Queen Athaliah

How She Became Queen: By murdering the royal family
When She Began Reigning: Uncertain
Reign Length: 7 years
Ruled Over: Judah
Type of Queen: Evil
Prophet: Uncertain
Death: Jehoiada the priest had her executed for treason
Burial: Unknown

Athaliah was the daughter of Israel’s wicked king Omri:

2 Kings 8:26: “Two and twenty years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign; and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Athaliah, the daughter of Omri king of Israel.”

When Ahaziah her son died, Athaliah murdered the royal family and seized power. However, Jehosheba (Ahaziah’s sister) hid one of the king’s sons in the Temple for six years:

2 Kings 11:1: “And when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal.
2 But Jehosheba, the daughter of king Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king’s sons which were slain; and they hid him, even him and his nurse, in the bedchamber from Athaliah, so that he was not slain.
3 And he was with her hid in the house of the Lord six years. And Athaliah did reign over the land.”

In the seventh year Jehoiada the priest overthrew Athaliah and had her executed for treason:

2 Kings 11:13: “And when Athaliah heard the noise of the guard and of the people, she came to the people into the temple of the Lord.
14 And when she looked, behold, the king stood by a pillar, as the manner was, and the princes and the trumpeters by the king, and all the people of the land rejoiced, and blew with trumpets: and Athaliah rent her clothes, and cried, Treason, Treason.
15 But Jehoiada the priest commanded the captains of the hundreds, the officers of the host, and said unto them, Have her forth without the ranges: and him that followeth her kill with the sword. For the priest had said, Let her not be slain in the house of the Lord.
16 And they laid hands on her; and she went by the way by the which the horses came into the king’s house: and there was she slain.”

After she was executed, Joash the son of Ahaziah ruled in her stead.