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Tibetan Unification (Songtsen Gampo)

Type Event Region Tibet Time 629–650

Between 629 and 650 CE, Songtsen Gampo succeeded to the Tibetan Yarlung tribe and unified the peoples of the Tibetan Plateau through military conques…

Timeline

  1. 629–635Yarlung Valley · TibetSongtsen Gampo ascended the throne at age thirteen after his father was poisoned, and with the aid of ministers such as Gar Tongtsen he suppressed aristocratic rebellions and consolidated the Yarlung royal house's control over the Tibetan core region, laying the domestic foundation for outward expansion.
  2. 635–645Tibetan Plateau · Tibetan PlateauSongtsen Gampo led campaigns north against Supi, west against Zhangzhung (Shangshung), and pressed eastward against the Qiang tribes along the Tuyuhun frontier, bringing the major peoples of the Tibetan Plateau into the Tibetan realm through force and marriage alliances, greatly expanding the empire's territory.
  3. 645–650Lhasa · TibetAfter the wars of unification concluded, Songtsen Gampo moved the capital to Lhasa, ordered Thonmi Sambhota to create the Tibetan script, promulgated laws modeled on Tang institutions, and married Princess Bhrikuti of Nepal and Princess Wencheng of the Tang, introducing Buddhism and advanced crafts; Tibet thus completed its transformation from a tribal confederacy into a unified kingdom.

Sources