Antiochus IV, married their sisters.[11] Also, Queen Julia Berenice did have a certain hold on her brother.[12] Therefore, their relationship may have been incestuous.
In order to quell the rumours that Queen Julia Berenice was in an incestuous relationship with her brother, she married King Polemon II of Cilicia (a descendant of Mark Antony and the great-nephew of Queen Cleopatra Selene of Mauretania) in 53 C.E.[13] King Polemon II desired to marry her for her wealth and beauty.[14] King Herod Agrippa II tried to prevent her marriage.[15] However, he had no choice because King Polemon II of Cilicia converted to Judaism to marry her.[16] Thus, Julia Berenice also became Queen of Chalcis and Cilicia. Their marriage proved unhappy.[17] Queen Julia Berenice left King Polemon II of Cilicia and returned to her brother.[18] She resumed her duties as his co-ruler.[19]
In 60 C.E., Queen Julia Berenice and King Herod Agrippa II went to Caesarea to welcome Festus, who was the new governor. They also witnessed Paul the Apostle’s trial.[20] In 66 C.E., Florus, the Roman governor who succeeded Festus, made violent measures against the Jews which provoked a rebellion in Jerusalem known as the Jewish War.[21] Queen Julia Berenice was currently in the city and made a vow to God to stop the rebellion.[22] She shaved her head, walked barefoot, and abstained from wine for thirty days.[23] She begged Florus while she was barefoot.[24] She sent her bodyguards and cavalry officers to plead with him for mercy.[25] However, Florus ignored Queen Julia Berenice’s pleas.[26] He continued pillaging the city. He would have killed Queen Julia Berenice. However, she sought refuge in the palace and barricaded it with her bodyguards.[27]
King Herod Agrippa II returned from Egypt to Jerusalem. With Queen Julia Berenice at his side, King Herod Agrippa II tried to calm the Jewish people.[28] He succeeded for a short time until the people demanded he punish Florus for his actions.[29] However, King Herod Agrippa II and Queen Julia Berenice chose Rome over their own people.[30] This would have dire consequences for them. King Herod Agrippa II told them to wait until Emperor Nero sent his replacement.[31] This angered the Jewish people.[32] They threw stones at Queen Julia Berenice and King Herod Agrippa II.[33] They fled Jerusalem, and the people burned their palace.[34]
Queen Julia Berenice and King Herod Agrippa II openly allied themselves with Rome.[35] They supplied the forces of General Vespasian (the future Roman Emperor) with their own forces.[36] Eventually, Vespasian’s son, the Roman General Titus, burnt Jerusalem, which ended the rebellion. It was during this period that Queen Julia Berenice met the future Roman Emperor.[37] Queen Julia Berenice was eleven years older than him but was still very beautiful.[38] Titus fell in love with her.[39] They became lovers in 67 C.E. Their affair lasted for twelve years.[40] Titus made her a marriage proposal which she accepted.[41]
Before the death of Emperor Vespasian, Titus invited Queen Julia Berenice and King Herod Agrippa II to visit Rome.[42] She lived in the palace with Titus.[43] They planned their marriage, and Queen Julia Berenice prepared for her future as the next Roman Empress.[44] However, the Roman senators opposed the marriage between Titus and Queen Julia Berenice.[45] They were afraid of having a foreign queen as their Roman Empress.[46] They believed that she would be another Queen Cleopatra VII of Egypt.[47] They also did not like that Queen Julia Berenice was Jewish.[48] They begged Emperor Vespasian not to let Titus marry Queen Julia Berenice.[49] Emperor Vespasian then demanded his son to send Queen Julia Berenice away.[50] This forced Titus to make a difficult decision. It was either the Roman throne or Queen Julia Berenice.[51] In the end, he chose the throne.[52] Against his will, Titus sent Queen Julia Berenice away.[53]
Queen Julia Berenice was still unwilling to abandon her dream of becoming a Roman Empress.[54] When Emperor Vespasian died in 79 C.E., and Titus became the new Emperor, she still thought that she could marry him.[55] However, when she arrived in Rome, Emperor Titus had to harden himself against her.[56] He was cold to her and made it clear that he would not marry her.[57] He had already sacrificed his love and happiness with Queen Julia Berenice in order to serve the Roman Empire.[58] Thus, he sent Queen Julia Berenice away for the second time. After her second dismissal, her life remains unknown.[59] There is no mention of when or how she died.[60] The only thing mentioned about her afterwards was that she was frustrated that she did not become the Empress of Rome.[61]
The ill-fated romance between Queen Julia Berenice I of Chalcis and Cilicia and Emperor Titus has been the subject of dramas, operas, and novels. However, Queen Julia Berenice I of Chalcis and Cilicia proved to be a powerful woman. She co-ruled with her brother as his equal, and her name even preceded his. Her greatest downfall was that she sided with Rome rather than her own people. Still, Queen Julia Berenice I of Chalcis and Cilicia was one of the most powerful queens of her time. It is no wonder that she has often been referred to as the “Great Queen.” [62]
Sources:
Gottheil, R. & Bloch, H. (1906). “Berenice”. The Jewish Encyclopedia. Retrieved on December 23, 2022 from https://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/3050-berenice.
Ilan, Tal. (31 December 1999). “Berenice.” Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women. Jewish Women’s Archive. Retrieved on December 23, 2022 https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/berenice.
Macurdy, G. H. (1937). Vassal-queens and Some contemporary Women in the Roman Empire. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins Press.
Vasta, M. S. (2007). “Titus and the Queen: Julia Berenice and the Opposition to Titus’ Succession”. Honors Projects. 1.
https://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/grs_honproj/1
[1] Gottheil and Bloch, 1906
[2] Ilan, 31 December 1999
[3] Gottheil and Bloch, 1906
[4] Gottheil and Bloch, 1906
[5] Vasta, 2007
[6] Vasta, 2007
[7] Vasta, 2007
[8] Vasta, 2007
[9] Vasta, 2007.
[10] Gottheil and Bloch, 1906
[11] Macurdy, 1937
[12] Vasta, 2007
[13] Ilan, 31 December 1999
[14] Gottheil and Bloch, 1906
[15] Gottheil and Bloch, 1906
[16] Gottheil and Bloch, 1906
[17] Gottheil and Bloch, 1906
[18] Gottheil and Bloch, 1906
[19] Gottheil and Bloch, 1906
[20] Gottheil and Bloch, 1906
[21] Ilan, 31 December 1999
[22] Vasta, 2007
[23] Vasta, 2007
[24] Vasta, 2007
[25] Vasta, 2007
[26] Vasta, 2007
[27] Vasta, 2007
[28] Vasta, 2007
[29] Vasta, 2007
[30] Vasta, 2007
[31] Vasta, 2007
[32] Vasta, 2007
[33] Vasta, 2007
[34] Vasta, 2007
[35] Gottheil and Bloch, 1906
[36] Ilan, 31 December 1999
[37] Ilan, 31 December 1999
[38] Gottheil and Bloch, 1906
[39] Macurdy, 1937
[40] Vasta, 1937
[41] Macurdy, 1937
[42] Macurdy, 1937
[43] Macurdy, 1937
[44] Macurdy, 1937
[45] Vasta, 2007
[46] Macurdy, 1937
[47] Vasta, 2007
[48] Vasta, 2007
[49] Vasta, 2007
[50] Vasta, 2007
[51] Vasta, 2007
[52] Vasta, 2007
[53] Vasta, 2007
[54] Vasta, 2007
[55] Vasta, 2007
[56] Macurdy, 1937
[57] Vasta, 2007
[58] Vasta, 2007
[59] Ilan, 31 December 1999
[60] Ilan, 31 December 1999
[61] Macurdy, 1937
[62] Vasta, 2007, p. 11
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