19. However, he also married Mariamne, a Hasmonean Princess to lend his reign extra legitimacy
Herod knew that a reconquest of Judea with Roman backing was not going to be enough to win him the support of the Jewish people. So, to lend his reign a sense of legitimacy, in 37 BC, Herod married Mariamne, a Hasmonean Princess. Mariamne’s mother, the daughter of the maimed former King Hyrcanus, had arranged the match as an insurance policy for the Hasmoneans in 42 BC. However, the couple did not celebrate their marriage until Herod became King. Herod may not have just married Mariamne for her family connections for she was reputably beautiful and, according to Josephus, Herod was in love with her.