Herod - Herod the Great

Herod the Great is the first Herod of the Herodian Dynasty who descended from Edomites that had converted to Judaism. His rise to power began with his father's (Antipater the Idumaean) relations with Julius Caesar. From Governor of Galilee to a Tetrach of Rome to King of the Jews (according to Rome), Herod built his kingdom. Then, near the end of his life he hears of a prophecied King of the Jews which seemed to threaten all that he had built. So, he ordered the male children ages two and under killed in and around the town of Bethlehem.