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Home , Balash, Gupta Empire, Hephthalites, Khanate, Mihirakula, Peroz (Kidarite)

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Hephthalite ruled in parts of present-day , , , , , AYDOGDY KURBANOV and . His expansion to the west was Academy of Sciences of , Ashgabat stopped by the around . After the death of , his son Mihira- In the 5th and 6th centuries CE, kula (515–528/542) succeeded to the throne founded a great in the territories of and extended his rule beyond northwestern the modern states of Turkmenistan, Tajiki- to the Jammu- plain, where he stan, , , , built a city – Mihirapura. In his reign Hephtha- , India, and . The Hephthalites lites reached their apogee of their power in are mentioned in the sources under different India. ’s heirs did not have his abil- names, depending on one or another aspect ities and strength, and their political power in of their name in different languages: Arme- India weakened.Itisnot clear whatkindof rela- nian – Heptal, Tetal; Greek – Epthalitae or tionship had existed between the Hephthalite White ; Syriac – Ephthalita, Tedal; principalities in and those in Pak- – Hephtal; Indian – Hūna; istan and India. Their coins have differences, Bactrian –Ebodalo; Chinese – Ye-da, Ye-dien, and it is supposed that they were probably sep- Ye-ta-i-lito; – Haital, Hetal. arate and independent. Beginning in 427 CE, Hephthalites had sev- The Hephthalites also extended their eral wars with the for hegem- authority further to Eastern . At ony in Central Asia. Early military clashes the beginning of the CE the greater were unsuccessful for the Hephthalites (cam- part of Eastern Turkestan was politically paigns against shahinshahs Warahran under their control. Thus, by the mid-6th V [420–438] and Yazdegerd II [438–457]), century CE the Hephthalites had created a but later they were able to defeat the Sasanids, huge empire. In the second half of that cen- especially shahinshah (459–484), who tury, the empire suffered from the onslaught was defeated three times by Hephthalites, in of the Turkic Khaganate and Sasanian . 474–475, 476–477, and 484. This last cam- The appearance of the Turks in the mid-6th paign ended with the death of Peroz in battle. century changed the political situation in Cen- As a result of this defeat, his successor, , tral Asia. As a result of their western campaign was forced to pay the Hephthalites an annual in 555 CE they approached the border of the tribute, which the Sasanids finally stopped in Hephthalite Empire. Sasanian Iran, under the reign of Khusrow I Anushirvan (531–579). the governance of Khusrow I in the , In the second half of the , the began a rapid growth. The first result was Hephthalite rulers began military campaigns the termination of tribute payment to the from Central Asia to the south. Indian sources Hephthalites. In 557 Khusrow I concluded a report clashes between the Hephthalites and truce with Byzantium, thereby calming the the forces of the dynasty, and Hephtha- western borders. In 558 Istemi lites conquered between 460 and 470 attacked Hephthalites from the north in alli- CE. At the end of the 5th century the Hephtha- ance with Khusrow I, who prepared his lites were led by Toramana (c.490–515), who for military actions from the south-western

The Encyclopedia of Empire, First Edition. Edited by John M. MacKenzie. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Published 2016 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. DOI: 10.1002/9781118455074.wbeoe018 2 direction. The reason for the attack was pro- ancient religions (reverence to the Sky and vided by Hephthalites themselves. Trying to Fire).TheHephthalitesthemselvesheldvarious preclude the alliance between the shahinshah religious views. It is difficult to state whether and the kaghan, they killed the Turkic embassy any one of these religions dominated, because on their move through Sogd, with only one of the controversial nature of the sources. man escaping to bring the news to the kaghan. After the collapse of their empire, War became inevitable and the Turks invaded Hephthalites were probably assimilated by Hephthalite territory. They crossed the river other peoples. It is supposed that , Chirchik, and camped in Maimurg (the Sam- Khalaches, Abdals, and are descen- arkand region). The Hephthalite ruler Gatfar dants of the Hephthalites or are related assembled troops around but decided to them. not to engage in battle on the plain, where the Turks’ had the advantage. He retreated SEE ALSO: Cavalry and empire; China, impe- to the mountains and fought at Nesef (Karshi) rial: 3. 220–c.580; ; Hunnic where the battle lasted for eight days and Empire; Rouran (Juan Juan) Khaganate; Sasa- ended with victory for the Turks. The date of nian Empire; Türk Khaganate this event is placed between 563 and 567 CE. The defeated Hephthalites moved south, and chose Faganish as successor of Gatfar who REFERENCE had fallen in battle. The new ruler hurried to “ seek a truce with the Sasanians in order to Harmatta, J. and B. Litvinsky. 1996. and Gandhara under Western Türk rule avoid a complete defeat by the Turks. (650–750).” In B. Litvinsky (Ed.), History of In Kapisa-Gandhara small Hephthalite Civilizations of Central Asia: The Crossroads of states continued to exist. Before c.625 CE the Civilizations: AD 250 to 750, vol. III. Paris: troops of the Western Turkic kaghanate UNESCO Publishing. under the leadership of Ton-Yabgu crossed the Indus River and conquered territory, replacing Hephthalite dynasties with Turkic FURTHER READING ones (Harmatta and Litvinsky 1996: 370). Göbl, R. 1967. Dokumente zur Geschichte der ira- NUMISMATICS nischen Hunnen in Baktrien und Indien, 4 vols. Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz. Grenet, F. 2002. “Regional Interaction in Central Hephthalites had several types of coins. Asia and Northwest India in the Kidarite and A number of principalities that were part of Hephthalite Periods.” In N. Sims-Williams the Hephthalite Empire also continued mint- (Ed.), Indo- and Peoples: Pro- ing their own coins, so there is no unified coin ceedings of the British Academy, vol. 116. design. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Kurbanov, A. 2013. The Archaeology and History of the Hephthalites. Bonn: Habelt. RELIGION Litvinsky, B. 1996. “The Hephthalite Empire.” In B. Litvinsky (Ed.), History of Civilizations In the Hephthalite Empire several religions of Central Asia: The Crossroads of Civilizations: flourished:,,Christi- AD 250 to 750, vol. III. Paris: UNESCO anity, , , as well as Publishing.