Neo-Babylonian Empire
Nebuchadnezzar was the eldest son of Nabopolassar (626–605 BC), the founder of the Neo-Babylonian Empire. This is confirmed by Nabopolassar's inscriptions, which explicily name Nebuchadnezzar as his 'eldest son', as well as inscriptions from Nebuchadnezzar's reign, which refer to him as the 'first' or 'chief son' of Nabopolassar, and as Nabopolassar's 'true' or 'legitimate heir'. The Neo-Babylonian Empire was founded through Nabopolassar's rebellion, and later war, against the Neo-Assyrian Empire, which liberated Babylonia after nearly a century of Assyrian control. The war resulted in the complete destruction of Assyria, and the Neo-Babylonian Empire, which rose in its place, was powerful, but hastily built and politically unstable.