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Relations Between Song and Tibetan Tribes in the 1050s

Type Event Region China Time 1051–1060

In the 1050s Northern Song maintained complex, flexible relations with Tibetan tribes in Qinghai and Gansu, balancing investiture, gifts, and the tea…

Timeline

  1. 1051–1053Miaochuan · QinghaiGtsong-lha consolidated control over Tibetan tribes around Miaochuan and Qingtang, accepting Northern Song investiture and annual gifts while maintaining military cooperation with Song. The Song court regarded him as a key ally restraining Western Xia, and envoys exchanged frequently between the two sides.
  2. 1054–1057Qingtang City (present-day Xining, Qinghai) · QinghaiSome Tibetan tribes also had dealings with Western Xia, seeking to maximize their interests amid the Song-Xia standoff. Gtsong-lha restrained his followers from befriending Western Xia, but small border tribes still wavered from time to time; the Song court courted them by adjusting gift and trade policies.
  3. 1058–1060Qinzhou (present-day Tianshui, Gansu) · GansuSong set up trade markets at places like Qinzhou to attract Tibetan merchants, exchanging tea and silk for horses. Gtsong-lha sent envoys on tribute missions, and the Song court reciprocated with official titles and goods. The two sides agreed to coordinate defense in border conflicts, and Tibetan cavalry sometimes joined Song forces on campaigns beyond the frontier.

Sources