Gaius Julius Alexander
Encyclopedia
Gaius Julius Alexander was a Herodian Prince
that lived in the 1st century and 2nd century in the Roman Empire
.
Alexander was of Jewish
, Nabataean
, Edomite
, Greek
, Armenian
and Persian ancestry
. He was the son of the Herodian Prince, later King Tigranes VI of Armenia
and his wife Opgalli. His father in the spring of 58 was crowned as King of Armenia by Roman Emperor
Nero
in Rome
and ruled there until 63. Alexander had a sister called Julia
, who married the Anatolia
n Roman Senator
Marcus Plancius Varus
.
His paternal grandparents were the Judean Prince Alexander
and his unnamed wife. Through his father, Alexander was the great, grandson of Cappadocia
n Princess Glaphyra
and Judean Prince Alexander
. He was the great, great grandson of King Archelaus of Cappadocia
, King of Judea Herod the Great
and his wife Mariamne
. Alexander along with his sister and father were last the known descendants of the Kings of Cappadocia. Prior to the year 58, little is known on Alexander’s life. He was an apostate
to Judaism
. It is unlikely that Alexander attempted to exert influence on Judean Politics.
At the time when his father was crowned as King of Armenia in Rome, Tigranes VI was an ally to King Antiochus IV of Commagene
. Tigranes VI and had arranged with Antiochus IV, to marry Alexander to the daughter of Antiochus IV, Julia Iotapa
. The marriage between Alexander and Iotapa was mostly a political alliance that occurred between the fathers of Alexander, Iotapa and possibly Nero. After Tigranes VI was crowned Armenian King, Alexander and Iotapa had married in Rome. After their marriage took place, Nero crowned Alexander and Iotapa as Roman Client Rulers of Cetis. Cetis was a small region in Cilicia
that was previously ruled by his Seleucid ancestors
; his other ancestors Archelaus of Cappadocia
; his son Archelaus of Cilicia
and Antiochus IV. The Cilician city of Elaiussa Sebaste
was made a part of their Kingdom. Alexander and Iotapa ruled Cetis from 58 until at least 72.
Little is known on the marriage and reign of Alexander and Iotapa. Iotapa bore Alexander three children: two sons Gaius Julius Agrippa
, Gaius Julius Alexander Berenicianus
and a daughter Julia Iotapa
. Their children were born and raised in Cetis. A possible descendant from their marriage was the usurper
Jotapianus
, who lived in the 3rd century
. His name and the names Alexander gave his sons indicate that their family connections from the Herodian Dynasty
were not wholly broken. In Vespasian
’s reign (69-79) or Titus
’ reign (79-81), Alexander had entered the Roman Senate
; had reached and served either as a consul
or suffect consul during Trajan
’s reign before 109.
Herodian Dynasty
The Herodian Dynasty was a Jewish dynasty of Idumean descent, client Kings of Roman Judaea Province between 37 BCE and 92 CE.- Origin :During the time of the Hasmonean ruler John Hyrcanus 134-104 BCE, Israel conquered Edom and forced the Edomites to convert to Judaism.The Edomites were integrated...
that lived in the 1st century and 2nd century in the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
.
Alexander was of Jewish
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
, Nabataean
Nabataeans
Thamudi3.jpgThe Nabataeans, also Nabateans , were ancient peoples of southern Canaan and the northern part of Arabia, whose oasis settlements in the time of Josephus , gave the name of Nabatene to the borderland between Syria and Arabia, from the Euphrates to the Red Sea...
, Edomite
Edom
Edom or Idumea was a historical region of the Southern Levant located south of Judea and the Dead Sea. It is mentioned in biblical records as a 1st millennium BC Iron Age kingdom of Edom, and in classical antiquity the cognate name Idumea was used to refer to a smaller area in the same region...
, Greek
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
, Armenian
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
and Persian ancestry
Persian people
The Persian people are part of the Iranian peoples who speak the modern Persian language and closely akin Iranian dialects and languages. The origin of the ethnic Iranian/Persian peoples are traced to the Ancient Iranian peoples, who were part of the ancient Indo-Iranians and themselves part of...
. He was the son of the Herodian Prince, later King Tigranes VI of Armenia
Tigranes VI of Armenia
Tigranes VI, also known as Tigran VI or by his Roman name Gaius Julius Tigranes was a Herodian Prince and served as a Roman Client King of Armenia in the 1st century....
and his wife Opgalli. His father in the spring of 58 was crowned as King of Armenia by Roman Emperor
Roman Emperor
The Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office although at any given time, a given title was associated with the emperor...
Nero
Nero
Nero , was Roman Emperor from 54 to 68, and the last in the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Nero was adopted by his great-uncle Claudius to become his heir and successor, and succeeded to the throne in 54 following Claudius' death....
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
and ruled there until 63. Alexander had a sister called Julia
Julia (daughter of Tigranes VI of Armenia)
Julia was a Herodian Princess who lived in the 1st century and possibly in the 2nd century in the Roman Empire.She was of Jewish, Nabataean, Edomite, Greek, Armenian and Persian ancestry. She was the daughter of the Herodian Prince, later King Tigranes VI of Armenia and his wife Opgalli...
, who married the Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
n Roman Senator
Roman Senate
The Senate of the Roman Republic was a political institution in the ancient Roman Republic, however, it was not an elected body, but one whose members were appointed by the consuls, and later by the censors. After a magistrate served his term in office, it usually was followed with automatic...
Marcus Plancius Varus
Marcus Plancius Varus
Marcus Plancius Varus was an Anatolian Roman noble who lived in the 1st century in the Roman Empire. His paternal ancestors were originally from Latium in Central Italy. They had immigrated to Anatolia in the time of the late Roman Republic. Varus came from a local, wealthy family who were...
.
His paternal grandparents were the Judean Prince Alexander
Alexander (grandson of Herod the Great)
Alexander, also known by his Roman name Gaius Julius Alexander was a Herodian Prince.Alexander was the second born son of Alexander and Glaphyra. His oldest brother was called Tigranes and had a younger unnamed sister. His father Alexander was a Judean Prince, of Jewish, Nabataean and Edomite...
and his unnamed wife. Through his father, Alexander was the great, grandson of Cappadocia
Cappadocia
Cappadocia is a historical region in Central Anatolia, largely in Nevşehir Province.In the time of Herodotus, the Cappadocians were reported as occupying the whole region from Mount Taurus to the vicinity of the Euxine...
n Princess Glaphyra
Glaphyra
Glaphyra was an Anatolian Princess from Cappadocia and through marriage was related to the Herodian Dynasty. -Family and early life:Glaphyra was a royal princess of Greek, Armenian and Persian descent. Her father was the Roman ally king Archelaus of Cappadocia, her only natural sibling was her...
and Judean Prince Alexander
Alexander, son of Herod
Alexander, son of Herod was born about 35 BC; died about 7 BC. His mother was the Hasmonean princess Mariamne.The unfortunate fate which persistently pursued the Hasmonean house overtook this prince also. As heir presumptive to the throne by right of descent on his mother's side, he was sent to...
. He was the great, great grandson of King Archelaus of Cappadocia
Archelaus of Cappadocia
-Family & Early Life:Archelaus was a Cappadocian Greek nobleman, possibly of Macedonian descent. His full name was Archelaus Sisines. He was the first born son, namesake of the Roman Client and High Priest Ruler Archelaus, of the temple state of Comana, Cappadocia and Glaphyra. Archelaus’ father...
, King of Judea Herod the Great
Herod the Great
Herod , also known as Herod the Great , was a Roman client king of Judea. His epithet of "the Great" is widely disputed as he is described as "a madman who murdered his own family and a great many rabbis." He is also known for his colossal building projects in Jerusalem and elsewhere, including his...
and his wife Mariamne
Mariamne (second wife of Herod)
Mariamne I, also called Mariamne the Hasmonean was the second wife of Herod the Great. She was known for her great beauty, as was her brother Aristobulus...
. Alexander along with his sister and father were last the known descendants of the Kings of Cappadocia. Prior to the year 58, little is known on Alexander’s life. He was an apostate
Apostasy
Apostasy , 'a defection or revolt', from ἀπό, apo, 'away, apart', στάσις, stasis, 'stand, 'standing') is the formal disaffiliation from or abandonment or renunciation of a religion by a person. One who commits apostasy is known as an apostate. These terms have a pejorative implication in everyday...
to Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
. It is unlikely that Alexander attempted to exert influence on Judean Politics.
At the time when his father was crowned as King of Armenia in Rome, Tigranes VI was an ally to King Antiochus IV of Commagene
Antiochus IV of Commagene
Gaius Julius Antiochus IV Epiphanes , the last king of Commagene, reigned between 38-72 as a client king to the Roman Empire.-Life:Antiochus was a prince and son of Antiochus III of Commagene and his mother was Queen Iotapa of Commagene. The parents of Antiochus IV were full-blooded siblings, who...
. Tigranes VI and had arranged with Antiochus IV, to marry Alexander to the daughter of Antiochus IV, Julia Iotapa
Iotapa
Iotapa or Iotape also known as Iotapi was the name of various queens and princesses who lived in between the 2nd century BC, 1st century BC, 1st century and 2nd century. The name Iotapa or Iotape originally derives from the name Jotapa or Jotape, which was a name of Persian origin...
. The marriage between Alexander and Iotapa was mostly a political alliance that occurred between the fathers of Alexander, Iotapa and possibly Nero. After Tigranes VI was crowned Armenian King, Alexander and Iotapa had married in Rome. After their marriage took place, Nero crowned Alexander and Iotapa as Roman Client Rulers of Cetis. Cetis was a small region in Cilicia
Cilicia
In antiquity, Cilicia was the south coastal region of Asia Minor, south of the central Anatolian plateau. It existed as a political entity from Hittite times into the Byzantine empire...
that was previously ruled by his Seleucid ancestors
Seleucid dynasty
The Seleucid dynasty or the Seleucidae was a Greek Macedonian royal family, founded by Seleucus I Nicator , which ruled the Seleucid Kingdom centered in the Near East and regions of the Asian part of the earlier Achaemenid Persian Empire during the Hellenistic period.-History:Seleucus was an...
; his other ancestors Archelaus of Cappadocia
Archelaus of Cappadocia
-Family & Early Life:Archelaus was a Cappadocian Greek nobleman, possibly of Macedonian descent. His full name was Archelaus Sisines. He was the first born son, namesake of the Roman Client and High Priest Ruler Archelaus, of the temple state of Comana, Cappadocia and Glaphyra. Archelaus’ father...
; his son Archelaus of Cilicia
Archelaus of Cilicia
Archelaus was a Cappadocian Prince from Anatolia and was as a Roman Client King of Cilicia Trachea and Eastern Lycaonia. He is sometimes known as Archelaus Minor and Archelaus II to distinguished him from his father Archelaus of Cappadocia.Archelaus was a Monarch of Greek, Armenian and Persian...
and Antiochus IV. The Cilician city of Elaiussa Sebaste
Elaiussa Sebaste
Elaiussa Sebaste or Elaeousa Sebaste was an ancient Roman town located from Mersin in the direction of Silifke in Cilicia on the southern coast of Anatolia . Elaiussa, meaning olive, was founded in the 2nd century B.C...
was made a part of their Kingdom. Alexander and Iotapa ruled Cetis from 58 until at least 72.
Little is known on the marriage and reign of Alexander and Iotapa. Iotapa bore Alexander three children: two sons Gaius Julius Agrippa
Gaius Julius Agrippa
Gaius Julius Agrippa was a Cilician Prince and the first born son of King Gaius Julius Alexander and Queen Julia Iotapa of Cetis. He had two younger siblings: a brother called Gaius Julius Alexander Berenicianus and a sister called Julia Iotapa....
, Gaius Julius Alexander Berenicianus
Gaius Julius Alexander Berenicianus
Gaius Julius Alexander Berenicianus was a Cilician Prince and second-born son to King Gaius Julius Alexander and Queen Julia Iotapa of Cetis. His eldest brother was Gaius Julius Agrippa and his younger sister was Julia Iotapa....
and a daughter Julia Iotapa
Iotapa
Iotapa or Iotape also known as Iotapi was the name of various queens and princesses who lived in between the 2nd century BC, 1st century BC, 1st century and 2nd century. The name Iotapa or Iotape originally derives from the name Jotapa or Jotape, which was a name of Persian origin...
. Their children were born and raised in Cetis. A possible descendant from their marriage was the usurper
Usurper
Usurper is a derogatory term used to describe either an illegitimate or controversial claimant to the power; often, but not always in a monarchy, or a person who succeeds in establishing himself as a monarch without inheriting the throne, or any other person exercising authority unconstitutionally...
Jotapianus
Jotapianus
Marcus Fulvius Rufus Jotapianus or Jotapian, he was also known as Iotapianus or Iotapian. Jotapianus was an usurper in the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire during the reign of Emperor Philip the Arab, around 249...
, who lived in the 3rd century
3rd century
The 3rd century was the period from 201 to 300 in the Christian/Common Era.In this century, the Roman Empire saw a crisis, marking the beginning of Late Antiquity. In Persia, the Parthian Empire was succeeded by the Sassanid Empire....
. His name and the names Alexander gave his sons indicate that their family connections from the Herodian Dynasty
Herodian Dynasty
The Herodian Dynasty was a Jewish dynasty of Idumean descent, client Kings of Roman Judaea Province between 37 BCE and 92 CE.- Origin :During the time of the Hasmonean ruler John Hyrcanus 134-104 BCE, Israel conquered Edom and forced the Edomites to convert to Judaism.The Edomites were integrated...
were not wholly broken. In Vespasian
Vespasian
Vespasian , was Roman Emperor from 69 AD to 79 AD. Vespasian was the founder of the Flavian dynasty, which ruled the Empire for a quarter century. Vespasian was descended from a family of equestrians, who rose into the senatorial rank under the Emperors of the Julio-Claudian dynasty...
’s reign (69-79) or Titus
Titus
Titus , was Roman Emperor from 79 to 81. A member of the Flavian dynasty, Titus succeeded his father Vespasian upon his death, thus becoming the first Roman Emperor to come to the throne after his own father....
’ reign (79-81), Alexander had entered the Roman Senate
Roman Senate
The Senate of the Roman Republic was a political institution in the ancient Roman Republic, however, it was not an elected body, but one whose members were appointed by the consuls, and later by the censors. After a magistrate served his term in office, it usually was followed with automatic...
; had reached and served either as a consul
Consul
Consul was the highest elected office of the Roman Republic and an appointive office under the Empire. The title was also used in other city states and also revived in modern states, notably in the First French Republic...
or suffect consul during Trajan
Trajan
Trajan , was Roman Emperor from 98 to 117 AD. Born into a non-patrician family in the province of Hispania Baetica, in Spain Trajan rose to prominence during the reign of emperor Domitian. Serving as a legatus legionis in Hispania Tarraconensis, in Spain, in 89 Trajan supported the emperor against...
’s reign before 109.
Sources
- http://www.roman-emperors.org/philarab.htm
- http://www.ancientlibrary.com/smith-bio/1532.html
- http://www.ancientlibrary.com/smith-bio/1722.html
- http://www2.ehw.gr/asiaminor/Forms/fLemmaBody.aspx?lemmaid=?7950
- http://reisdecomagene.blogspot.com/2009/01/os-filhos-de-comagene-v.html
- acsearch.info ancient coin search engine: Kings of Armenia
- Anthony Wagner, Pedigree and Progress, Essays in the Genealogical Interpretation of History, London, Philmore, 1975. Rutgers Alex CS4.W33
- Christian SettipaniChristian SettipaniChristian Settipani is the Technical Director of an IT company in Paris and a genealogist and historian.He has a Master of Advanced Studies degree from the Paris-Sorbonne University and is currently preparing his doctoral thesis, while he often gives lectures to students undergraduates at the...
, Continuite Gentilice et Continuite Familiale Dans Les Familles Senatoriales Romaines, A L'Epoque Imperiale, Mythe et Realite. Linacre, UK: Prosopographica et Genealogica, 2000. ILL. NYPL ASY (Rome) 03-983. - Kelsey Williams, Plantagenet Descents From Ancient Judea. Posting to soc.genealogy.medieval (email list GEN-MEDIEVAL) on 6/23/2002-201716. Subject: Re: Plantagenet Descents From Ancient Judea. Available at http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/read/2002-06/1024881359. Author address: gkkwilliams at cowboy dot net.
- Chris Bennett, Egyptian Royal Genealogy - Ptolemaic Dynasty, 2005. Avail at http://web.archive.org/web/20091027102236/http://geocities.com/christopherjbennett/ptolemies/ptolemaic_contents.htm