The title King of Syria appeared in the second century BC in referring to the Seleucid kings who ruled the entirety of the region of Syria. It was also used to refer to Aramean kings in the Greek translations of the Old Testament, mainly indicating the kings of Aram-Damascus. Following the defeat of the Ottoman EmpireinWorld War I, the region came under the rule of France, the United Kingdom and Prince FaisalofHejaz, who was proclaimed King of Syria on 8 March 1920. Faisal's reign lasted a few months before he was overthrown by France and the title fell out of use.
The term Syria was first applied by Herodotus in the 5th century BC to indicate a region generally extending between Anatolia and Egypt.[1][2] With the advent of the Hellenistic period, Greeks and their Seleucid dynasty used the term "Syria" to designate the region between the Mediterranean and the Euphrates.[3] The usage of the name in referring to the region during the Iron Age (ended 586 BC) is a modern practice.[1][4]
According to Polybius, King Antigonus I Monophthalmus established the Syrian kingdom which included Coele-Syria.[5] The Seleucid king Antiochus III the Great defeated the Ptolemaic Kingdom in the Battle of Panium (200 BC); he annexed the Syrian lands controlled by Egypt (Coele-Syria) and united them with his Syrian lands, thus gaining control of the entirety of Syria.[6] Starting from the 2nd century BC, ancient writers, such as Polybius and Posidonius, began referring to the Seleucid ruler as the king of Syria.[7][8] The evidence for this title's usage by the kings is provided by the inscription of Antigonus son of Menophilus, who described himself as the "admiral of Alexander, king of Syria" (Alexander refers either to Alexander I BalasorAlexander II Zabinas).[8]
Portrait | Monarch (and lifespan) |
Reign | Consort (and tenure) |
Parents, co-regents, and notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Antiochus III the Great (c. 241–187 BC) |
200–187 BC | Laodice III (200–187 BC) Euboea (191–187 BC) |
| |
Seleucus IV Philopator (c. 218–175 BC) |
187–175 BC | Laodice IV (187–175 BC) |
||
Antiochus (c. 180–170 BC) |
175–170 BC | Unmarried |
| |
Antiochus IV Epiphanes (c. 215–164 BC) |
175–164 BC | Laodice IV (c. 175–c. 164 BC) |
||
Antiochus V Eupator (172–161 BC) |
164–162 BC | Unmarried | ||
Demetrius I Soter (187–150 BC) |
162–150 BC | |||
Antiochus | 150 BC | |||
Alexander I Balas ( –145 BC) |
150–145 BC | Cleopatra Thea (150–145 BC) |
||
Demetrius II Nicator ( –125 BC) |
145–138 BC (first reign) |
Cleopatra Thea (145–138 BC) |
| |
Antiochus VI Dionysus (148 BC–142/141 BC) |
144–142/141 BC | Unmarried |
Diodotus Tryphon, who opposed Demetrius II by raising Antiochus VI to the throne, killed his protege and declared himself king ruling until 138 when the Seleucids unified Syria again.[27]
Portrait | Monarch (and lifespan) |
Reign | Consort (and tenure) |
Parents, co-regents, and notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Diodotus Tryphon ( –138 BC) |
142/141–138 BC |
|
Portrait | Monarch (and lifespan) |
Reign | Consort (and tenure) |
Parents, co-regents, and notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Antiochus VII Sidetes ( –129 BC) |
138–129 BC | Cleopatra Thea (138–129 BC) |
||
Demetrius II Nicator ( –125 BC) |
129–125 BC (second reign) |
Cleopatra Thea (129–125 BC) |
| |
Antiochus VIII Grypus ( –96 BC) |
128 BC (first reign) |
|||
Alexander II Zabinas ( –123 BC) |
128–123 BC |
Portrait | Monarch (and lifespan) |
Reign | Consort (and tenure) |
Parents, co-regents, and notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Cleopatra Thea (c. 165–121 BC) |
125–121 BC |
|
Portrait | Monarch (and lifespan) |
Reign | Consort (and tenure) |
Parents, co-regents, and notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Seleucus V Philometor ( –125 BC) |
125 BC | |||
Antiochus VIII Grypus ( –96 BC) |
125–96 BC (second reign) |
Tryphaena (124–111 BC) Cleopatra Selene (103–96 BC) |
||
Antiochus IX Cyzicenus ( –95 BC) |
114–95 BC | Cleopatra IV (114–112 BC) Cleopatra Selene (96–95 BC) |
||
Antiochus VIII died in 96 BC and Antiochus IX followed him in 95 BC;[49] the country became embroiled in a civil war in which Antiochus VIII's five sons and the descendants of Antiochus IX fought between themselves.[50] The chronology of all those monarchs is problematic and is specially vague regarding Seleucus VI's successors.[51] | ||||
Demetrius III Eucaerus ( –88 BC) |
96–88 BC | |||
Seleucus VI Epiphanes ( –94/93 BC) |
96–94/93 BC | |||
Antiochus X Eusebes ( –92) |
95–92 BC | Cleopatra Selene (95–92 BC) |
||
Antiochus XI Epiphanes ( –93 BC) |
94–93 BC | |||
Philip I Philadelphus ( –83 BC) |
94–84/83 BC | |||
Antiochus XII Dionysus ( –84 BC) |
87–84/83 BC |
Portrait | Monarch (and lifespan) |
Reign | Consort (and tenure) |
Parents, co-regents, and notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Cleopatra Selene (c. 135/130–69 BC) |
83–69 BC |
|
Portrait | Monarch (and lifespan) |
Reign | Consort (and tenure) |
Parents, co-regents, and notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Antiochus XIII Asiaticus (c. 94–63 BC) |
83 or 83–74 BC (first reign) |
|
Portrait | Monarch (and lifespan) |
Reign | Consort (and tenure) |
Parents, co-regents, and notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Tigranes the Great (140–55 BC) |
83/74–69 BC |
|
Portrait | Monarch (and lifespan) |
Reign | Consort (and tenure) |
Parents, co-regents, and notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Antiochus XIII Asiaticus (c. 94–63 BC) |
69–67 BC (second reign) |
|||
Philip II Philoromaeus ( –after 57 BC) |
67–65 BC |
| ||
Antiochus XIII Asiaticus (c. 94–63 BC) |
65–64 BC (third reign) |
|
Portrait | Monarch (and lifespan) |
Reign | Consort (and tenure) |
Parents, co-regents, and notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Ptolemy Philadelphus (36–after 30 BC) |
34–30 BC |
|
On 8 March 1920, prince Faysal of the House of Hashim, supported by the Syrian National Congress, declared himself king of the Arab Kingdom of Syria; the kingdom collapsed on 24 July of the same year.[76]
Portrait | Name (and lifespan) |
Reign | Consort (and tenure) |
Standard | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Faisal (20 May 1885 – 8 September 1933) |
8 March 1920 – 24 July 1920 | Huzaima bint Nasser (8 March 1920 – 24 July 1920) |
|
In the first translation of the Old Testament into Greek written during the third century BC (called the Septuagint),[79] Aram and Arameans were often translated as Syria and the Syrians;[80][81] hence, the king was referred to as the king of Syria,[82] and this was carried on by many English translations.[80] Aram in the Hebrew Old Testament and Syria in the translation indicated the kingdom of Aram-Damascus most of the times.[80] Occasionally, other Aramean regions were also referred to as Syria.[80] In the view of W. Edward Glenny, the rendering of Aram by Syria might be explained by an anti-Syrian bias, since at the time of the translation, Syria belonged to the Seleucids, the Jews' main enemy; Aram-Damascus was the Jews' enemy during its Iron Age prime in the 9th century BC.[83]
Portrait | Name | Reign | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Rezon | 10th century BC | ||
Hezion | 10th century BC | ||
Ben-Hadad I |
| ||
Ben-Hadad II | |||
Hazael | c. 842–800 BC |
| |
Ben-Hadad III |
| ||
Rezin | 750s–733 BC |
|