8. Herod killed three of his sons due to the same paranoia that killed his wife.
Mariamne and Herod’s sons, Alexander and Aristobulus were brought up in Rome. In 7 BC, they returned to Judea, harboring a bitter resentment towards their father. The feeling was mutual. Herod resented the two young men because the people loved them and their Hasmonean blood gave them a solid claim to the throne. By this time, Antipater, Herod’s eldest son, had been recalled from exile. He now began to work against his brothers and convinced Herod that Alexander and Aristobulus were plotting his death. So in 7 BC, Herod had his two sons strangled in Sebaste, the place he married Mariamne, despite the protest of Emperor Augustus. As for Antipater, he followed his brothers in 4 BC when Herod had him executed for treason – five days before his own death.