Lhabsang Khan
Lhabsang Khan ( Mongolian ᠯᠠᠽᠠᠩ ᠬᠠᠨ Lazang Haan , * in the 17th century ; † 1717 ; also: Lhabzang Khan , Latsang Khan ) was a Mongolian ruler of the Qoshoten , who ruled Tibet from 1703 to 1717. His death triggered the invasion of the army of the Qing Emperor Kangxi (r. 1661–1722) into Tibet.
Historical background
Lhabsang Khan's great-grandfather Gushri Khan (d. 1655) of the Qoshoten, a subgroup of the Oirats, had proclaimed himself king in Tibet after he had been called for help by the 5th Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lobsang Gyatsho (1617–1682), to support the Gelugpa .
In the newly formed central Tibetan state, the Dalai Lama was the undisputed spiritual leader, but initially he was relatively little involved in the administrative matters of the new state. Political power was formally in the hands of the Qoshoten khans, but as true nomads they preferred to nomadize in the Dam ( 'dam ) area south of the Nam Co (Tengrinor) and therefore only came to Lhasa occasionally in winter where they resided in the Ganden Khagsar palace (Tib .: dga 'ldan khang gsar )
The actual political power was therefore in the hands of a regent who bore the title Desi (Tib .: sde srid ) and who was initially appointed by the Mongol kings. Under the weak successors of Gushri Khan, the influence of the Mongol kings decreased more and more, which resulted in an increase in power of the 5th Dalai Lama. Desi Sanggye Gyatsho , appointed by him in 1679, was a politically power-conscious man who ruled Tibet with a strict hand.
Take power in Tibet
The disinterest of the Mongol kings in the current government business of Tibet changed when Lhabsang Khan came to power. After the death of his father Dalai Khan (ruled 1668–1701), his brother Tendzin Wangchug Khan was appointed king of the Qoshoten and led the Mongols between 1701 and 1703. In that year Lhabsang Khan had his brother poisoned and took control of it himself the Qoshoten. He sought independence from the rest of the Oirats under the leadership of the Djungars and turned his attention to the events in Lhasa.
The 6th Dalai Lama Tshangyang Gyatsho (1683–1706) chose a life that did not conform to the strict Vinaya rules of the Gelug School. Ultimately, he returned his monastic vows. His regent, the Desi Sanggye Gyatsho, tried to eliminate the Lhabsang Khan with two poisoning attacks. Lhabsang Khan responded with an advance on Lhasa, was able to militarily defeat the regent Sanggye Gyatsho and assured him of immunity. Despite this promise, Jerinrashi, the wife of Lhabsang Khan, had the Desi arrested in Gongkar Dzong and murdered on September 6, 1705. The 6th Dalai Lama was deposed and sent on a trip to Beijing. On the way, the 6th Dalai Lama came to a possibly violent end in November 1706.
Disturbed relationship with parts of the Buddhist clergy
With the exile of the 6th Dalai Lama, Lhabsang Khan incurred deep-seated indignation from parts of the Buddhist clergy and the Tibetan population. There had already been violent riots when the 6th Dalai Lama was arrested. Lhabsang Khan then proclaimed a new 6th Dalai Lama (rumors said the monk was his natural son) on the grounds that Tshangyang Gyatsho was a false Dalai Lama. The Tibetans did not recognize the new Dalai Lama chosen by Lhabsang Khan and after the death of the 6th Dalai Lama sought a new rebirth, the later 7th Dalai Lama Kelsang Gyatsho (1708-1758).
Relationship to the Chinese imperial court
Immediately after the assassination of the regent Sanggye Gyatsho, Lhabsang Khan sent a report on the course of events in Tibet to the then Chinese emperor Kangxi . He, an outspoken opponent of the murdered regent, immediately expressed his approval of the course of events. He sent the Manjur lieutenant Hsi-chu to Tibet to give Lhabsang Khan the title of I-fa-kung-shun-han ("religious and devoted Khan"). It was also Kangxi who instructed Lhabsang Khan to have the deported 6th Dalai Lama deported to Beijing.
In 1709, Emperor Kangxi decided to send a representative of the imperial court to Tibet to oversee Lhabsang Khan in his government activities. The choice fell on Ho-shou, who traveled to Lhasa with a large retinue but without a military escort.
Ho-shou had the order to support Lhabsang Khan against his opponents from the supporters of the murdered Desi Sanggye Gyatsho and to restore order in Tibet. This mission was the first attempt by China to establish a Chinese protectorate in Tibet . The attempt failed, however, and Ho-shou left Lhasa in 1711. His post was not refilled and Lhabsang Khan ruled over Tibet without any direct Chinese influence.
War with Bhutan
In 1714, following an exchange of letters between Lhabsang Khan and the King of Bhutan , in which mutual threats were made, Lhabsang Khan made preparations for a military operation against Bhutan. This war, in which a young nobleman from the west of Tibet, namely Miwang Pholhane Sönam Tobgye, stood out for his special military achievements, ended with a withdrawal of the Tibetan and Mongolian troops. The war thus only weakened Lhabsang Khan's position.
The invasion of Tibet by the Djungars
Tshewang Rabten (ruled 1697–1727) was Khan of the Djungars . He endeavored to oppose the policy of the Manjur Imperial Court of submission to the Inner Mongolia and Outer Mongolia tribes and thus posed a threat to China's expansionist policy.
First he married his daughter to a son of Lhabsang Khan (1714). Later, in 1717, he led a completely surprising campaign to Lhasa, which he initially disguised as the return of the married couple. Lhabsang Khan realized the ruse too late. Although he was able to organize a line of defense, especially with the help of Pholhane Sönam Tobgye, it only withstood the attacks of the Djungars for a few months. So Lhabsang Khan withdrew to Lhasa. The city was besieged by the Djungars and ultimately taken relatively easily by betrayal from the ranks of the besieged. The terrible and cruel events of the sack of Lhasa by the Djungars are recorded in reports from Catholic missionaries.
Lhabsang Khan flees to the Potala with his family. In order to prevent the destruction of the Potala and to forestall the killing of the refugees staying there by a storm, he undertook a heroic sortie with some loyal followers, in which he was killed. However, he did not prevent the looting of the Potala and the transport of all the treasures of this building away by the Djungars.
The consequences of the invasion of the Djungarian
Tshewang Rabten's efforts to return the 7th Dalai Lama to Tibet failed. This remained in the care of the troops of the Chinese emperor. It was a political imperative for Emperor Kangxi to prevent the unification of Tibet with Tshewang Rabten's Djungarian Empire. The result was the dispatch of a Chinese army to Tibet. A first enterprise failed in 1718. A second expedition brought Lhasa to the Chinese in September 1720. In the wake of the Chinese army was also the 7th Dalai Lama Kelsang Gyatsho, who has now been installed in his office.
literature
- Luciano Petech: China and Tibet in the Early XVIIIth Century. History of the Establishment of Chinese Protecturate in Tibet. Leiden 1972.
- Qingying Chen: Tibetan History. China Intercontinental Press, 2003, ISBN 7508502345 .
Web links
- History of Tibet (PDF; 205 kB)
- Tibetan History
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Lhabsang Khan |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Lhabzang Khan; Latsang Khan |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Co-regent of the Dalai Lama |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 17th century |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1717 |