10. Berenice III of Egypt was murdered after just 19 days of marriage to her step-son, cousin, and half-brother Ptolemy XI
Berenice III (b. 120 BCE), also known as Cleopatra Berenice, was Queen Regent of Egypt from 81 to 80 BCE, having previously served as either consort or regent with her husband and uncle Ptolemy X Alexander I between 101 and 88 BCE. Born to Ptolemy IX Lathyros and Cleopatra Selene in 120 BCE, Berenice, as was customary in Ptolemaic Egypt, married her uncle Ptolemy X Alexander I in 101 BCE; the latter had deposed her father in 107 BCE, killing Berenice’s mother and grandmother, but Ptolemy IX would return to reign from 88-81 BCE after the death of Ptolemy X.
After the death of her father in late 81 BCE, Berenice, as the sole legitimate heir of the Ptolemaic dynasty, seized the throne herself and ruled for six months; historical accounts report that despite her short solo reign, Berenice was immensely popular among the people of Egypt. Compelled by interference by the Roman Dictator Sulla, who sought a pro-Roman ruler of Egypt, Berenice was forced relinquish the throne and marry Ptolemy XI Alexander II in 80 BCE; due to the incestuous inclinations of the Egyptian royal households, Berenice is believed to have been simultaneously Ptolemy’s stepmother, cousin, and half-sister. Just 19 days after their marriage, for reasons unknown and overlooking the popularity enjoyed by his wife, Ptolemy XI had Berenice murdered. In vengeance for her murder, the Egyptian people revolted and Ptolemy XI was lynched soon after by the citizens of Alexandria.