page_title: Songtsen Gampo
section_title: He created a big empire
hierarchical_section_title: Songtsen Gampo / He created a big empire
caption_attribution_description: English: Tibet king Songtsän Gampo (in the middle) and his two wifes, princess Bhrikuti of Nepal and princess Wencheng of China, the two wife bring bouddhism to Tibet. Français&#160;: Le Roi du Tibet Sonsten Gampo (au milieu) et ses deux femmes, la princesse Bhrikuti du Népal à gauche et la princesse Wencheng de Chine. Ces deux femmes ont apporté le bouddhisme au Tibet.
context_page_description: Songtsen Gampo or Songzan Ganbu, was the 33rd Tibetan king and founder of the Tibetan Empire.
  He helped introduce Buddhism to Tibet. He had a Nepali wife named Bhrikuti and a Tang wife named Princess Wencheng. Both of them were Buddhists. He also helped invent the Tibetan alphabet and made Classical Tibetan the official language of Tibet at the time.
  He may have been born in 569 or 605. Tibet used their own calendar so we are still trying to figure it out.
context_section_description: He defeated the Sumpa in northeastern Tibet around 627 (Tibetan Annals [OTA] l. 2).
  He may have conquered the Zhangzhung (around northern India, western Tibet), or that may have happened after he died. The Old Book of Tang say that in 634, the Yangtong (the Zhangzhung) and various Qiang peoples "altogether submitted to him."
  He then unified Yangtong, defeated the 'Azha (Tuyuhun), and then conquered two more Qiang tribes before threatening Songzhou with an army of more than 200,000 men.
  He conquered the Tangut people (who later formed the Western Xia in 942), the Bailang, and Qiang tribes. The Bailang people were west of the Tanguts and east of the Domi. The Tang previously ruled them since 624.
caption: Emperor Songtsen Gampo with Princesses Wencheng and Bhrikuti
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