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- For other holders of this name, see Mariamne (name).
Mariamne I (48 BCE to 29 BCE) was the second wife of Herod the Great. She was known for her great beauty, as was her brother Aristobulus. Her husband loved her because of her beauty alone and not for what was in her heart and soul. Ultimately this was the main reason for the downfall of the Hasmonean dynasty of Judea.
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[edit] Family
She was the daughter of Hasmonean Alexandros, and thus the last heir to the Hasmonean dynasty of Judea. Her mother, Alexandra, arranged for her betrothal to Herod in 41 BCE, but the two were not wed for four years, in Samaria. Mariamne bore Herod four children: two sons, Alexandros and Aristobulus (both executed in 7 BCE), and two daughters, Salampsio and Cypros. Mariamne's only sybling was Aristobulus III of Judea. Her father, Alexander Maccabeus (63BC-48BC), the son of Aristobulus II (87BC-49BC), married his cousine Alexandra Maccabeus (63BC-28BC), daughter of his uncle Hyrcanus II (78BC-30BC), in order to cement the line of inheritance from Hyrcanus and Aristobulus, but the inheritance soon continued the blood feud of previous generations, and eventually led to the downfall of the Hasmonean line. By virtue of her parents' incestuous union, Mariamne claimed hasmonean royalty on both sides of her family lineage.
Josephus writes that it was because of Mariamne's vehement insistence that Herod made her brother, Aristobulus, High Priest. Aristobulos, who was not even eighteen, drowned within a year of his appointment; Alexandra, his mother, blamed Herod. Alexandra wrote to Cleopatra, begging her assistance in avenging the boy's murder. Cleopatra in turn urged Marc Antony to punish Herod for the crime and Antony sent for him to make his defense. Herod left his young wife in the care of his uncle Joseph, along with the instructions that if Antony should kill him, Joseph should kill Mariamne. Herod believed his wife to be so beautiful that she would become engaged to another man after his death and that his great love for Mariamne prevented him from enduring a separation from her, even in death. Joseph became familiar with the Queen and eventually divulged this information to her and the other women of the household, which did not have the hoped-for effect of proving Herod's devotion to his wife. Rumors soon circulated that Herod had been killed by Antony, and Alexandra persuaded Joseph to take Mariamne and her to the Roman legions for protection. However, Herod was released by Antony and returned home, only to be informed of Alexandra's plan by his mother and sister, Salome. Salome also accused Mariamne of committing adultery with Joseph, a charge which Herod initially dismissed after discussing it with his wife. After Herod forgave her, Mariamne inquired about the order given to Joseph to kill her should Herod be killed, and Herod then became convinced of her infidelity, saying that Joseph would only have confided that to her were the two of them intimate. He gave orders for Joseph to be executed and for Alexandra to be confined, but did not punish his wife.
Because of this conflict between Mariamne and Salome, when Herod visited Augustus in Rhodes, he separated the women: he left his sister and his sons in Masada while he moved his wife and mother-in-law, Alexandra, to Alexandrium. Again, Herod left instructions that should he die, the charge of the government was to be left to Salome and his sons, and Mariamne and her mother were to be killed. Mariamne and Alexandra were left in the charge of another man named Sohemus, and after gaining his trust again learned of the instructions Herod provided should harm befall him. Mariamne became convinced that Herod did not truly love her and resented that he would not let her survive him. When Herod returned home, Mariamne treated him coldly and did not conceal her hatred for him. Salome and her mother preyed on this opportunity, feeding Herod false information to fuel his dislike. Herod still favored her; but she refused to have sex with him and accused him of killing her grandfather, Hyrcanus II, and her brother. Salome insinuated that Mariamne planned to poison Herod, and Herod had Mariamne's favorite eunuch tortured to learn more. The eunuch knew nothing of a plot to poison the king, but confessed the only thing he did know: that Mariamne was dissatisfied with the king because of the orders given to Sohemus. Outraged, Herod called for the immediate execution of Sohemus, but permitted Mariamne to stand trial for the alleged murder plot. To gain favor with Herod Mariamne's mother even implied Mariamne was plottting to commit lese majeste. Mariamne was ultimately convicted and executed in 29 BCE. Herod grieved for her for many months.
[edit] External
- Mariamne entry in historical sourcebook by Mahlon H. Smith
- Mariamne entry in Jewish Encyclopedia by Richard Gottheil and Samuel Kruass
[edit] See also
- Mariamne for the derivation of her name.
- 1 Maccabees and 2 Maccabees for the family history.
- Hasmonean Kingdom for the history the Hasmonean dynasty.
[edit] Family tree
[edit] References
- Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, 15.23-31, 61-85, 185, 202-246; Jewish War 1.241, 262, 431-444.
- This article incorporates text from the 1901–1906 Jewish Encyclopedia, a publication now in the public domain.
- Giovanni Boccaccio’s Famous Women translated by Virginia Brown 2001, page 175 - 178; Cambridge and London, Harvard University Press; ISBN 0-674-01130-9
