The Sasanian-Kidarite Wars were a series of military confrontations between the

Sassanid Empire The Sasanian Empire (), officially Eranshahr ( , "Empire of the Iranians"), was an Iranian empire that was founded and ruled by the House of Sasan from 224 to 651. Enduring for over four centuries, the length of the Sasanian dynasty's reign ...

and the

Kidarites The Kidarites, or Kidara Huns, were a dynasty that ruled Bactria and adjoining parts of Central Asia and South Asia in the 4th and 5th centuries. The Kidarites belonged to a complex of peoples known collectively in India as the Huna people, Huna, ...

First Sassanid-Kidarite Conflict

Around 350 C.E, the emperor of the

Sassanids The Sasanian Empire (), officially Eranshahr ( , "Empire of the Iranians"), was an Iranian empire that was founded and ruled by the House of Sasan from 224 to 651. Enduring for over four centuries, the length of the Sasanian dynasty's reign ...

had to abandon his military expedition to the city of

Nisibis Nusaybin () is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Mardin Province, Turkey. Its area is 1,079 km2, and its population is 115,586 (2022). The city is populated by Kurds of different tribal affiliation. Nusaybin is separated ...

because of the arrival of various central Asian nomadic tribes on their east and had struggles against them. During this period, the

Xionite Xionites, Chionites, or Chionitae (Middle Persian: ''Xiyōn'' or ''Hiyōn''; Avestan: ''X́iiaona-''; Sogdian ''xwn''; Pahlavi ''Xyōn'') were a nomadic people in the Central Asian regions of Transoxiana and Bactria. The Xionites appear to be ...

/ Huna tribes who are likely to be the

, appeared as a threat to the

and even to the

Guptas The Gupta Empire was an Indian empire during the classical period of the Indian subcontinent which existed from the mid 3rd century to mid 6th century CE. At its zenith, the dynasty ruled over an empire that spanned much of the northern Indian ...

. After a long struggle, the

were forced to align with the

against the

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

.They agreed to enlist their light cavalry into the Persian army for accompanying

Shapur II Shapur II ( , 309–379), also known as Shapur the Great, was the tenth King of Kings (List of monarchs of the Sasanian Empire, Shahanshah) of Sasanian Iran. He took the title at birth and held it until his death at age 70, making him the List ...

. The presence of the

in the Persian Campaign of the Western Caspian areas has been described by the Contemporary Eyewitness

Ammianus Marcellinus Ammianus Marcellinus, occasionally anglicized as Ammian ( Greek: Αμμιανός Μαρκελλίνος; born , died 400), was a Greek and Roman soldier and historian who wrote the penultimate major historical account surviving from antiquit ...

. The presence of

Grumbates Grumbates or Krumbates was a king of the Chionitae, probably of the Kidarites tribe, an ancient nomadic tribe of Transoxiana. Etymology The exact origin of his name is not fully known. Hyun Jin Kim etymologized his name as ''*Qurum-pat'', "ru ...

is also observed at the Siege of Amida in 359, in which Grumbates lost his son.

Second Sassanian-Kidarite Conflict

The alliance between the

and the

strained and during the reign of

Bahram IV Bahram IV (also spelled Wahram IV or Warahran IV; ), was the Sasanian King of Kings () of Iran from 388 to 399. He was likely the son and successor of Shapur III (). Before his accession to the throne, Bahram served as governor of the southeaste ...

, the

Sasanians The Sasanian Empire (), officially Eranshahr ( , "Empire of the Iranians"), was an Iranian empire that was founded and ruled by the House of Sasan from 224 to 651. Enduring for over four centuries, the length of the Sasanian dynasty's reign ...

suffered numerous defeats against the

which allowed the

to settle in Bactria by replacing the

Kushano-Sasanian Kingdom The Kushano-Sasanian Kingdom (or Indo-Sasanians) was a polity established by the Sasanian Empire in Bactria during the 3rd and 4th centuries. The Sasanian Empire captured the provinces of Sogdia, Bactria and Gandhara from the declining Kushan Emp ...

. The Kidarite King

Kidara Kidara I (Late Brahmi script: ''Ki-da-ra'') fl. 350–390 CE) was the first major ruler of the Kidarite Kingdom, which replaced the Indo-Sasanians in northwestern India, in the areas of Kushanshahr, Gandhara, Kashmir and Punjab. Reign Kidara ...

proclaimed himself as the "Kidara King of the Kushans" on his coins as because the area was similar as of the western Kushans or

Kushanshahr Kushanshahr was a province of the Sasanian Empire comprising the region between Kabul Valley and Peshawar Valley.The Cambridge History of Iran: Seleucid Parthian, E. Yarshaterp.770 sq/ref> The Kushanshar territory centered on Tukharistan, and c ...

. According to

Priscus Priscus of Panium (; ; 410s/420s AD – after 472 AD) was an Eastern Roman diplomat and Greek historian and rhetorician (or sophist)...: "For information about Attila, his court and the organization of life generally in his realm we have the ...

, the

were forced to pay tributes to the

until the reign of Yazdgird II who had refrained from paying further tributes.

Third Sasanian-Kidarite Conflict

As Yazdgird II refused to pay tribute, this became a reason for the

to invade the

Sasanian The Sasanian Empire (), officially Eranshahr ( , "Empire of the Iranians"), was an Iranian empire that was founded and ruled by the House of Sasan from 224 to 651. Enduring for over four centuries, the length of the Sasanian dynasty's reign ...

dominions and therefore during the reign of

Peroz I Peroz I () was the Sasanian Empire, Sasanian King of Kings () of History of Iran, Iran from 459 to 484. A son of Yazdegerd II (), he disputed the rule of his elder brother and incumbent king Hormizd III (), eventually seizing the throne after a ...

the

invaded the

Sassanian The Sasanian Empire (), officially Eranshahr ( , "Empire of the Iranian peoples, Iranians"), was an List of monarchs of Iran, Iranian empire that was founded and ruled by the House of Sasan from 224 to 651. Enduring for over four centuries, th ...

domains. Yazdgird II spent most of his life waging inconclusive military expeditions against the Kidarites but his last conflict on the seventeenth year of his reign, suffered fatality according to two Armenian historians and ended up as a tributary to the Kidarites.

lacked in manpower and hence asked the Byzantines for financial aid which was refused.

then sought peace and offered marriage his sister in marriage to the

but instead sent a woman of lower status, after a while when the

came to know about the fact, they in turn wanted to do the same to the

by asking for military experts in the hunnic army from Persia.

Fourth Sasanian-Kidarite Conflict

As soon as the 300 military experts arrived at the

Kidarite The Kidarites, or Kidara Huns, were a dynasty that ruled Bactria and adjoining parts of Central Asia and South Asia in the 4th and 5th centuries. The Kidarites belonged to a complex of peoples known collectively in India as the Huna, and in Euro ...

court, they were either disfigured or killed and were sent back to Persia along with the information that the reason of the act was nothing except for the fake promise of

. During this period

allied himself with

Mehama Mehama ( Bactrian: ''Meyam'', Brahmi: 𑀫𑁂𑀳𑀫 ''Me-ha-ma''), ruled c.461-493, was a king of Alchon Huns dynasty. He is little known, but the Talagan copper scroll mentions him as an active ruler making a donation to a Buddhist stupa in ...

who was either an Alchon Hunnic ruler of eastern Bactria, together they put an end to the Kidarite power by 466 and the

took control of Bactria and

issued his coins at Balkh which were based on the

coins. The victory against the Kidarites were announced by the Sasanian embassy in

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

References

{{Template:Sasanian Empire Wars involving the Sasanian Empire 4th century in Iran 5th century in Iran

First Sassanid-Kidarite Conflict

Second Sassanian-Kidarite Conflict

Third Sasanian-Kidarite Conflict

Fourth Sasanian-Kidarite Conflict

See also

References