kingdom · Central Asia and the Steppe
Kidarite Kingdom
Origins
The Kidarites emerged in Bactria in the 4th century, probably from among the Chionites who invaded the lands of the Kushano-Sasanian Kingdom. Their eponymous leader Kidara issued coins in the Kushan style and claimed the old Kushan title, ruling from Balkh and later spreading into Gandhara.
Rule and society
They governed a mixed population of Bactrians and Indians, issuing gold coins modelled on Kushan and Sasanian types, some with Brahmi legends naming Kidara. They fought repeated wars with Sasanian kings such as Yazdegerd II and Peroz I, and probably clashed with the Gupta Empire in northern India.
Decline and legacy
Around 467 the Sasanians under Peroz I drove them from Bactria, and the Hephthalite Empire soon took over their northern lands. Remnant Kidarite principalities held out in Gandhara and Kashmir until the Alchon Huns absorbed them in the late 5th century.
Few sources survive for this state; details are uncertain.
Lineage
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (2)
- Kidarite Kingdom paid tribute to Sasanian Empire360 CE – 400 CE
- Kushano-Sasanian Kingdom was conquered by Kidarite Kingdom365 CE
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Kidarite Kingdom. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kidarite-kingdom
- MLA
- “Kidarite Kingdom.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kidarite-kingdom. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Kidarite Kingdom.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kidarite-kingdom.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Kidarite Kingdom’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kidarite-kingdom (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻