The Palemonids were a legendary dynasty of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania . The legend was born in the 15th or 16th century as proof that Lithuanians and the Grand Duchy were of Roman origins . Jan Długosz (1415–1480) wrote that the Lithuanians were of Roman origin, but did not provide any proof. The legend is first recorded in the second edition of the Lithuanian Chronicles produced in the 1530s. At the time the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was quarrelling with the Kingdom of Poland , rejecting the claims that Poland had civilized the pagan and barbaric Lithuania. The Lithuanian nobility felt a need for the ruling dynasty to show upstanding origins, as the only available chronicles at the time were written by the Teutonic Knights , a long-standing enemy, and depicted Gediminas , ancestor of the Gediminids dynasty, as a hostler of Vytenis .
17-585: In this new Lithuanian chronicle, Palemon (sometimes identified as Polemon II of Pontus ), a relative of Roman emperor Nero , escaped Rome together with 500 noble families. The company traveled north, through the Baltic Sea , and reached the Nemunas Delta . After that they decided to sail upstream until they reached the mouth of Dubysa . There, the Palemonids settled on a large hill (now known as
34-600: A Roman Client Queen of Pontus , Colchis , and Cilicia . The relationship between Polemon II and Mamaea is unknown. Her name and identity is revealed from surviving bronze coinage. Surviving coinage that was issued from Polemon II and Mamaea is extremely rare, as only three specimens are known. These coins show her royal title in Greek, ΙΟΥΛΙΑΣ ΜΑΜΑΙΑΣ ΒΑΣΙΛΙΣΣΗΣ ( of Julia Mamaea the Queen ) or ΒΑΣΙΛΙΣΣΗΣ ΙΟΥΛΙΑΣ ΜΑΜΑΙΑΣ ( of Queen Julia Mamaea ). These coins can be dated from
51-502: A pagan again. At an unknown date, perhaps after the early 50s, Polemon II married a princess called Julia Mamaea, who was from the Syrian Roman Client Emesene Kingdom . Mamaea was of Assyrian , Armenian , Greek , and Median ancestry. Polemon II married Mamaea as his second wife, and the circumstances that lead Polemon II to marry her are unknown. Through Mamaea's marriage to him, she became
68-606: The Palemon Hill [ lt ] ) and ruled the country for generations until the Gediminids emerged. The chronicle skipped Mindaugas and Traidenis , attested Grand Dukes of Lithuania, entirely. It incorporated the account of the Gediminid line from the first edition. To make the story more believable, the chronicler presented a very detailed account of the journey. Because there were not enough generations to cover
85-410: The account further, into the 10th century. Multiple contradictory versions of the legend survive to this day as historians tried to patch up some obvious mistakes and make it more historically sound. The first to critically evaluate and reject the legend was historian Joachim Lelewel in 1839. At the end of the 19th century there were some attempts, for example in a history written by Maironis , to tie
102-477: The condition that Polemon II had to convert to Judaism , which included undergoing the rite of circumcision , before marriage. Polemon II assented, and the marriage went ahead. It did not last long, however, and Berenice left Pontus with her sons and returned to the court of her brother. Polemon II abandoned Judaism and, according to the legend of Bartholomew the Apostle , he accepted Christianity , only to become
119-503: The court of their stepfather. Archelaus died in 17, whereupon Polemon II and his mother moved back to Pontus. From 17 until 38, Polemon II lived as a private citizen in Pontus and assisted his mother in the administration of their realm. When his mother died in 38, Polemon II succeeded his mother as the sole ruler of Pontus, Colchis and Cilicia . According to an honorary inscription at Cyzicus in 38, Polemon II participated in celebrating
136-564: The gap between the 1st century when Palemon arrived and the 14th century when Gediminas died, the third edition of the chronicle, also known as the Bychowiec Chronicle , placed Palemon in the 5th century instead of the 1st, when Rome was devastated by Attila the Hun , and included Mindaugas and other attested dukes. But it was not enough and historians like Maciej Stryjkowski and Kazimierz Kojałowicz-Wijuk [ lt ] moved
153-577: The legend with the expansion of the Vikings . While many historians up until the dawn of the 20th century believed the legend to be true, it is now largely discarded as a fictional story that only serves to illustrate political ideology in the 16th-century Lithuania. A neighborhood in Kaunas is named after Palemonids – Palemonas [ lt ] . Note : Darker shaded cells represent dukes who share their names with real historical figures. Dukes with
170-524: The local games in the city, honoring Julia Drusilla , the late sister of Caligula; in this way Polemon II expressed his loyalty to the emperor and the Roman state. With another Roman Client King, Antiochus IV of Commagene , Polemon II held athletic games in honor of Claudius in Cilicia in 47. Antiochus IV with Polemon II had showed favor towards Claudius in which they offered significant services to him. He
187-481: The second half of Polemon II's reign from 60 until 74. Mamea may have bore Polemon II two sons, Polemon and Rhoemetalces Philocaesar, according to a fragmentary inscription from Amphipolis , Greece . Polemon II renamed the town Fanizan after himself. He changed the name to Polemonium (modern Fatsa , Turkey ). In 62, Nero induced Polemon II to abdicate the Pontian throne, and Pontus, including Colchis, became
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#1732779716548204-528: The title Grand Duke of Lithuania ruled the unified country: i.e. they ruled Lithuania, Samogitia, and Rus'. Polemon II of Pontus Marcus Antonius Polemon Pythodoros , also known as Polemon II of Pontus and Polemon of Cilicia ( Greek : Μάρκος Ἀντώνιος Πολέμων Πυθόδωρος ; 12 BC/11 BC–74), was a prince of the Bosporan , Pontus , Cilicia , and Cappadocia . He served as a Roman client king of Pontus, Colchis , and Cilicia. The Pontic royal family
221-470: Was Antony's second born great-grandson and great-grandchild. Polemon II is the only known male descendant of Mark Antony that carries his name. The other male descendant of Mark Antony who carries a form of his name, Antonius, was the consul Quintus Haterius Antoninus . Through Antony, his great maternal aunt was Queen Cleopatra Selene II of Mauretania . Through Antony, he was a distant cousin to Roman Client King Ptolemy of Mauretania . Through Antony, he
238-465: Was also a distant cousin to Roman emperors Caligula , Claudius , and Nero , and Roman empresses Valeria Messalina , Agrippina the Younger , and Claudia Octavia . The Sophist Polemon of Laodicea was his grandson. Polemon II's father died in 8 BC. His mother then married King Archelaus of Cappadocia , and the family had moved to Cappadocia , where Polemon II and his siblings were raised at
255-675: Was forced to abdicate the Pontic throne by Nero in 62 AD Around 50, Polemon II was attracted to the wealth and beauty of the Judean princess Julia Berenice , whom he had met in Tiberias during a visit to King Herod Agrippa I . Berenice in turn wanted to marry Polemon II to end rumors that she and her brother were committing incest . Berenice had become a widow in 48 when her second husband, her paternal uncle Herod of Chalcis , died. She had two sons by him, Berenicianus and Hyrcanus. Berenice set
272-469: Was of mixed Anatolian , Greek , and Roman origin. His paternal grandmother is unknown; however his paternal grandmother could have been named Tryphaena, while his paternal grandfather was Zenon, a prominent orator, aristocrat, and ally to Roman Triumvir Mark Antony . His maternal grandparents were Pythodoros of Tralles , a wealthy Greek and friend of Pompey , and Antonia . Polemon II was the namesake of his parents and his maternal grandparents. Polemon II
289-570: Was the second son and middle child of the Pontic Rulers Polemon Pythodoros and Pythodorida of Pontus . His eldest brother was Zenon, also known as Artaxias III , who was Roman Client King of Armenia . His youngest sister was Antonia Tryphaena , who was married to Cotys VIII , King of Thrace . Through his maternal grandmother he was a direct descendant of Mark Antony and his second wife, Antonia Hybrida Minor. Antony and Antonia Hybrida were first paternal cousins. He
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