Era of Fragmentation
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Era of Fragmentation () was an era of disunity in Tibetan history lasting from the death of the
Tibetan Empire The Tibetan Empire (,) was an empire centered on the Tibetan Plateau, formed as a result of expansion under the Yarlung dynasty heralded by its 33rd king, Songtsen Gampo, in the 7th century. It expanded further under the 38th king, Trisong De ...
's last emperor, Langdarma, in 842 until Drogön Chögyal Phagpa became the
Imperial Preceptor The Imperial Preceptor, or Dishi (; ), was a high title and powerful post in the Yuan dynasty. It was created by Kublai Khan as part of Mongol patronage of Tibetan Buddhism and the Yuan administrative rule of Tibet. The title was originally cre ...
of the three regions of
Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ), or Greater Tibet, is a region in the western part of East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are other ethnic groups s ...
in 1253, following the
Mongol conquest The Mongol invasions and conquests took place during the 13th and 14th centuries, creating history's largest contiguous empire, the Mongol Empire (1206–1368), which by 1260 covered large parts of Eurasia. Historians regard the Mongol devastati ...
in the 1240s. During this period, the political unity of the Tibetan Empire collapsed following a civil war between Yumtän (''Yum brtan'') and Ösung (''’Od-srung''), after which followed numerous rebellions against the remnants of imperial Tibet and the rise of regional warlords.


Civil war and the decline of imperial Tibet

The last king of the unified
Tibetan Empire The Tibetan Empire (,) was an empire centered on the Tibetan Plateau, formed as a result of expansion under the Yarlung dynasty heralded by its 33rd king, Songtsen Gampo, in the 7th century. It expanded further under the 38th king, Trisong De ...
, Langdarma, was assassinated in 842 possibly by a Buddhist hermit monk named Pelgyi Dorje of Lhalung, or other sources state he died from fright. The death left two possible heirs, the two princes Yumtän and Ösung, that fought for the throne and initiated a civil war. This civil war weakened the political authority of the Tibetan monarchy,Samten Karmay in dissolving Tibet into separate tribes and small kingdoms. The successors of Ösung controlled the western region of Ngari, while the successors of Yumtän controlled the central region of Ü. The son of Ösung was Pälkhortsän () (865–895 or 893–923), who had two sons, Trashi Tsentsän () and Thrikhyiding (), also called Kyide Nyigön () in some sources. Thrikhyiding migrated to the western Tibetan region of upper Ngari (''Stod Mnga ris'') and married a woman of high central Tibetan nobility, with whom he founded a local dynasty that would go on to create the kingdoms of Purang-Guge,
Maryul Maryul (), also called ''mar-yul'' of ''mnga'-ris'', was the western-most Tibetan kingdom based in modern-day Ladakh and some parts of Tibet. The kingdom had its capital at Shey. The kingdom was founded by Lhachen Palgyigon, during the rule ...
, and
Zanskar Zanskar, Zahar (locally) or Zangskar, is the southwestern region of Kargil district in the Indian union territory of Ladakh. The administrative centre of Zanskar is Padum. Zanskar, together with the rest of Ladakh, was briefly a part of the kin ...
.


Revolts and autonomy

The dissolution of a centralized empire returned imperial Tibet to a multitude of separate, autonomous kingdoms, each ruled by a local leader, as were the local polities before Songtsen Gampo. The leaders constantly fought for political dominance, utilizing their private armies and military fortresses. Between 842 and 1247, no central authority was in control of Tibet and relatively smaller kingdoms like
Guge Guge () was an ancient dynastic kingdom in Western Tibet. The kingdom was centered in present-day Zanda County, Ngari Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region. At various points in history after the 10th century AD, the kingdom held sway over a vast a ...
, Derge, Nangchen, and
Maryul Maryul (), also called ''mar-yul'' of ''mnga'-ris'', was the western-most Tibetan kingdom based in modern-day Ladakh and some parts of Tibet. The kingdom had its capital at Shey. The kingdom was founded by Lhachen Palgyigon, during the rule ...
(Ladakh) emerged. The period ended with the Mongol conquest of Tibet and the subsequent Yuan rule of Tibet and patronage of the Sakya school. Traditional accounts of the period focus on religion. The Era of Fragmentation is depicted as a low point in the development of Tibetan Buddhism, with the Nyingma school's monastic orders facing persecution and internal exile. Nyingma monasteries were alleged to have only persevered in
Amdo Amdo ( �am˥˥.to˥˥ zh , c = 安多 , p = Ānduō ), also known as Domey (), is one of the three traditional Tibetan regions. It encompasses a large area from the Machu (Yellow River) to the Drichu (Yangtze). Amdo is mostly coterminous wi ...
, then largely dominated by non-Tibetan peoples and conquered by a Tibetan polity in the 10th century. In Amdo and during the brief reign of Langdarma, three Nyingma school monks fled to there, possibly to Mount Dantig. Their disciple Muzu Selbar (), later known as the scholar Gongpa Rapsel (, 953-1035), was responsible for the revival of the Nyingma school and Tibetan Buddhism in Amdo and in northeastern Tibet. The students of Rapsal returned to Ü-Tsang, where they re-propagated the Nyingma lineages and monastic Tibetan Buddhist orders. Modern historians argue that Buddhism was in fact widespread during the fragmentation period, and that local polities shared close relationships with Buddhist monastic leaders.


See also

* Ladakh Chronicles * Song–Tibet relations


References


Citations


Sources

* * * * * * * {{Tibet topics History of Tibet by period 9th century in Tibet 10th century in Tibet 11th century in Tibet Civil wars involving the states and peoples of Asia Civil wars of the Middle Ages 9th-century conflicts 10th-century conflicts 11th-century conflicts Historical eras