Herod the Great
Herod I ( 74/73 BCE – 4 BCE/1 CE), also known as Herod the Great, was the King of Judea from 37 to 4 BC. At the time Judea was a client state of Rome. During his 33 year reign, Herod was an excellent leader. But he is most famous for the Bible account of his  killing the boys of Bethlehem. While this massacre of innocents is not confirmed by other historical records, Herod did murder countless rivals, a mother-in-law, a wife and three of his sons.