List of emperors of Tibet
The traditional list of the ancient Yarlung dynasty's Tibetan kings consists of 42 names.[1] The earliest kings ruled before the Tibetan script was developed; the history of Tibet was thus thus a verbal history and only written after the earliest periods of rule. While there is a lack of contemporaneous biographical manuscripts detailing the lives of the first 26 kings, modern scholars note that the lives of the later ones were better documented.[2]
All of the kings are known as representatives of the Yarlung dynasty, named after the Yarlung Tsangpo and its Yarlung Valley. Their titles are more correctly translated as "chief", not "emperor".[3] The unified Tibetan state is documented beginning with the 31st, the 32nd, and the 33rd kings.
Traditional Tibetan titles for the king include tsenpo ("Chief") and lhase ("Divine Son").[4]
List
In the list the common transliteration is given first, the academic one in brackets.
| # | Name | Reign | Religion |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nyatri Tsenpo | 127 BCE – ??? | Yungdrung Bon |
| 2 | Mutri Tsenpo | Yungdrung Bon | |
| 3 | Dingtri Tsenpo | Yungdrung Bon | |
| 4 | Sotri Tsenpo | Yungdrung Bon | |
| 5 | Mertri Tsenpo | Yungdrung Bon | |
| 6 | Dakrri Tsenpo | Yungdrung Bon | |
| 7 | Siptri Tsenpo | Yungdrung Bon | |
| 8 | Drigum Tsenpo | Yungdrung Bon | |
| 9 | Chatri Tsenpo | Yungdrung Bon | |
| 10 | Esho Lek | Yungdrung Bon | |
| 11 | Desho Lek | Yungdrung Bon | |
| 12 | Tisho Lek | Yungdrung Bon | |
| 13 | Guru Lek | Yungdrung Bon | |
| 14 | Trongzhi Lek | Yungdrung Bon | |
| 15 | Isho Lek | Yungdrung Bon | |
| 16 | Zanam Zindé | Yungdrung Bon | |
| 17 | Detrul Namshungtsen | Yungdrung Bon | |
| 18 | Senöl Namdé | Yungdrung Bon | |
| 19 | Senöl Podé | Yungdrung Bon | |
| 20 | Senöl Nam | Yungdrung Bon | |
| 21 | Senöl Po | Yungdrung Bon | |
| 22 | Degyel Po | Yungdrung Bon | |
| 23 | Detrin Tsen | Yungdrung Bon | |
| 24 | Tori Longtsen | Yungdrung Bon | |
| 25 | Tritsen Nam | Yungdrung Bon | |
| 26 | Tridra Pungtsen | Yungdrung Bon | |
| 27 | Tritog Jetsen | Yungdrung Bon | |
| 28 | Lha Thothori Nyantsen | Yungdrung Bon | |
| 29 | Trinyen Zungtsen | Yungdrung Bon | |
| 30 | Drongnyen Deu | Yungdrung Bon | |
| 31 | Tagbu Nyasig | Yungdrung Bon | |
| 32 | Namri Songtsen | 570–618 | Yungdrung Bon |
| 33 | Songtsen Gampo | 614–648, 655–660 | Tibetan Buddhism |
| 34 | Gungsong Gungtsen | 649–655 | Tibetan Buddhism |
| 35 | Mangsong Mangtsen | 660–676 | Tibetan Buddhism |
| 36 | Tridu Songtsen | 676–704 | Tibetan Buddhism |
| 37 | Tride Tsuktsen Me Agtsom | 705–755 | Tibetan Buddhism |
| 38 | Trisong Detsen | 755–797 | Tibetan Buddhism |
| 39 | Murub or Mune Tsenpo | 797–799 | Tibetan Buddhism |
| 40 | Mutik Tsenpo (Sadnalegs) | 800–815 | Tibetan Buddhism |
| 41 | Ralpachen | 815–838 | Tibetan Buddhism |
| 42 | Langdarma | 841–842[5] | Yungdrung Bon |
See also
Notes
- ^ Haarh, Erik: Extract from "The Yar Lun Dynasty", in: The History of Tibet, ed. Alex McKay, Vol. 1, London 2003, p. 144.
- ^ Haarh, Erik: Extract from "The Yar Lun Dynasty", in: The History of Tibet, ed. Alex McKay, Vol. 1, London 2003, p. 147; Richardson, Hugh: The Origin of the Tibetan Kingdom, in: The History of Tibet, ed. Alex McKay, Vol. 1, London 2003, p. 159 (and list of kings p. 166–167).
- ^ Kirkland, Russell: The Spirit of the Mountain, in: The History of Tibet, ed. Alex McKay, Vol. 1, London 2003, p. 183.
- ^ Samten Karmay, in McKay 2003, pg. 57
- ^ Arthur Mandelbaum, "Lhalung Pelgyi Dorje", Treasury of Lives, August 2007
References
- McKay, Alex (ed.). Tibet and Her Neighbors: A History (2003) Walther Konig. ISBN 3-88375-718-7