5, § 1). Berenice was a member of the Herodian Dynasty that ruled the Roman province of Judaea between 39 BC and 92 AD. Berenice, b. c.A.D. What little is known about her life and background comes mostly from the early historian Flavius Josephus, who detailed a history of the Jewish people and wrote an account of the Jewish Rebellion of 67. Meet extraordinary women who dared to bring gender equality and other issues to the forefront. She was the eldest daughter of Herod Agrippa I, and was married at an early age to her uncle the king of Chalets. Berenice. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). She was the daughter of King Herod Agrippa I and a sister of King Herod Agrippa II. During the First Jewish-Roman War, she began a love affair with the future emperor Titus Flavius Vespasianus. She was the daughter of King Herod Agrippa I and a sister of King Herod Agrippa II. married Berenice, daughter of his brother Agrippa I., by whom he had two sons, Berenicianus and Hyrcanus. [4][5] On his early death in 44, she was married to her father's brother, Herod of Chalcis,[3] with whom she had two sons, Berenicianus and Hyrcanus. Berenice, b. c.A.D. The eldest daughter of the Judaean tetrarch Herod Agrippa I by his wife Cypros, Berenice was married at age 13, but her husband died without consummating the marriage. Berenice was a member of the Herodian Dynasty that ruled the Roman province of Judaea between 39 BC and 92 AD. She died in the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 ad.          Political / Social. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Suetonius, Tacitus, Dio Cassius, Aurelius Victor and Juvenal, also tell about her.          Sexual Content He first married Mariamne, granddaughter of Herod I. According to Josephus, there was also a younger brother called Drusus, who died before his teens. As a dynasty the … Berenice, daughter of King Agrippa I, queen of Chalcis, was married three times and then became the lover of the emperor’s son, Titus. However, it is for her tumultuous love life that she is primarily known from the Renaissance. Her husband dying within a short time, her father married her to his brother Herod of Chalcis (Josephus, "Ant." 27), and her younger sis­ters were Mari­amne (b. As a dynasty the … It was before him that Paul was tried. John Moors Cabot Professor of History, Harvard University. Their father, though inheritor of Herod’s throne, was a wastrel who dragged his family all over the Middle East from pillar to post trying to escape his debtors. 34) and Drusilla (b. 28, Jewish princess; daughter of Herod Agrippa I (see under Herod Herod, dynasty reigning in Palestine at the time of Jesus. [19] When Vespasian was declared emperor on December 21 of 69, Titus was left in Judaea to finish putting down the rebellion. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. In reaction to suspicions that their relationship was incestuous, she married Polemon, a priest-king of Cilicia, but she soon left him and returned to her brother. Omissions? Berenice was a member of the Herodian Dynasty that ruled the Roman province of Judaea between 39 BC and 92 AD. [10], In 64 emperor Nero appointed Gessius Florus as procurator of the Judaea Province. Reproduction Date: Berenice of Cilicia, also known as Julia Berenice and sometimes spelled Bernice (28 AD – after 81), was a Jewish client queen of the Roman Empire during the second half of the 1st century. [9], Like her brother, Berenice was a client ruler of the parts of the Roman Empire that lie in the present-day Syria. In the year 66 CE, on the eve of the Great Rebellion, Judea was imploding with tension. From overcoming oppression, to breaking rules, to reimagining the world or waging a rebellion, these women of history have a story to tell. ( Acts 25:13) The relation in which he stood to his sister Berenice, ( Acts 25:13) was the cause of grave suspicion. Her elder brother was Agrippa II (b. Berenice of Cilicia, also known as Julia Berenice and sometimes spelled Bernice (28 AD – after 81), was a Jewish client queen of the Roman Empire during the second half of the 1st century. She was the daughter of King Herod Agrippa I and a sister of King Herod Agrippa II. The book Agrippa's Daughter, by Howard Fast, is about Berenice. Her fam­ily con­sti­tuted part of what is known as the Hero­dian Dy­nasty, who ruled the Ju­daea Province be­tween 39 BC and 92. [14] They fled the city to Galilee where they later gave themselves up to the Romans. On the death of Marcus, Berenice was given by her father to his brother and her uncle, Herod, king of Chalcis, in the Lebanon. devoted to Berenice and her affair with the Roman Emperor Titus. The eldest daughter of the Judaean tetrarch Herod Agrippa I by his wife Cypros, Berenice was married at age 13, but her husband died without consummating the marriage. Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Berenice-Roman-aristocrat, Jewish Women's Archive - Biography of Berenice. The reasons for this long absence are unclear, but have been linked to possible opposition to her presence by Gaius Licinius Mucianus, a political ally of emperor Vespasian who died sometime between 72 and 78. Appalled at the treatment of her countrymen, Berenice travelled to Jerusalem in 66 to personally petition Florus to spare the Jews, but not only did he refuse to comply with her requests, Berenice herself was nearly killed during skirmishes in the city. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. Berenice was a member of the Herodian Dynasty that ruled the Roman province of Judaea between 39 BC and 92 AD. See Josephus, Articles with unsourced statements from June 2011, Commons category without a link on Wikidata, "The 'New Cleopatra' and the Jewish Tax" Biblical Archaeology Society. She was the wife of *Aristobulus (son of Herod and Mariamne). [11] Tensions quickly rose to civil unrest when Florus plundered the treasury of the Temple of Jerusalem under the guise of imperial taxes. Berenice was born in 28[1] to Herod Agrippa and Cypros, as granddaughter to Aristobulus IV and great-granddaughter to Herod the Great. She then married her uncle, Herod, king of Chalcis (in Syria), with whom she had two sons. [22], Upon the accession of Titus as emperor in 79, she returned to Rome, but was quickly dismissed amidst a number of popular measures of Titus to restore his reputation with the populace. [16] He was later joined by his son Titus at Ptolemais, who brought with him the fifteenth legion. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Article Id: [2] Her family constituted part of what is known as the Herodian Dynasty, who ruled the Judaea Province between 39 BC and 92. What little is known about the life and background of Berenice has been handed down to us through the New Testament book of Acts, the 25th chapter. Berenice was the daughter of Salome I, the sister of Herod the Great. 38). Ac­cord­ing to Jose­phus, there was also a younger brother called Drusus, who died be­fore his teens. This union produced five children: three sons (Herod, Aristobulus, and Agrippa) and two daughters (Herodias and Mariamne II). To celebrate, let’s meet Julia Berenice: queen of Judea, political operator in a Roman arena, and lover of Titus—the destroyer of Jerusalem.. Julia Berenice was born into the Herodian royal family in the late 20s C.E. [8] Whether this was based on truth remains unknown. Excessive Violence 27), and her younger sisters were Mariamne (b. Herod Agrippa, also known as Herod II or Agrippa I (Hebrew: אגריפס ‎; 11 BC – AD 44), was a King of Judea from AD 41 to 44. It took four years until they reunited, when she and Agrippa came to Rome in 75. HEROD AGRIPPA II --was the son of Herod Agrippa I. This article will be permanently flagged as inappropriate and made unaccessible to everyone. Agrippa Junior and his sister Berenice were two of the five children born to Agrippa I and his wife Cypros. The procurator of Judea, Gessius Florus, refused to intervene on behalf of the Jews, and Berenice, age 38 and daughter of King Agrippa I, determined to go to him and make a personal appeal. Berenice, eldest daughter of Herod Agrippa i., was born in a.d. 28, and early betrothed to Marcus, son of Alexander who was alabarch at Alexandria. Drusilla (Greek: Δρούσιλλα; born AD 38) was a daughter of Herod Agrippa, King of Judaea and sister to Berenice, Mariamne and Herod Agrippa II. [2][3] According to Josephus, there was also a younger brother called Drusus, who died before his teens. Meanwhile Cestius Gallus moved into the region with the twelfth legion, but was unable to restore order and suffered defeat at the battle of Beth-Horon, forcing the Romans to retreat from Jerusalem. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Berenice was born in 28 to Herod Agrippa and Cypros, as granddaughter to Aristobulus IV and great-granddaughter to Herod the Great. Festus window.JPG 3,072 × 2,304; 791 KB. In modern history, her aspirations as a potential empress of Rome have led to her being described as a 'miniature Cleopatra'.[26]. Roman soldiers were antagonizing Jews, and some Jews were already organizing themselves into rebel militias. What little is known about the life and background of Berenice has been handed down to us through the New Testament book of Acts, the 25th chapter. According to Josephus, on Agrippa's death, the populace "cast such reproaches upon the deceased as are not fit to be spoken of; and so many of them as were then soldiers, which were a great number, went to his house, and hastily c… xix. Herod Agrippa, also known as Herod or Agrippa I (11 BC – 44 AD), was a Judean monarch during the 1st century AD. It is not known what happened to Berenice after her final dismissal from Rome. Juvenal, in his sixth satire, outright claims that they were lovers. Crowd sourced content that is contributed to World Heritage Encyclopedia is peer reviewed and edited by our editorial staff to ensure quality scholarly research articles. [6] After her husband died in 48, she lived with her brother Agrippa for several years and then married Polemon II of Pontus, king of Cilicia, whom she subsequently deserted. [20] Triumphant, Titus returned to Rome to assist his father in the government, while Berenice stayed behind in Judaea. BERENICE (1) (last half of first century b.c.e. It is also the stimulus for the new ballet piece by Kim Brandstrup, 'Invitus Invitam' which premiered in the Royal Opera House in October 2010. However, her unpopularity among the Romans compelled Titus to dismiss her on his accession as emperor in 79. Popular rumors may also have been fueled by the fact that Agrippa himself never married during his lifetime. [23] The Roman populace however perceived the Eastern Queen as an intrusive outsider, and when the pair was publicly denounced by Cynics in the theatre, Titus caved in to the pressure and sent her away. More recently it was used as the backdrop for the Caroline Lawrence novels the Assassins of Rome and the Enemies of Jupiter. The couple had three sons among them Agrippa I, who became king, and one daughter, Herodias. She certainly made the most of her royal status. She was the great-granddaughter of the ruthless, mentally unstable King Herod the Great and daughter of Herod Agrippa I, a shrewd man and a close friend of the Roman emperor Claudius Berenice (28-81 AD) was a Jewish client queen of the Roman Empire as the sister and incestuous lover of Herod Agrippa II.. 28, Jewish princess; daughter of Herod Agrippa I (see under Herod Herod, dynasty reigning in Palestine at the time of Jesus. Queen Berenice is infamous for being the traitorous lover of Titus and for rejecting the Great Rebellion against Rome, along with her brother Agrippa II. Josephus was not the only ancient writer to suggest incestuous relations between Berenice and Agrippa. She shows up in The Enemies of Jupiter, is mentioned in The Assassins of Rome and plays a fairly prominent role in Lion Feuchtwanger's historical novel, Josephus (The Jewish War). After a number of failed marriages throughout the 40s, she spent much of the remainder of her life at the court of her brother Herod Agrippa II, amidst rumors the two were carrying on an incestuous relationship.