Songtsen Gampo the First Emperor of Tibet

Episode 2.3 – Of Warlords and Tsenpos

(Image credit: Wikimedia Commons. Statue of the first Emperor of Tibet, Songtsen Gampo, flanked by two of his wives who we will meet next time)

In which Tibetan unification plays out. 

The process of becoming the Tibetan Empire took place over the reigns of three generations of kings of the Yarlung Dynasty. Amidst a backdrop of tyrannical warlords, a conspiracy is hatched to give the throne to the Tsenpo, Tagbu Nyazig. 

With this episode, we leave the era of myth behind and enter the world of history. But do not be fooled – understanding this history is not straightforward, and necessitates a brief discussion of our sources for Imperial Tibet, and what they tell us – or just as importantly, don’t tell us.

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