Mariamne, wife of Herod the Great, king of Judea (years of his life c. 73–74 BC - B.E.), belonged to the royal family of the Maccabees, enemies of Herod, and was killed by him in 37. They were killed by Herod and his two sons from Mariamne - Alexander and Aristobulus (not mentioned in the story). The people of Judea considered King Herod to be a despot and a stranger: the Romans, whom he knew how to please, placed him on the royal throne, but he came from Judea, a desert area south of the Dead Sea. The same Romans helped Herod take possession of his own capital - Jerusalem. Undoubtedly, King Herod was able to inspire fear - the cruelty and rapture of power inherent in him, coupled with a sharp mind and strong will, made him a dangerous enemy. But there was in Herod both love of life and love for the beautiful. And although he treated the clergy and their rituals with mockery, it was they who undertook the restoration of the Jerusalem Temple, during which the tsar personally observed, arranging the construction so that it did not interfere with the performance of religious rites. It was rumored that the construction of the king started from pride - to glorify his own name for centuries. Rumor generally attributed to Herod many vices. All that is known for sure is that Herod was rude and cruel in love: having quenched his passion, he was filled with a woman of disgust and often changed concubines, giving them to his relatives later. All the more surprising was what happened to him once at the city gate on the road leading to Damascus.
Here Herod first saw Mariamne, who struck him to the core. Although Herod did not even have time to make out the girl properly, he only noticed that she was young and fair-haired. He began to look for Mariamne, without resorting to the help of his spies, they would have dirty her appearance. Suddenly, Mariamne came to the palace herself - to ask for the boy, his relative, who rushed to the guard Herod. The boy wanted to avenge the executed father - one of the Maccabees. Turning to Herod for mercy, Mariamne thus exposed herself to terrible danger. The king appreciated her courage; he did not yet know that she could not have acted otherwise. He let go of the boy, but told Mariamne that he was doing this only for her.
News of an unheard of intercession swept across the city. Nobody has succeeded in this yet. Women began to turn to Mariamne, whose sons or husbands were captured by Herod. She refused no one and was able to help many, but not all. Her duty to Herod grew, and she in fear expected to follow. Finally, the moment came when the king asked Mariamne to become his wife.
On her wedding night, Herod's violent passion frightened her. Although Herod tried to be more restrained and attentive with her than with others, he still could not tame Mariamne. She understood that she did not love him, and only tried to please him in order to soften his temper and humble cruelty. And she tried not to stop thinking about what she could not stand in him.
Mariamne succeeded and much more. The king released almost all the prisoners he kept in the dungeons of the palace, executing only his most implacable enemies. The people of Jerusalem praised the queen. And the relatives of Mariamne hated her, considering her a traitor. But she did not know about it. The old servant who brought her news about her relatives was silent about this.
Time passed, and the king’s passion for Mariamne never abated, he had never before known a woman like her. Herod really loved her. And resentment grew in him. Herod was far from stupid and gradually realized that Mariamne was only trying to please him, but did not love him. The king suffered, but suffered humiliation, showing no offense at all. Then he began to show in every possible way that Mariamne was not so necessary to him, and stopped approaching her. Thus he expressed love.
Soon the king learned with anger that the boy whom he had let go fled to the mountains, where the Maccabees gathered an army against him. Before, Herod was always the attacking side, but this time the Maccabees came out first, and the king’s troops suffered one defeat after another, then Herod himself went on a campaign. During the decisive battle, in which he won, he saw a fugitive boy in the enemy’s camp, attacked him and cut him with a sword from shoulder to heart. Herod's companions were very surprised at his act: the boy was almost defenseless.
Upon returning, Herod knelt before Mariamne and without words began to pray that she would forgive him his cruelty - Mariamna knew what had happened to her relative and blamed herself for his death. She forgave the king: she wanted to regain her influence on him, and yet, as she involuntarily admitted to herself, her awakened female body needed him. Therefore, she felt doubly guilty.
The people breathed a sigh of relief again. But not for long. Herod became more and more uneasy, more and more often he fell into suspicion and disbelief. The moment came when he openly told Mariamne: she does not love him, he notices it every time she lies down with her, she gives herself away by trying so hard to show him ardor and passion that she does not feel at all. After this explanation, Herod again went with the army to the mountains to fight the Maccabees, and calm and lonely days came for Mariamne; at this time she finally found out what was being hidden from her: her relatives refused her. The cousin met Mariamne in the square at the well, pretending not to notice her.
When Herod reappeared in Jerusalem, he told Mariamne that he would now have other women. And he again brought back the old order in the palace. Of course, the dissolute women disgusted him. But disgust in a strange way only incited lust in him.
The dark days came again. People were seized in their homes, and then they disappeared. The dungeons of the palace were filled with prisoners, and the chambers with painted harlots. Herod needed them not only for lust, but also for the humiliation of Mariamne. His heart and in love remained evil.
Once he began to reprimand Mariamne for the fact that she tolerates such a life and does not notice what is happening around him, does not shame and does not condemn him for his lack of spirit. Is it really proper for a real queen to behave? .. But, looking at Mariamne, Herod stopped short ... He never met her until her death.
The old servant who brought news to Mariamne about her relatives, Herod ordered to kill. She probably helped the king’s enemies secretly communicate with his wife. Moreover, Herod suspected Mariamne herself in the conspiracy. She was just the perfect figure for a conspiracy! Of course, the king knew that this was not true. But he constantly convinced himself of this. Like many passionate and cruel natures, he was very afraid of death. And he was manic suspicious. Herod carefully concealed from himself what was the cause of his thoughts. And he did not admit to himself in those dark impulses that were hiding at the bottom of his muddy soul.
And the people of Jerusalem still loved the gentle queen, although now she could do nothing more for him.
Herod hesitated. Can he continue to tolerate this woman next to him? She lived very close to him. A foreign woman whom he had not seen for a long time. Is it dangerous! Enough! We must put an end to this!
The king hired a killer. His physique and face were very much like him. For some reason, from the many people who were ready to fulfill his order, the king chose this person. Herod mounted his horse and left Jerusalem. On the way, he turned the horse back and galloped back at full speed. But he knew that he would not have time. When Herod burst into the palace, Mariamne was already dying: he fell to her knees in front of her, wringed her hands and repeated only one word: “Beloved, beloved ...”
Soon, he ordered the killer to be seized and brought to him. He himself cut it with a sword. The killer did not resist.
After the death of Mariamne, the king’s life did not change at all. She, as before, proceeded in anger, hatred, and the enjoyment of vice. Moreover, the vices of the king multiplied over time. In the end, he managed to destroy all the men of the Maccabees who were dangerous to his power. The people suffering under his yoke had no hope.
But the king did not forget Mariamnu. He was sick, growing old, he was increasingly overcome by the fear of death. The Magi informed him of the birth of the King of Judea. Herod followed them and found out that the baby was born in the small town of Bethlehem. He ordered then to kill all the boys in that city and its surroundings, but when his terrible will was fulfilled, the baby with his parents was already far away.
King Herod was left alone. All the attendants and servants left him. In the lonely days of old age, he often recalled Mariamne. One night, going around her chambers, he collapsed to the floor, repeating her name. The great king Herod was just a man. He lived the term granted to him on earth.
