Lobsang Trashi

Lobsang Trashi ( Tib .: blo bzang bkra shis ; * 18th century ; † January 23, 1751 in Lhasa ) was the leader of the first Tibetan riots in Lhasa against Chinese supremacy in 1750 , in which, in addition to the two Ambans, 51 Chinese soldiers and 77 Chinese civilians were killed. He and many of his supporters were cruelly publicly executed by the Chinese in January 1751 .

prehistory

Lobsang Trashi was the steward (tib .: mgron gnyer ) of the Tibetan ruler Gyurme Namgyel , who ruled Tibet from 1747 to 1750. Nothing is known about its origin.

When Gyurme Namgyel was murdered on November 11, 1750 by the Chinese - Manchurian Ambans Fucin and Labdon, Lobsang Trashi belonged to the small retinue of the Tibetan ruler who was waiting for him in an anteroom of the Ambane residence. The only way he escaped the murder by the Ambane, to which all of Gyurme Namgyel's companions fell victim, was to jump out of the window to save himself.

Immediately after the assassination of the Tibetan ruler, the two Ambane sent a messenger to the minister Gashi Pandita Gönpo Ngödrub Rabten (Tib .: dga 'bzhi pandita mgon po dngos grub rab brtan ) with the request to take over the affairs of government provisionally and to leave Lhasa for rest and to maintain order. The confused minister first went to the 7th Dalai Lama for advice. During this time of deliberation, a storm of riot broke out in Lhasa.

Riot of 1750

Immediately after his escape from the Ambane residence, Lobsang Trashi spread the news of the murder of the Tibetan ruler in Lhasa. In a short time over a thousand angry, armed residents of the city gathered, who set off for the residence of the Ambane. Since there were no regular troops of the Tibetan army in Lhasa, Gashi Pandita was powerless.

The Dalai Lama sent some of his secretaries to the gathering of protesters to calm them down and prevent them from violent acts. The present in Lhasa abbot of the monastery Radeng , one of the highest dignitaries of the Gelug -pa School, also tried to intervene and took personally the attempt to stop the crowd. His efforts were also fruitless.

The Ambane residence was then besieged and set on fire. Fucin, wounded with several knife stabs, killed himself, and Labdon fell while fighting the attackers. 49 Chinese soldiers and 2 officers defending the residence were also killed. The next target of the insurgents was the treasury of the Chinese soldiers, where 85,000 taels were captured.

After that, the anger of the crowd turned against the Chinese civilians living in Lhasa, 77 of whom were killed. The rest were able to save themselves to the Potala Palace , where they were given refuge and help, about 200 in number.

End of the riot

The riot ended as suddenly as it broke out. Lobsang Trashi and his followers did not find any support from the Tibetan nobility or members of the Tibetan government. In contrast to the murdered ruler Gyurme Namgyel, both groups were of the opinion that a challenge from the great power Manju-China for the Tibetans could only end in a military catastrophe.

The as spiritual leader of the Gelug operating -pa School Dalai Lama, who of course also followed this assessment, had also the well-being of countless monasteries his school in eastern Tibet and Mongolia in view. His concern was first of all his religious institutions. In addition, the emperors of the Manju dynasty were great supporters of Tibetan Buddhism.

Two days after the deaths of Gyurme Namgyel and the Ambane, on November 13, 1750, the 7th Dalai Lama appointed Minister Gashi Pandita as provisional regent. He was to lead the affairs of state until the final orders of the Chinese emperor were received. At the same time, he issued a proclamation in which he forbade all Tibetans from supporting Lobsang Trashi and his followers.

Lobsang Trashi and his followers fled the city of Lhasa. They fled with the intention of taking the money they stole to the Djungarian region. On November 22nd, 1750, the situation had calmed down so much that the Chinese refugees could return to their homes in Lhasa. One day before, on November 21, 1750, the newly appointed regent Gashi Pandita had reported to the 7th Dalai Lama that Lobsang Trashi and some of his followers had been arrested. Most of the looted money was secured.

Chinese response to the riots in Lhasa

After the situation in the city of Lhasa had calmed down again, the 7th Dalai Lama immediately sent an express courier to the Chinese imperial court to inform the emperor of the events in Lhasa. The Chinese then decided to send an army of 3,000 men to Lhasa. However, after news arrived that the situation had calmed down and the leaders of the revolt had been arrested, the number of soldiers to be deployed under the command of the Manjurian General Cereng was reduced to 800 men.

The first representative of the Chinese emperor who reached Lhasa with a small personal escort after the unrest of November 1750 was Bande, the Chinese representative of the Kokonor area.

After gang arrived on January 19, 1751, he immediately demanded the extradition of Lobsang Trashis and his arrested 14 followers. After a brief interrogation using torture, the gang ordered the rioters to be executed. Intervention by the Dalai Lama aimed at achieving milder sentences was ignored.

Luciano Petech described the end of Lobsang Trashis and his followers as follows:

"On January 23, 1751, as in 1728, Lhasa witnessed yet another example of cruel Chinese justice. Lobsang Trashi and six other leaders of the rebellion were executed by the method of dismemberment. Others were beheaded or strangled. The heads of the those executed were impaled on poles and displayed for public display. The remaining leaders were sent into exile and their property confiscated. "

literature

• Luciano Petech: China and Tibet in the Early XVIIIth Century. History of the Establishment of Chinese Protecturate in Tibet. Leiden 1972.
• Luciano Petech: Aristocracy and Government in Tibet. 1728-1959 . Roma 1973.

Footnotes

1. ^ Translation from English in Luciano Petech: China and Tibet in the Early XVIIIth Century. History of the Establishment of Chinese Protecturate in Tibet. Leiden 1972, p. 225.