Herodian Empire after Herod the Great – A Will Contested
Following the death of Herod the Great in 4 BC, the Herodian Empire was divided among his heirs. Herod had changed his will many times due to his paranoia and the murder of some of his sons. During his fatal illness in 4 BC, he had another change of heart about his successor and revised his will one last time to appoint his eldest surviving son, Herod Archaelaus, as king of Judaea. His younger surviving son, Herod Antipas, would rule Galilee under a lesser title.
Because of Judaea’s status as a Roman client kingdom, Herod the Great’s succession plans had to be approved by the Emperor in Rome. It turns out his final will had not been approved by Caesar Augustus prior to his death, so this lead to a dispute between Archaelaus and Antipas, who both thought they should inherit the kingdom. The two sons traveled to Rome to make their case. While most in the Senate supported Antipas because of the cruelty of Archaelaus, Caesar Augustus followed the final form of Herod’s will and split the kingdom according to his wishes. However, Augustus would not grant the title of “king” to Archaelaus.
The Herodian Empire after Herod the Great included Archaelaus, Antipas, and Philip. Archaelaus received Judaea, which also included the regions of Idumea to the south and Samaria to the north. Archaelaus was called an “ethnarch,” or ruler of a people. Antipas received Galilee and Peraea and was called a “tetrarch,” or ruler over a fourth. Herod Philip, the half-brother of Archaelaus and Antipas, was also called a tetrarch and ruled the small regions of Gaulanitis, Trachonitis, Batanaea, and Panias in the northeast.
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