The known history of Babylon begins with its most famous king: Hammurabi (1792-1750 BCE). Hammurabi was the sixth king of Babylon. He made diplomacy an integral part of his administration. He was so effective at diplomacy and war that, by 1755 BCE, he had united all of Mesopotamia under the rule of Babylon which, at this time, was the largest city in the world, and named his realm Babylonia. He created a powerful empire by extending Babylon's control over Mesopotamia by winning a series of wars against neighboring kingdoms. He was an efficient ruler, giving the region stability after turbulent times, and transforming what had been an unstable collection of city-states into an empire that spanned the fertile crescent of Mesopotamia. Hammurabi’s