# Timeline of Tibetan history

A brief chronology of the history of Tibet:

## Chronology

| Year | Notes |
| 173 AD | Birth of Thothori Nyantsen, 28th King of Tibet. |
| 233 | Nyantsen receives a Buddhist scripture, marking the initial introduction of Buddhism into Tibet (Currency from this event was dated). |
| 618–650 | Reign of Songtsen Gampo, 33nd king. He sends scholars to India to study Sanskrit and a Tibetan script is devised. |
| 640 | Tibet invades and occupies Nepal. |
| 641 | Marriage of Gampo to Tang Chinese Princess Wencheng. They spread Buddhism in Tibet and found Jokhang. |
| 645 | Gampo sends a minister to the Court of Tang China requesting permission to build a temple on Mount Wutai in Shanxi Province which is granted. |
| 654–676 | Tibetan Empire conquest of Tu-yu-lun state and annexation of Chinese territories in Central Asia. |
| 704 | Tride Tsugtsen (died 755) becomes king. |
| 710 | Tsugtsen marries Tang Chinese princess Chin-Cheng. |
| 717 | The Tibetans (according to an 11th-century Chinese history) join with the Turkic Türgish to attack Kashgar. |
| 720 | Tibetan troops take Uighur principality of 'Bug-cor in the Dunhuang oasis. |
| 755–797 | Reign of Trisong Detsen, Tsugtsen's son. Reconquest of Central Asia |
| 763 | Tibetans invade the Tang Chinese capital of Chang'an and withdraw 15 days later. |
| 779 | Establishment of Samye Monastery. Buddhism officially recognised as state religion. |
| 783 | Peace treaty signed with Tang China. |
| 785–805 | Tibetan army advances westward to the Pamirs and Oxus River. |
| 797 | Muni Tsangpo, Trisong Detsen's son, becomes king. |
| 799–815 | Reign of Sadneleg |
| 815–836 | Reign of Ralpachen, son of Sadneleg. Great translation of Buddhist texts conducted during this period. |
| 821 | Changqing Treaty of Alliance with Tang China, Tibet retains most of Central Asian territories. |
| 823 | The contents of the Changqing Treaty were engraved on a monument placed in front of Jokhang. The monument says "[Dang dynasty and Tibet] have two emperors but consult issues as one country" (舅甥二主，商议社稷如一，结立大和盟约，永无渝替) |
| 836–842 | Reign of Lang Darma, brother of Ralpachen. Supporter of the traditional Tibetan religion of Bon, he dismantles the burgeoning political power of the Buddhist establishments, but there is no evidence that he persecutes Buddhists as some Buddhist historians have alleged. |
| 842 | Lang Darma ritually murdered by a Buddhist monk. Struggle for power and fragmentation ensues with constant warring and allying. |
| 978 | Rinchen Zangpo, the great translator invites Indian teachers into western Tibet and a Buddhism renaissance begins, with monasteries established in the west. |
| 1040 | Birth of Milarepa (died 1123), great Tibetan poet and mystic. Chetsun Sherab Jungnay founds Shalu Monastery which becomes renowned as a centre of scholarly learning and psychic training. |
| 1042 | Atiśa (died 1054), a great Mahayana teacher from India, arrives in Tibet and conducts missionary activities. |
| 1057 | Establishment of Reting Monastery. |
| 1071 | Founding of Sakya Monastery. |
| 1182 | Birth of Sakya Pandita (died 1251), learned scholar of the Sakya sect. |
| 1207 | Tibetans send delegation to Genghis Khan and establish friendly relations. |
| 1227 | Death of Genghis Khan. |
| 1240s–50s | Mongol invasions of Tibet. |
| 1244 | Sakya Pandita invited to meet Mongol Khan and invested with temporal power over Tibet. |
| 1260 | Kublai Khan grants Pandit's nephew Drogön Chögyal Phagpa (1235–1280) the title of State Preceptor and supreme authority over Tibet, re-establishing religious and political relations with the Mongols. |
| 1270 | Phagpa received the title of Imperial Preceptor from Kublai Khan. Beginning of Yuan rule of Tibet. |
| 1354 | Fighting breaks out between the Sakyapa sect and the powerful Lang family which founds the Phagmodrupa dynasty. |
| 1357 | Birth of Je Tsongkhapa, founder of the Gelugpa sect. |
| 1391 | Birth of Gedun Truppa, disciple of Tsongkhapa and head of the Gelugpa sect, posthumously named as the First Dalai Lama. |
| 1409 | Establishment of Ganden Monastery. |
| 1416 | Establishment of Drepung Monastery. |
| 1419 | Establishment of Sera Monastery. Death of Tsongkhapa. |
| 1434–1534 | Power struggles between the provinces of Ü and Tsang because of the religious divide between the Gelugpa and Karmapa sects. Rise of the Rinpungpa dynasty. |
| 1447 | Establishment of Tashilhunpo Monastery in Gyantse. |
| 1474 | Death of the 1st Dalai Lama. |
| 1475 | Birth of the 2nd Dalai Lama, Gedun Gyatso. |
| 1542 | Death of the 2nd Dalai Lama. |
| 1543 | Birth of the 3rd Dalai Lama, Sonam Gyatso. |
| 1565 | Overthrown of the Rinpungpa dynasty by the Tsangpa dynasty. |
| 1578 | The Dalai Lama title was created by Altan Khan at Yanghua Monastery for Sonam Gyatso, the 3rd Dalai Lama. |
| 1582 | Establishment of Kumbum Monastery. |
| 1587 | The 3rd Dalai Lama was promoted to Duǒ Er Zhǐ Chàng (Chinese:朵儿只唱) by the Wanli Emperor, seal of authority and golden sheets were granted. |
| 1588 | Death of the 3rd Dalai Lama. Rebirth as the 4th Dalai Lama, Yonten Gyatso, great-grandson of Altan Khan and only non-Tibetan in the Dalai Lama lineage. |
| 1616 | Death of the 4th Dalai Lama. |
| 1617 | Birth of the great 5th Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lozang Gyatso. Under him, many construction projects begin across Tibet, including the Potala Palace. However, Ü Province falls to Tsang provincial forces and the power of the Karmapa sect grows. |
| 1624–1636 | Jesuit missionaries arrive in western Tibet. |
| 1641–42 | Güshi Khan of the Khoshut Mongols overthrows the King of Tsang and returns the territory to the Dalai Lama. Establishment of the Ganden Phodrang regime by the 5th Dalai Lama with his help. Beginning of Khosut Khanate rule over Tibet until 1717 |
| 1642–1659 | Consolidation of the Tibetan theocracy. Power of the Karmapa sect is reduced once more, and many monasteries handed over to the Gelugpa sect. The Abbot of Tashilhunpo is bestowed the title Panchen Lama by the Dalai Lama. |
| 1652 | 5th Dalai Lama visits Ming China. |
| 1682 | Death of the 5th Dalai Lama, kept a secret by the regent. |
| 1683 | Birth of the 6th Dalai Lama, Tsangyang Gyatso. |
| 1697 | 6th Dalai Lama enthroned and only now is the death of the 5th Dalai Lama made public. |
| 1705 | The last khan of the Khoshut Khanate, Lha-bzang Khan, invades Tibet and conquers Lhasa. |
| 1706 | The Khan deposes the 6th Dalai Lama and sends him to Ming China but he dies on the way. The Khan declares that the rebellious 6th Dalai Lama was not a true reincarnation and enthrones an eminent monk of his selection until the real one can be found. |
| 1707 | Italian Capuchin monks arrive in Tibet. |
| 1708 | Another reincarnation of the 6th Dalai Lama is found and he takes refuge in Kumbum Monastery. |
| 1716 | Jesuit Father Ippolito Desideri arrives in Lhasa. |
| 1717–1720 | Dzungar Mongols occupy Lhasa, killing Lha-bzang Khan. The Manchu Emperor of China deposes the 6th Dalai Lama and recognizes a claimant from Kumbum named Kelzang Gyatso, who is officially recognised as the 7th Dalai Lama in 1720. Beginning of Qing rule of Tibet. |
| 1733–1747 | Pholhanas (d. 1747) ends internal conflicts, and with Chinese support becomes ruler of Tibet. |
| 1750 | riots break out in Lhasa after the ambans assassination of the regent. |
| 1751 | The 7th Dalai Lama is recognised as ruler of Tibet, without effective political power. |
| 1757 | Death of the 7th Dalai Lama. |
| 1758 | Birth of the 8th Dalai Lama, Jompal Gyatso. |
| 1774–75 | First British Mission to Tibet let by George Bogle |
| 1783–84 | British Mission led by Samuel Turner. Chinese troops impose the Peace of Kathmandu following Gurkha incursions into Tibet. |
| 1793 | 29-Article Ordinance for the More Effective Governing of Tibet (欽定藏內善後章程二十九條) was issued. Golden Urn was introduced. |
| 1804 | Death of the 8th Dalai Lama. |
| 1806–1815 | The 9th Dalai Lama. |
| 1811-12 | British explorer Thomas Manning reaches Lhasa. |
| 1816–37 | The 10th Dalai Lama, Tsultrim Gyatso. |
| 1838–56 | The 11th Dalai Lama, Khedrup Gyatso. |
| 1841–42 | Dogra–Tibetan War. |
| 1842 | Treaty of Chushul between Qing dynasty and Dogra dynasty |
| 1846 | Lazarist monks, Huc and Gabet, arrive in Lhasa. |
| 1855–56 | Nepalese–Tibetan War |
| 1856–75 | 12th Dalai Lama, Trinley Gyatso. |
| 1876 | Birth of the 13th Dalai Lama, Thupten Gyatso. Diplomatic conflict between Britain and Russia over privileges in Tibet. |
| 1890 | British Protectorate over Sikkim. |
| 1904 | British military expedition under Francis Younghusband forces its way into Lhasa, forcing the Dalai Lama to flee to Mongolia. Agreement is made with the abbot of Ganden Monastery. Treaty of Lhasa signed. |
| 1909 | Dalai Lama returns safely to Lhasa. |
| 1910 | Restoration of Chinese control over eastern Tibet and dispatch of troops to Lhasa. |
| 1911 | Xinhai Lhasa turmoil following the Wuchang Uprising of October 1911 which led to the fall of the Qing dynasty. |
| 1912 | Dalai Lama returns to Lhasa from India, ruling without Chinese interference. |
| 1913–14 | Simla Convention between the British, Chinese and Tibetan delegates but the Chinese fail to ratify agreement. |
| 1920-21 | Mission of Sir Charles Alfred Bell to Tibet. |
| 1923 | Panchen Lama flees to China. |
| 1933 | Death of the 13th Dalai Lama. |
| 1934 | Appointment of Regent (abbot of Reting Monastery). |
| 1935 | Birth of the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso. |
| 1940 | On 26 January 1940, the Regent Reting Rinpoche requested the Central Government to exempt Lhamo Dhondup from lot-drawing process using Golden Urn to become the 14th Dalai Lama. The request was approved by the Central Government. Enthronement of the 14th Dalai Lama. |
| 1944 | Arrival of Austrians Heinrich Harrer and Peter Aufschnaiter in Tibet. They reach Lhasa in January 1946. |
| 1947 | Indian independence and end of the British Tibet Policy. |
| 1950 | 6 to 19 October Battle of Chamdo. |
| 1951 | Arrival of the People's Liberation Army in Lhasa following an agreement for liberation with the Central People's Government. |
| 1954 | Dalai Lama attended the National People's Congress in Beijing as a deputy and met Mao Zedong. Establishment of the North-East Frontier Agency in South Tibet, occupied by India. |
| 1959 | After a revolt against acceded reform, the 14th Dalai Lama fled Tibet with the help of CIA, later set up an exile government in India. |
| 1960–62 | Famine, caused by Great Leap Forward and termination of cross-Himalayan trade with India. |
| 1962 | Sino-Indian War. |
| 1964 | Establishment of the Tibet Autonomous Region. |
| 2011 | The 14th Dalai Lama bequeathed his political power as the head of state and temporal leader of Tibet to the democratically elected prime minister Dr. Lobsang Sangay, marking the end of the Ganden Phodrang theocratic rule to Tibet which lasted for 370 years (1642–2011). |