Alexander Jannaeus

Alexander Jannaeus
King and High Priest of Judaea
Alexander Jannaeus, woodcut designed by Guillaume Rouillé. From Promptuarii Iconum Insigniorum.
King of Judaea
Reign	c. 103 – 76 BCE
Predecessor	Aristobulus I
Successor	Salome Alexandra
High Priest of Judaea
Predecessor	Aristobulus I
Successor	Hyrcanus II
Born	c. 127 BCE
Died	c. 76 BCE Ragaba
Spouse	Salome Alexandra
Issue	Hyrcanus II Aristobulus II
Dynasty	Hasmonean
Father	John Hyrcanus
Religion	Hellenistic Judaism

Alexander Jannaeus (Greek: Ἀλέξανδρος Ἰανναῖος Aléxandros Iannaîos;^[1] Hebrew: יַנַּאי‎ Yannaʾy;^[2] born Jonathan יהונתן) was the second king of the Hasmonean dynasty, who ruled over an expanding kingdom of Judaea from 103 to 76 BCE. A son of John Hyrcanus, he inherited the throne from his brother Aristobulus I, and married his brother's widow, Queen Salome Alexandra. From his conquests to expand the kingdom to a bloody civil war, Alexander's reign has been described as cruel and oppressive with never-ending conflict.^[3] The major historical sources of Alexander's life are Josephus's Antiquities of the Jews and The Jewish War.^[4]

The kingdom of Alexander Jannaeus was the largest and strongest known Jewish state outside of biblical sources, having conquered most of Palestine's Mediterranean coastline and regions surrounding the Jordan River. Alexander also had many of his subjects killed for their disapproval of his handling of state affairs. Due to his territorial expansion and adverse interactions with his subjects, he was continuously embroiled with foreign wars and domestic turmoil.^[5]