Sasanian Defeat of the Hephthalites (557)

Timeline

1. 555–556Border of Khorasan and the Central Asian steppe · KhorasanFacing long-standing Hephthalite raids and territorial pressure, Khosrow I allied with the Turkic khagan through diplomatic envoys, agreeing to a joint east–west attack on the Hephthalites, creating the political and military conditions for the decisive battle of 557.
2. 557Transoxiana in Central Asia · Central AsiaSasanian forces attacked from the south and Turkic cavalry from the north; the Hephthalite main force was heavily defeated, its king killed or exiled, and Hephthalite hegemony collapsed rapidly, making this a key turning point in the 6th-century Central Asian order.
3. 558–565Central Asia and Khorasan · West AsiaAfter the Hephthalite defeat, Sasanian and Turkic forces soon clashed over spoils and spheres of influence, but the eastern frontier threat was greatly reduced, allowing Khosrow to reach a lasting peace with Byzantium in 562 and consolidate Silk Road trade interests.