Who was Herod, the evil king in the New Testament?

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

ruler of Judea when Jesus of Nazareth was born, King Herod attempts to find and kill the baby after hearing that the ‘King of the Jews’ has just been born. Tricked by the Magi, the wise men whom he had sent to determine where the infant was, a raging Herod decreed that all children two and under who live near Bethlehem are to be killed. The Gospel of Matthew contains the famous account of this “slaughter of the innocents” and of Mary, Joseph and Jesus’s flight to Egypt. Interestingly, King Herod’s storyline is not found in any other biblical texts nor in Roman records. So, who was the real King Herod?

Appointed To Rule

Writers such as the Jewish historian Josephus, who fought against Roman rule in the first century AD before eventually allying himself with Rome, have provided detailed accounts regarding Herod’s deeds. In addition, modern archaeologists have excavated many sites associated with him, including the possible location of Herod’s tomb.
According to historical accounts, Herod the Great was the regional king of Judea, which contained the cities of Bethlehem and Jerusalem. He ruled from about 37 BC until his death in 4 BC, at a time when Judea was still under Roman influence. Most scholars estimate that Jesus was born between 6 and 4 BC — during Herod’s reign. Since Herod was appointed by Rome to rule over Judea, a mostly Jewish region, he was literally ‘king of the Jews’. However, Herod may not have actually been Jewish at all, at least by birth. Josephus does indicate that Herod would ally himself with Roman leadership whenever he deemed it prudent.

‘Great’ But Severe

Herod the Great proved himself a skillful builder, responsible for the planning and construction of projects such as the city of Herodium;