22. King Herod Kills His Kin
In 29 BC, Herod suspected Mariamne of plotting against him, so he had her executed. Unsurprisingly, her children resented that, and grew up with a fractious relationship with their father. Two, in particular, Alexander and Aristobulus, did a poor job of hiding their resentment of their father. That led Herod to suspect them of plotting against him to avenge the execution of their mother.
So Herod imprisoned Alexander in 10 BC, and three years later, had him and his brother Aristobulus were charged with treason. Both were convicted, and Herod ordered his sons strangled to death in 7 BC, giving rise to Augustus’ quip that it was better to be Herod’s pig than his son.