Individual Details
Hyrcanus II Maccabaeus Hasmoen, High Priest & King
(100 BC - )
(d. 30 BCE), king of Judea from 67 to 63 BCE, the son of Salome Alexandra and Alexander Jannaeus. In 76 bc he was appointed high priest by his mother, then ruler of Judea, and after her death he also became king. His younger brother, Aristobulus II, seized the government, however, and forced Hyrcanus to agree to an arrangement whereby Aristobulus held the temporal power, and Hyrcanus the religious power. At this time, Antipater, known as the Idumaean, and influential resident of Jerusalem who was seeking to further his own ambitions, offered to help Hyrcanus II regain the throne. Antipater raised a revolt in support of Hyrcanus, and a general civil war ensued (67-63 BCE). In 63 BCE the Roman general Pompey the Great entered the war by capturing Jerusalem, exiling Aristobulus II and his immediate family, along with many other Jews, to Rome, and reestablishing Hyrcanus II as high priest (but not as king). Pompey also greatly reduced the Jewish territory in Palestine.
After Pompey's death in 48 BCE, Hyrcanus and Antipater supported Gaius Julius Caesar and in return, in BCE bc, Antipater was made procurator (Roman governor) of Judea, and Hyrcanus II was confirmed as high priest and given limited political power. In addition, Jewish territories seized by Pompey were returned, and all Roman soldiers were withdrawn from Judea. Caesar was assassinated in 44 BCE and Antipater in 43 BCE, and in 40 BCE Antigonus II, the surviving son of Aristobulus II and last of the Hasmonaean dynasty, captured Hyrcanus with the aid of Parthian troops. Antigonus now proclaimed himself king of Judea, but the next year (39 BCE) the Roman Senate declared Herod, known as Herod the Great, king of Judea; and Herod promptly set out to unseat Antigonus. Aided by Roman soldiers, Herod succeeded in capturing Antigonus (37 BCE) and in having him put to death. Herod then brought the aged Hyrcanus II back to Jerusalem, where later he became involved in an intrigue against Herod, was charged with participating in a conspiracy, and was executed in 30 BCE.
After Pompey's death in 48 BCE, Hyrcanus and Antipater supported Gaius Julius Caesar and in return, in BCE bc, Antipater was made procurator (Roman governor) of Judea, and Hyrcanus II was confirmed as high priest and given limited political power. In addition, Jewish territories seized by Pompey were returned, and all Roman soldiers were withdrawn from Judea. Caesar was assassinated in 44 BCE and Antipater in 43 BCE, and in 40 BCE Antigonus II, the surviving son of Aristobulus II and last of the Hasmonaean dynasty, captured Hyrcanus with the aid of Parthian troops. Antigonus now proclaimed himself king of Judea, but the next year (39 BCE) the Roman Senate declared Herod, known as Herod the Great, king of Judea; and Herod promptly set out to unseat Antigonus. Aided by Roman soldiers, Herod succeeded in capturing Antigonus (37 BCE) and in having him put to death. Herod then brought the aged Hyrcanus II back to Jerusalem, where later he became involved in an intrigue against Herod, was charged with participating in a conspiracy, and was executed in 30 BCE.
Events
| Birth | 100 BC |
Families
| Child | Esther (Elizabeth) of Jerusalem Hasmonean Princess Alexandra II (-63 - ) |
| Father | Alexander Jannaeus Maccabaeus Hasmoen High Priest & King (-125 - ) |
| Mother | Salome Alexandra Maccabaeus Hasmoen Queen of Judaea (-140 - ) |
| Sibling | Aristobalbus Aristobulus II Maccabaeus King of Judea ( - ) |