WI: The Hephthalites conquer Iran

Dorozhand

Banned
I was playing Rome Total War last night and this idea randomly popped into my head :D

What if the Hephthalites decided to focus on Iran alone rather than both Iran and the Guptas, and went on to conquer all of Sassanid Persia?

What would Hephthalite Persia look like? Surely their culture would become Persianized.

Where would they base themselves? At Ctesiphon? Or perhaps in the east at a city on the Oxus like Merv or Urgench like the Kwarezmids did?
 
I think a capital around Mesopotamia, probably ctesiphon, would make a lot of sense because of the roman presence there and the importance of the region.
 
If they had focused westward they might have permanently had conquered the Sassanids rather than temporarily as they did OTL. Might have become a hybrid state not unlike the Kushans. Speaking of which, a portion of the Hephthalites (who apparently were a mixed Iranian/Turkic horde) were in part apparently descended from a part of the same Yuezhi people who later gave birth to the Kushan Empire.

So, an eventually partially Persianized culture with aspects from the cultures of their C. Asian neighbors. Contrast to the earlier Kushans who were a partially Indian-ized state. I don't know if Zoroastrianism becomes the state religion of this hypothetical empire or whether the tribal religions of the H. might modify or supplant it. From the Wiki:
Interestingly in the Hephthalite dominion Buddhism and Hinduism was predominant but there was also a religious sediment of Zoroastrianism and Manichaeism.

No doubt a different balance of religious influences would be at play if the H. went west.
 

Dorozhand

Banned
If they had focused westward they might have permanently had conquered the Sassanids rather than temporarily as they did OTL. Might have become a hybrid state not unlike the Kushans. Speaking of which, a portion of the Hephthalites (who apparently were a mixed Iranian/Turkic horde) were in part apparently descended from a part of the same Yuezhi people who later gave birth to the Kushan Empire.

So, an eventually partially Persianized culture with aspects from the cultures of their C. Asian neighbors. Contrast to the earlier Kushans who were a partially Indian-ized state. I don't know if Zoroastrianism becomes the state religion of this hypothetical empire or whether the tribal religions of the H. might modify or supplant it. From the Wiki:

No doubt a different balance of religious influences would be at play if the H. went west.

Interesting. Buddhism mixing with Zoroastrianism would be a beautiful thing to see indeed.
 
Interesting. Buddhism mixing with Zoroastrianism would be a beautiful thing to see indeed.

Already happened.

image.jpg
 
Any idea if the Hephthalites had any kind of relationship with the Romans? Would they be as war-crazy against Byzantium or could they settle with them?
 
Any idea if the Hephthalites had any kind of relationship with the Romans? Would they be as war-crazy against Byzantium or could they settle with them?

I don't believe that the surviving historical record indicates any official direct contact between the ERE and the Hephthalites. Although, since there was a Greek term for them (Ephthalites), there may have been contact with Greek traders or their intermediaries. Procopius mentions them.

edit. I'll take that back. Procopius mentions an ERE ambassador in the Sassanian Empire traveling with a Persian entourage that encounters them. Sounds like there was some potential for some mutual Sassanian bashing in concert with one another --- enough anyway to make it a POD.
 
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IOTL, the eastern Romans cooperated with the Western Gok Turk Khanate, to bring down the Sassanids. Perhaps ITTL, the Romans and the Hephthalites team up to carve up the Sassanids?
 

Dorozhand

Banned
IOTL, the eastern Romans cooperated with the Western Gok Turk Khanate, to bring down the Sassanids. Perhaps ITTL, the Romans and the Hephthalites team up to carve up the Sassanids?

That'd be interesting. The ERE could conquer Armenia and Mesoptamia while the Hephthalites conquer the rest. After that the Hephthalites slowly become a sedentary administrative caste like the Yuan mongols and found a barbarian Persian dynasty similar to the later Kwarezmid and Timurid Dynasties and making the state religion a Zoroastrianized form of Buddhism.
 
With a POD that early, I doubt that Muhammed would found Islam. Especially if he's killed by Axumites during the Siege of Mecca.
 
With a POD that early, I doubt that Muhammed would found Islam. Especially if he's killed by Axumites during the Siege of Mecca.

Interesting. So the Middle East would be a mix of Christians, Zoroastrians, and Buddhists during this time? That would make for a very interesting TL and situation.
 
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