Belshazzar (/bɛlˈʃæzər/; Biblical Hebrew בלשאצר; Akkadian: Bēl-šarra-uṣur; Greek: Balthazar, from Akkadian, meaning "Protect His Life"; or, possibly, "[May] Bel Protect the King";) was Coregent of Babylon. Although he is referred to in the Book of Daniel as the son of Nebuchadnezzar, Babylonian inscriptions suggest that he was the eldest son of King Nabonidus. When the king went into exile in 550 BCE, the kingdom and most of its army were entrusted to Belshazzar.