Medieval Tibet

Songtsen Gampo (sovereign) carried out social reforms. Perhaps, as a result of confiscations after the suppression of insurrections, he created a vast fund of specific lands, "sovereign lands" (dzhe-shing), and granted these lands to citizens, together with people attached to the land (bran). The capital from Yarlunga was moved to Lhasa, where the centpo palace was built on Mount Margory. For the purposes of office work in the young Tibetan state in 632, Thonmi Sambhota created a Tibetan letter on the basis of the alphabet nagari. Songtsen Gampo formed the highest administrative apparatus of the country of nine ministers and introduced the administrative division of the country. Tibet was divided into six khospon (gubernias), within the Khospon main administrative cell was an association of thousands of families. Written laws were introduced into force. The population was divided into three classes: farmers, soldiers and servants. Each khospon had its own troops, differing in the form of clothing, the suit of horses and the banner.

Tibetan troops make trips to the South - to Nepal, Bhutan and Bengal, to the southeast - to the state of Nan-chao (the territory of the modern Chinese province of Yunnan), to the east and northeast - to the areas adjacent to the lake. Kukunor, against Tuyuhun. The composition of Tibet included nomadic tribes of the northeastern highlands. Medieval Tibet ...

In 634 the Tibetan ambassadors arrived at the Tang court. Following this, the return Chinese embassy headed by Feng Dejia left for Lhasa. On the return journey from Lhasa, Feng Dejia was accompanied by Tibetan ambassadors who had the task of asking the Chinese princess to marry Songtsenu Gampo. Chinese princesses were married to the sovereign Tuyuhun and Turkic kagan. Songtsen Gampo did not want to look worse than them and this marriage expected to strengthen the international position of Tibet. Tibetan ambassadors were refused. Then Songtsena Gampo's armies invaded Sichuan. In 641, the Tang courtyard gave Songtsenu Gampo the wife of a Chinese princess. About 646, the Chinese princess Wencheng arrived in Lhasa. In addition to her, Songtsen Gampo's wives were also Nepalese princess Bhrikuti, the daughters of the rulers of most of the conquered Tibetan areas (including the daughter of the ruler of the Tanguts) and girls from all the main strong and noble Tibetan clans.

Buddhist historiography ascribes great service to Songtsiyu Gampo and his Chinese and Nepalese wives in establishing Buddhism in Tibet. Songtsen Gampo himself is interpreted as the incarnation of the patron of Tibet - the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara. The princesses actually brought Buddhist shrines with them to Tibet, and temples of Phrulnang (future Jokan) and Ramoche were built to house them in Lhasa. However, under Songtsen Gampo, Buddhism did not play almost any role in the life of Tibet ... The positions of the Bon Priests, Shamans (Shan) remained largely unshakable until the end of the VIII century. In 649, during the epidemic, Songtsen Gampo died. He was an energetic, talented ruler who did a lot to strengthen Tibet's economy, culture and military might.

Medieval Tibet