The Death of Hasmonean King Alexander Jannaeus

A 14th century depiction of  Alexander Jannaeus
by Guillaume Rouille

The 2nd of Shevat (the eleventh month of the Hebrew calendar), 76 BC: King Alexander Jannaeus dies.

Jannaeus inherited the throne from his brother Aristobulus I and married his wife, Salome Alexandra, in accordance with the Jewish law of levirate marriage.

During his time of reign, he expanded the Hasmonean Kingdom to include the Golan Heights, the cities of Acre and Gaza and added additional territories in the Jordan Valley and the Negev desert. He ordered the destruction of Gaza following its fall, in order to erase what he considered as the disgrace from the battle that took place some 250 years earlier, and marked the subjugating of the kingdom of Judah to the Hellenistic empire.

Jannaeus saw himself as a single authority and was the first Jewish ruler to issue coins bearing the phrase "King". He was head of the Jewish faction called the Sadducees and led into clashes with the other major Jewish faction, the Pharisees. This conflict lasted six years and according to historian Josephus took a toll of 50,000 dead, while Jannaeus used an army of mercenaries to brutally suppress his opponents.

He died of fever in 76 BC while at war with Arabian King Aritas, who waged war against the kingdom Judah. His wife, Queen Salome became his successor.

Because of the civil war he waged against the Pharisees, Jannaeus is considered a wicked tyrant in Judaism.