Tsewang Rabtan (from ''Tsewang Rapten''; ; ; 1643–1727) was a
Choros (Oirats)
Choros or Tsoros ( mn, Цорос, ; ) was the ruling clan of the Ööld and Dörbet Oirat and once ruled the whole Four Oirat. They founded the Dzungar Khanate in the 17th century. Their chiefs reckoned their descent from a boy nourished by ...
prince and the
Khong Tayiji
Khong Tayiji ( mn, , хун тайж; ), also spelled Qong Tayiji, was a title of the Mongols, derived from the Chinese term ''Huangtaizi'' (皇太子; "crown prince").
At first it also meant crown prince in the Mongolian language. It was origin ...
of the
Dzungar Khanate
The Dzungar Khanate, also written as the Zunghar Khanate, was an Inner Asian khanate of Oirat Mongol origin. At its greatest extent, it covered an area from southern Siberia in the north to present-day Kyrgyzstan in the south, and from t ...
from 1697 (following the death of his uncle and rival
Galdan Boshugtu Khan
Erdeniin Galdan (1644–1697, mn, Галдан Бошигт хаан, , ), known as Galdan Boshugtu Khan (in Mongolian script: ) was a Choros Dzungar- Oirat Khan of the Dzungar Khanate. As fourth son of Erdeni Batur, founder of the Dzungar ...
) until his death in 1727. He was married to
Lha-bzang Khan's sister.
Political and military action
Tsewang Rabtan married his daughter, Boitalak (), to Danjung (), the eldest son of Lha-bzang Khan in 1714. He used the occasion to destroy some of Lha-bzang's troops in preparation for an invasion of Tibet. He consolidated Dzungar power by 1715, and in 1717 sent one army of 300 into
Amdo
Amdo ( am˥˥.to˥˥ ) is one of the three traditional Tibetan regions, the others being U-Tsang in the west and Kham in the east. Ngari (including former Guge kingdom) in the north-west was incorporated into Ü-Tsang. Amdo is also the bi ...
to retrieve the
7th Dalai Lama, planning to consolidate Tibetan support by bringing him to Lhasa, and another army of 6000, led by his brother
Tseren Dondub, that successfully took
Lhasa
Lhasa (; Lhasa dialect: ; bo, text=ལྷ་ས, translation=Place of Gods) is the urban center of the prefecture-level Lhasa City and the administrative capital of Tibet Autonomous Region in Southwest China. The inner urban area of Lhasa ...
from the
Khoshut and killed Lha-bzang Khan.
However, the first army failed to acquire the Dalai Lama, having been defeated by
Qing troops at
Kumbum. Dzungar troops went on the rampage through Lhasa and its environs, looting, raping and killing. Soon, the Tibetans were appealing to the
Kangxi Emperor
The Kangxi Emperor (4 May 1654– 20 December 1722), also known by his temple name Emperor Shengzu of Qing, born Xuanye, was the third emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the second Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning from 1661 to ...
to rid them of the Dzungars. The Dzungar occupation of Tibet became more difficult to sustain as time passed and though they managed to defeat a poorly organized Chinese invasion at the
Battle of the Salween River in 1718, Qing troops took Lhasa in 1720
during their second and larger expedition.
After Danjung died circa 1717, allegedly at the hands of Tsewang Rabtan, Boitalak married a ''taisha'' or prince of the
Khoid
The Khoid, also Khoyd or Khoit (; "Northern ones/people") people are an Oirat subgroup of the Choros Choros may refer to:
* Choros (Oirats), a Mongolic people and historical clan
* Chôros, a series of compositions by Heitor Villa-Lobos
* Choros ...
, a section of the
Dzungar people, and later gave birth to
Amursana (1723–1757), who would grow up to be Khan of Dzungaria during the reign of the
Qianlong Emperor
The Qianlong Emperor (25 September 17117 February 1799), also known by his temple name Emperor Gaozong of Qing, born Hongli, was the fifth Emperor of the Qing dynasty and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning from 1735 ...
.
See also
*
Dzungar–Qing War
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
History of Kalmykia
18th-century monarchs in Asia
17th-century Mongol rulers
1643 births
1727 deaths
{{CAsia-hist-stub