25 Facts About Belshazzar

1.

Belshazzar was the son and crown prince of Nabonidus, the last king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire.

2.

Belshazzar played a pivotal role in the coup d'etat that overthrew the king Labashi-Marduk and brought Nabonidus to power in 556 BC.

3.

Since Belshazzar was the main beneficiary of the coup, through confiscating and inheriting Labashi-Marduk's estates and wealth, it is likely that he was the chief orchestrator.

4.

Belshazzar was entrusted with many typically royal prerogatives, such as granting privileges, commanding portions of the army, and receiving offerings and oaths, though he continued to be styled as the crown prince, never assuming the title of king.

5.

Belshazzar lacked many of the prerogatives of kingship, most importantly he was not allowed to preside over and officiate the Babylonian New Year's festival, which was the exclusive right of the king himself.

6.

Belshazzar appears as a central character in the story of Belshazzar's feast in the Biblical Book of Daniel, recognized by scholars as a work of historical fiction.

7.

Daniel's Belshazzar is not malevolent, but in later Jewish tradition Belshazzar was presented as a tyrant who oppresses the Jewish people.

8.

Belshazzar was the son of Nabonidus, an elderly courtier who would rise to become the last king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire.

9.

Not only would such a connection explain Nabonidus's rise to the throne, but it would explain later historical traditions in which Belshazzar is described as Nebuchadnezzar's descendant.

10.

Belshazzar's father came to the throne as a result of a conspiracy that saw the deposition and murder of the previous king, Labashi-Marduk.

11.

Whereas Neriglissar's career as a businessman prior to becoming king can be followed through a trail of surviving business documents, Belshazzar appears to have become a prominent member of the Babylonian oligarchy overnight, not being mentioned in any business documents or private transactions prior to Nabonidus becoming king.

12.

Since there is little change in the prominent members of Neriglissar's and Labashi-Marduk's former household under Belshazzar, it is probable that Belshazzar becoming the master of the household was met with relatively little opposition.

13.

Belshazzar is recorded as owning lands throughout Babylonia, for instance owning an agricultural settlement near Uruk.

14.

Belshazzar eventually led his forces into Arabia, conquering several cities, including the city of Tayma.

15.

The events that transpired in Babylonia during Belshazzar's regency are not well known, owing to a lack of surviving sources.

16.

In 546 BC, Cyrus the Great crossed the Tigris to invade Lydia, ostensibly a Babylonian ally, and though Belshazzar took up a defensive position with his army, perhaps expecting a sudden Persian attack against Babylonia itself, no aid was sent to the Lydians, who were swiftly conquered by Cyrus.

17.

Belshazzar appears to have worked to restore Marduk's status in his father's absence.

18.

Regardless of any potential animosity between Nabonidus and Belshazzar, Belshazzar retained the status of crown prince and intended successor, as a handful of documents still reference the "son of the king".

19.

One possibility, suggested by Paul-Alain Beaulieu, is that Belshazzar was put in charge of Babylonia's defense and was moving with the army along the northern and eastern border.

20.

Belshazzar partook in Babylon's defense against the invasion by Cyrus the Great in 539 BC.

21.

Belshazzar's fate is not known, since none of the sources record it.

22.

Belshazzar is killed that night, and Darius the Mede takes the kingdom.

23.

The story of Belshazzar's feast is historical fiction, and several details are not consistent with historical facts.

24.

Belshazzar, being greatly alarmed at the mysterious handwriting on the wall, and apprehending that someone in disguise might enter the palace with murderous intent, ordered his doorkeepers to behead anyone who attempted to force an entrance that night, even though such person should claim to be the king himself.

25.

Belshazzar, overcome by sickness, left the palace unobserved during the night through a rear exit.