This article is about the specific polity Tibetan Empire and therefore only includes events related to its territory and not to its possessions or colonies. If you are interested in the possession, this is the link to the article about the nation which includes all possessions as well as all the different incarnations of the nation.
If you are looking for the page with the statistics about this polity you can find it here:All Statistics
Was an empire centered on the Tibetan Plateau, formed as a result of imperial expansion under the Yarlung dynasty. After 842 it fragmented into several small polities, a period of the Tibetan history known as the Era of Fragmentation.
Establishment
January 619: Monyul came under increasing Tibetan political and cultural influence.
January 619: The power that became the Tibetan state originated at the Taktsé Castle (Wylie: Stag-rtse) in the Chingba (Phying-ba) district of Chonggyä (Phyongs-rgyas). There, according to the Old Tibetan Chronicle, a group convinced Tagbu Nyazig (Stag-bu snya-gzigs) to rebel against Gudri Zingpoje (Dgu-gri Zing-po-rje), who was, in turn, a vassal of the Zhangzhung empire under the Lig myi dynasty.
Chronology
Interactive Chronologies with maps are available in the section Changes Navigation
Were the conquests by Tibetan emperor Songtsen Gampo that resulted in Tibet reaching approximately its largest extent.
January 626: Kingdom of Zhangzhung conquered by Tibetan Empire.
January 628: Tibetan conquest of the northeastern Sumru area, held by the Sumpa tribe.
January 637: In 635-36, the Tibetan Emperor Songtsen Gampo attacked and defeated the Tuyuhun tribe, led by Murong Nuohebo, who controlled trade routes into China from the region around Lake Koko Nur. This victory expanded the Tibetan Empire's territory.
January 637: In 636, the Chinese region of Songzhou, led by General Xue Rengui, faced off against the Tibetan Empire. Tibetan sources claim the Chinese army had 100,000 soldiers, while the Chinese reported over 200,000 men. Ultimately, Songzhou fell to the Tibetan Empire.
January 646: Songtsen Gampo’s sister Sämakar (Sad-mar-kar) was sent to marry Lig-myi-rhya, the king of Zhangzhung in what is now Western Tibet. However, when the king refused to consummate the marriage, she then helped her brother to defeat Lig myi-rhya and incorporate Zhangzhung into the Tibetan Empire. In 645, Songtsen Gampo overran the kingdom of Zhangzhung.
Were the many wars fought by the Chinese Tang Empire and the Tibetan Empire.
2.1.1st war with Tibet
Was the first war between the Tang Dynasty of China and the Tibetan Empire.
February 639: Emperor Taizong of Tang was a prominent ruler of the Tang Dynasty in China, known for his military conquests and diplomatic skills. Songtsen Gampo was the Tibetan emperor who sought a marriage alliance with the Tang Dynasty. The attack on Songzhou in 639 was a result of the refusal of the marriage alliance by Emperor Taizong.
2.2.2nd war with Tibet
Was the second war between the Tang Dynasty of China and the Tibetan Empire.
January 660: In 659, the Tibetan Empire, under the leadership of Su Dingfang, sent 80,000 soldiers to attack the Heyuan River in modern Qinghai Province. However, they were surprisingly defeated by only 1,000 troops led by Su Dingfang.
February 660: In 659, the Tibetan Empire, led by Songtsen Gampo, sent 80,000 soldiers to attack Heyuan River in Qinghai Province. They were defeated by only 1,000 troops under the command of Tang Dynasty general Su Dingfang in 660. This victory solidified Tang control over the region.
January 661: The Tibetans, led by King Songtsen Gampo, returned in 660 to attack Shule Kingdom, a powerful oasis state along the Silk Road. This marked the beginning of Tibetan expansion into Central Asia.
February 661: The Tibetans, led by King Songtsen Gampo, returned in 661 to attack Shule Kingdom, which was then under the rule of the Tang Dynasty. This conflict was part of the ongoing power struggles and territorial disputes in the region during this time.
January 664: In 663 the Tibetan Empire conquered Tuyuhun.
January 664: The Tibetans invaded Khotan.
February 664: The Tibetan forces are repelled from Khotan.
January 666: The Tibetans invaded Khotan.
February 666: The Tibetan forces are repelled from Khotan.
2.3.3d war with Tibet
Was the third war between the Tang Dynasty of China and the Tibetan Empire.
January 668: In 667, the Tibetan Empire, under the rule of Emperor Songtsen Gampo, sacked the city of Shule and attacked Gumo. These military actions were part of the empire's expansion efforts in the region.
January 668: After having incorporated Tuyuhun into Tibetan territory, the powerful minister Gar Songtsen died in 667.
January 668: The Tibetans annexed the former territory of the Tuyuhun, conquered Qiuci, .
February 668: In 668, the Tibetan Empire under the rule of King Songtsen Gampo sacked the city of Shule and attacked Gumo, expanding their territory. King Songtsen Gampo was a powerful ruler who played a key role in the unification of Tibet.
January 674: The Tang force to the Western Regions retook Shule in the middle of 673 and reverted the Kingdom of Khotan and Qiuci to Tang suzerainty.
2.4.Battle of Dafei River
Was a war fought in mid-670 between the forces of the Tang dynasty and the Tibetan Empire, for control over the Tarim Basin.
January 671: In 670 the Tibetan Empire routed a Tang army at the Battle of Dafei River and attacked Gumo as well as captured Qiuci.
January 671: Shule Kingdom conquered by Tibet.
January 671: Tibet invaded and conquered Khotan.
January 671: The Tibetans gained control over all of the Chinese Four Garrisons of Anxi in the Tarim Basin in 670 and held them until 692, when the Chinese finally managed to regain these territories.
January 674: Qiuci was a kingdom located in the Western Regions of China. The Tang Dynasty, under the rule of Emperor Gaozong, captured Qiuci in 673, expanding their control over the region and establishing dominance in the area.
2.5.4th war with Tibet
Was the fourth war between the Tang Dynasty of China and the Tibetan Empire.
January 677: In 676, the Tibetan Empire attacked Diezhou, Fuzhou, and Jingzhou. Fengtian and Wugong were sacked.
February 677: The Tibetan army leaves Diezhou, Fuzhou, and Jingzhou, as well as Fengtian and Wugong.
January 678: In 677, the Tibetans captured Qiuci.
January 679: In 678, the Tibetans defeated a Tang army in the Qinghai region.
January 680: Their advances were reversed in 679 when Pei Xingjian defeated them and re-established control over the Western Regions.
January 681: In 680, the Tibetan Empire, led by King Trisong Detsen, captured the Anrong fortress in Sichuan. This marked a significant victory for the Tibetans in their expansion efforts in the region.
2.6.5th war with Tibet
Was the fifth war between the Tang Dynasty of China and the Tibetan Empire.
January 687: After the Tang dynasty they abandoned the Western Regions in 686 due to excessive military expenditures and the Tibetan Empire took control of them.
January 693: Western regions (regions west of Yumen Pass) annexed to Wu Zhou.
January 695: The Tibetans, led by their ruler Songtsen Gampo, returned in 694 and attacked Stone City (Charklik), which was a strategic location along the Silk Road. This military campaign was part of the Tibetan Empire's expansion efforts in the region.
February 695: The Tibetans, led by their king Wu Zhou, returned in 694 and attacked Stone City (Charklik), a strategic location in the Tarim Basin. The city was eventually captured in 695, marking a significant victory for the Tibetan Empire in their expansion efforts.
2.7.6th war with Tibet
Was the sixth war between the Tang Dynasty of China and the Tibetan Empire.
January 701: In 700, Tridu Songtsen, the ruler of the Tibetan Empire, launched an attack on the territories of Hezhou and Liangzhou. This military campaign was part of the Tibetan Empire's expansion efforts in the region during that time.
February 701: In 700, Tridu Songtsen, the ruler of the Tibetan Empire, launched an attack on the territories of Hezhou and Liangzhou. The conquest resulted in these regions falling under the control of Wu Zhou, a powerful empress of the Tang Dynasty in China.
January 702: In 701, the Tibetan Empire, led by Emperor Trisong Detsen, allied with the Türks and launched attacks on the territories of Liangzhou, Songzhou, and Taozhou. This military campaign was part of the Tibetan Empire's expansion efforts in the region.
February 702: In 701, the Chinese general Wu Zhou allied with the Türks and launched an attack on the territories of Liangzhou, Songzhou, and Taozhou. Wu Zhou was a prominent military leader during the Tang Dynasty, known for his strategic alliances and military campaigns.
January 703: In 702, the Tibetan Empire, led by Emperor Trisong Detsen, launched an attack on Maozhou prefecture.
February 703: The Maozhou prefecture was reconquered by the Tang Dynasty under the rule of Empress Wu Zhou.
2.8.7th war with Tibet
Was the seventh war between the Tang Dynasty of China and the Tibetan Empire.
January 711: In 710, Zhang Xuanbiao, a general of the Tang Dynasty, invaded northeastern Tibet. This marked the expansion of Tang Dynasty's territory into the region, leading to increased influence and control over the area.
February 711: In 710, the Chinese general Zhang Xuanbiao invaded northeastern Tibet, which was under the rule of the Tibetan Empire. Zhang Xuanbiao was a military leader during the Tang Dynasty, while the Tibetan Empire was a powerful state in Central Asia during that time.
2.9.8th war with Tibet
Was the eigth war between the Tang Dynasty of China and the Tibetan Empire.
January 715: In 714, the Tibetan Empire, under the rule of Emperor Trisong Detsen, launched a military campaign and successfully captured the territories of Lintao, Weiyuan, Lanzhou, and Weizhou. This expansion marked the Tibetan Empire's growing power and influence in the region.
February 715: In 714, the Tibetan Empire, led by Emperor Trisong Detsen, launched an attack on the territories of Lintao, Weiyuan, Lanzhou, and Weizhou. The following year, in 715, these territories were conquered by the Tang Dynasty.
January 716: In 715, the Tibetan Empire, under the rule of Emperor Trisong Detsen, launched an attack on the Beiting Protectorate and Songzhou. This marked a significant military campaign in the expansion of Tibetan territory in Central Asia.
February 716: In 715, the Tibetan Empire, under the rule of Emperor Trisong Detsen, launched an attack on the Beiting Protectorate and Songzhou. The Tibetan forces were led by the general Gar Trinring Tsendro, who successfully captured both territories in 716.
January 718: In 717, the Tibetan Empire, under the rule of King Tridu Songtsen, allied with the Arabs and Turgesh to attack Gumo and the Stone City.
February 718: The Tang Dynasty eventually reconquered Gumo and the Stone City.
2.10.9th war with Tibet
Was the ninth war between the Tang Dynasty of China and the Tibetan Empire.
January 721: In 720, the Tibetan Empire seized the Stone City.
2.11.10th war with Tibet
Was the tenth war between the Tang Dynasty of China and the Tibetan Empire.
January 727: In 726, Stag sgra khon lod, a prominent military leader of the Tibetan Empire, launched an attack on Ganzhou, a strategic territory at the time. This event marked a significant military campaign in the region during that period.
February 727: In 726, Stag sgra khon lod, also known as Trisong Detsen, the Tibetan Emperor, attacked Ganzhou. The territory was eventually conquered by the Tang Dynasty in 727.
January 728: In 727, Tibetan generals Stag sgra khon lod and Cog ro Manporje, along with the Turgesh tribe, launched an attack on the territories of Qiuci and Guazhou
February 728: Tibetan forces leave Qiuci and Ganzhou.
January 729: In 728, the Tibetan Empire, led by King Trisong Detsen, launched another attack on Qiuci, a kingdom located in present-day Xinjiang, China. Qiuci was a strategic region along the Silk Road, making it a valuable target for the Tibetan Empire's expansion efforts.
February 729: In 728, the Tang Dynasty, led by Emperor Xuanzong, launched another attack on Qiuci, a kingdom located in the Western Regions of China. Qiuci was eventually conquered by the Tang Dynasty in 729, further expanding their territory in the region.
2.12.11th war with Tibet
Was the eleventh war between the Tang Dynasty of China and the Tibetan Empire.
February 739: In 739, the Tibetan Empire took control of Mao County from the Tang Dynasty. The Tang had briefly captured Anrong in 738, but it was quickly recaptured by the Tibetans. This marked a period of conflict between the two powers in the region.
January 741: In 740, the Tang captured Anrong again.
February 742: In 741, the Tibetans invaded the Qinghai region but were repelled. They sacked the Stone City on their way home.
January 743: In 742, Tang Dynasty generals Huangfu Weiming of Longyou and Wang Chui of Hexi invaded northeastern Tibet. This marked the expansion of Tang Dynasty's influence into the region, leading to the incorporation of northeastern Tibet into the empire.
February 743: In 742, Huangfu Weiming, a military general from Longyou, and Wang Chui, a commander from Hexi, launched an invasion of northeastern Tibet. This event took place during the Tibetan Empire's expansion efforts in the region in 743.
2.13.12th war with Tibet
Was the twelfth war between the Tang Dynasty of China and the Tibetan Empire.
February 750: In 749, Longyou defense command under Geshu Han retook the Stone City but suffered heavy casualties.
2.14.14th war with Tibet
Was the fourteenth war between the Tang Dynasty of China and the Tibetan Empire.
January 758: In 757, the Tibetan Empire conquered Shanzhou (Haidong).
2.15.15th war with Tibet
Was the fifteenth war between the Tang Dynasty of China and the Tibetan Empire.
January 765: In 764, the Tibetan Empire, led by their ruler Trisong Detsen, invaded Liangzhou with a 70,000 strong army. However, they were ultimately repulsed by the Chinese general Yan Wu in Jiannan. This event marked a significant conflict between the Tibetan Empire and the Tang Dynasty.
February 765: In 765, Liangzhou was regained by the Tang Dynasty after being invaded by the Tibetan Empire in 764. Yan Wu, a military leader from Jiannan, successfully repulsed the Tibetan forces with his army.
January 766: In 765, the Tibetan Empire, led by King Trisong Detsen, invaded Fengtian with 30,000 troops and Uyghur allies. However, they were twice repulsed by the Tang dynasty general Guo Ziyi, who successfully defended the territory.
February 766: In 766, the Tang Dynasty regained control of Fengtian after Guo Ziyi successfully repulsed the Tibetan Empire's invasion with Uyghur allies. Guo Ziyi was a prominent general and statesman during the Tang Dynasty.
January 767: In 766, the Tibetans conquered Ganzhou and Suzhou.
November 768: In November 763, a Tibetan army 100,000 strong advanced against the Tang capital of Chang'an that was captured by the Tibetans on 18 November.
January 769: The Tibetans invaded the Protectorate General to Pacify the West and conquered Yanqi.
2.16.16th war with Tibet
Was the sixteenth war between the Tang Dynasty of China and the Tibetan Empire.
January 777: In 776, the Tibetan Empire conquered Guazhou.
2.17.18th war with Tibet
Was the eigthteenth war between the Tang Dynasty of China and the Tibetan Empire.
January 787: In 786, the Tibetan Empire conquered Yanzhou and Xiazhou.
February 787: They destroyed Yanzhou and Xiazhou before retreating.
January 788: In 787 the Tibetan Empire conquered Qiuci.
January 788: In 787, the Tibetans captured Shazhou and Qiuci.
January 791: Tang protectorate over Beiting ended in 790 when it was conquered by the Tibetan Empire.
January 791: The majority of sources agree that the last vestiges of the Anxi protectorate and its garrisons were defeated by Tibetan forces by the year 790, ending nearly 150 years of Tang influence in Central Asia.
January 793: In 792 the Tibetan Empire conquered Yutian.
January 793: In 792, the Tibetans conquered Xizhou and Yutian.
2.18.19th war with Tibet
Was the nineteenth war between the Tang Dynasty of China and the Tibetan Empire.
January 797: In 796, the Tibetans attacked Qingzhou.
February 797: In 796, the Tibetans attacked Qingzhou.
2.19.21st war with Tibet
Was the twenty-first war between the Tang Dynasty of China and the Tibetan Empire.
January 804: In 803, the Tang pushed the Tibetan Empire back to Pingliang.
2.20.22nd war with Tibet
Was the twenty-second war between the Tang Dynasty of China and the Tibetan Empire.
January 820: In 819, the Tibetan Empire, ruled by King Ralpacan, attacked Qingzhou, a region under the control of the Tang Dynasty in China.
February 820: Tibetan forces leave Qingzhou.
2.21.23rd war with Tibet
Was the twenty-third war between the Tang Dynasty of China and the Tibetan Empire.
January 822: Tibetan forces started an invasion of Yanzhou.
February 822: In 821, a Tibetan invasion was driven off by the Tang governor of Yanzhou.
In the VIII century Muktapida, an Indian king of the Karkota dynasty of Kashmir, created a short-lived empire covering most of India.
January 741: Karkota ruler Lalitaditya Muktapida conquered extensive territories in India and Central Asia.
January 761: Karkota ruler Lalitaditya Muktapida conquered extensive territories in India and Central Asia.
Was an era of disunity in Tibetan history lasting from the death of the Tibetan Empire's last emperor, Langdarma, in 842 until Drogön Chögyal Phagpa became the Imperial Preceptor of the three provinces of Tibet in 1253, under the Yuan dynasty.
January 843: When king Langdarma died, the Tibetan Empire entered thr Era of Fragmentation. Tibet is split between Langdarma's sons Ösung, in the west, and Yumtän, in the east.
January 651: After the death of Songtsen Gampo in 650 AD, the Chinese Tang dynasty attacked and took control of the Tibetan capital Lhasa.
January 652: Soldiers of the Tang dynasty could not sustain their presence in the hostile environment of the Tibetan Plateau and soon returned to China proper.
January 693: Shule Kingdom reconquered by Tang.
January 693: China regained control over the Four Garrisons of Anxi.
January 693: China under Wu Zetian reconquers the Kingdom from Tibet.
January 703: Establishment of the Baoning Protectorate by the Wu Zhou Dynasty.
January 705: In 704, the Tibetan Empire, ruled by Songtsen Gampo, conquered the White Mywa tribes in Xinuluo, making them vassals or tributaries. This expansion of the Tibetan Empire helped strengthen their control over the region.
January 711: In 710 the Tibetan Empire conquered Lesser Bolü, which included Gilgit (today in Pakistan).
January 723: In 722 Tang restored the king of Lesser Bolü to his throne.
January 738: In 737, the Tibetans launched an attack against the king of Bru-za (Gilgit), who asked for Chinese help, but was ultimately forced to pay homage to Tibet.
January 738: In 737 the Tibetan Empire conquered Lesser Bolü.
January 739: In the year 737 AD, with the support of the Tang dynasty, the great grandson of Xinuluo, Piluoge, united the six zhaos in succession, establishing a new kingdom called Nanzhao.
January 746: In 745, Gao Xianzhi marched across the Pamirs with 10,000 men and conquered Little Balur (Gilgit), a client state of the Tibetan Empire.
January 750: In 749 Tang recovered the Stone City.
January 751: Expansion of the Kamarupa kingdom during the 7th and 8th century.
January 764: Tibetans pressed into the territory of the Tang emperors, reaching the Chinese capital Chang'an (modern Xian) in late 763.
January 764: In 763 the Tibetan Empire conquered Yanqi.
February 764: In 763 the Tibetan Empire conquered Yanqi.
January 766: The Suket Kingdom was founded about 765 by Bira Sen (Vir Sen).
January 801: Small independent monarchies began to develop in modern-day Bhutan by the early 9th century.
January 801: Pala emperor Dharmapala defeated Indrayudha of Kannauj, and installed his own nominee Chakrayudha on the throne of Kannauj. Several other smaller states in North India also acknowledged his suzerainty.
January 824: Garhwal Kingdom was an independent kingdom in the current north-western Himalayan state of Uttarakhand, India, founded in 823 AD by Kanakpal, the progenitor of the Panwar dynasty that ruled over the kingdom.
January 841: The Yenisei Kyrgyz Khaganate was Turkic empire that existed for about a century between the early 9th and 10th centuries, around the start of the Mongol Empire. It ruled over the Yenisei Kyrgyz people.
Disestablishment
January 843: When king Langdarma died, the Tibetan Empire entered thr Era of Fragmentation. Tibet is split between Langdarma's sons Ösung, in the west, and Yumtän, in the east.
Selected Sources
Schwartzberg, J. E. (1992); A Historical Atlas of South Asia, Chicago (USA), p. 146
Tibetan Empire
