Ngawang Tashi Drakpa
Encyclopedia
Ngawang Tashi Drakpa (1488–1564) was a king of Tibet
who ruled intermittently in 1499-1564. He belonged to the Phagmodrupa dynasty
which was the dominating regime in Tibet from 1354 to 1435 and maintained a degree of authority until the early 17th century. His rule is sometimes considered to be the last of importance in the history of the dynasty.
and Tsang
), but after 1435 the various fiefs gained an autonomous position. In particular the royal court in Nêdong
was overshadowed by the Rinpungpa
family, whose principal stronghold was Samdrubtse (Shigatse
in Tsang, West Central Tibet). This family acted as patrons to the Karmapa
lama
, whose religious influence in Ü (East Central Tibet) was greatly enhanced when the Rinpungpa captured Lhasa
in 1498.
and his consort Lady Dsongkhama. His mother died when he was only one year old, followed by the father in 1491. Due to his minority a regent was appointed at the Nêdong court. The person chosen was Tsokye Dorje
, a member of the increasingly powerful Rinpungpa. In 1499, after a turbulent regency, Tsokye Dorje handed over powers to Ngawang Tashi Drakpa who was enthroned as king (gongma, "the high one", "superior"). Five years later the young ruler married a Rinpungpa lady out of political expediency. She bore him two sons, Drowai Gonpo
and Drakpa Jungne. He later married Sangye Pal Dzomma of the house of Nelpa, a strong-willed woman who actively assisted her husband in expanding their common power base. She was, in a modern assessment, "one of the most powerful and fascinating female rulers in Tibet".
, a nephew of the ex-regent Tsokye Dorje. His allegiance to the Karmapa
hierarch Chödrak Gyatso
led him to harass the monks of the Gelugpa sect (the Yellow Hats) in the Lhasa area. In 1510, just after the death of the ex-regent Tsokye Dorje, a conflict escalated between Donyo Dorje and Ngawang Tashi Namgyal. After the demise of Donyo Dorje in 1512, the fortunes of the Rinpungpa eventually began to wane. In a long series of petty wars over the next years, the gongma and his allies pushed back the Rinpungpa positions. In 1517 the latter lost control over Lhasa to the detriment of the Karmapa sect. In the next year the Monlam (prayer) festival could be celebrated in Lhasa by the Gelugpa monks, for the first time in twenty years. They had previously been impeded from participating by the Rinpungpa troops. Queen Sangye Pal Dzomma was a main sponsor of the festival, and had close contacts with the Second Dalai Lama, the leading Gelugpa figure. The power of the Rinpungpa was henceforth mainly restricted to Tsang. The historical sources give a generally favourable image of Ngawang Tashi Drakpa and his queen, as being successful in warfare and great patrons of all the major religious sites in the Lhasa area. In his chronicle The Song of the Spring Queen, the Fifth Dalai Lama calls him King of Tibet, although this epithet must be qualified. The outlying areas Ngari, Amdo
and Kham
seem to have been outside his political network, and Tsang did not generally obey his authority.
. Emperors would confer titles and gifts to new rulers, but did not intervene in the internal affairs of Central Tibet. The dynastic annals of the Ming Dynasty
, the Mingshi, are fairly vague on Tibetan politics in this era. They complain about violence committed by monks bringing tribute in the Yangzhou
district in 1495. The court of Beijing
sent envoys with an admonition to the Phagmodrupa ruler to punish the monks. Arriving to Tibet they heard that the former ruler Kunga Lekpa
had died (actually back in 1481 according to Tibetan chronicles), and that his son Ngagi Wangpo asked for investiture
. The imperial investiture was brought to Tibet with two monks. At closer inspection it turned out that Ngagi Wangpo was dead as well. The two envoys therefore gave the investiture to his son in turn, whom they called Awang Dashi Daba Jianzan (Ngawang Tashi Drakpa Gyaltsen). The Chinese
authorities at home were dissatisfied with the self-willed decision of the envoys, but did not change the state of matters. Intermittent Phagmodrupa tributes continued to be dispatched to the Ming for the rest of Ngawang Tashi Drakpa's long reign. Apart from that a large number of Tibetan local regimes sent tribute, which was in reality a trade exchange; in 1524 these "tributaries" were as many as 37.
, to the west of Nêdong, and his sons in turn caused trouble for the ageing gongma. Rebellions against the Phagmodrupa ruler took place in 1553-54 and 1555. These disturbances underpinned the rise to power of a family of feudatories, the Kyishodpa, who resided close to Lhasa. They became the leading political power in the area in the second half of the 16th century. From 1559 the old Ngawang Tashi Drakpa entertained a close relationship with the Third Dalai Lama. In 1563 his grandson Ngawang Drakpa Gyaltsen
, of the Gongri Karpo branch of the dynasty, strove to grab power from the frail monarch. Ngawang Tashi Drakpa eventually died in the next year 1564. Two branches of the family then competed for power, and the mediation of the Dalai Lama
was called for. Ngawang Drakpa Gyaltsen was acknowledged as his successor, but by now the powers of the Phagmodrupa were eclipsed. Although gongmas continued to be appointed up to the early 17th century, the main struggle for power in Tibet was henceforth between the Gelugpa and the Karmapa and their patrons, the Tsangpa
.
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
who ruled intermittently in 1499-1564. He belonged to the Phagmodrupa dynasty
Phagmodrupa dynasty
The Phagmodrupa dynasty or Pagmodru of Tibet was established by Tai Situ Changchub Gyaltsen at the end of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty. Tai Situ came from the monastic fief Phagmodru , which was originally founded as a hermitage in 1158 by the famous Kagyu scholar Phagmo Drupa Dorje Gyalpo...
which was the dominating regime in Tibet from 1354 to 1435 and maintained a degree of authority until the early 17th century. His rule is sometimes considered to be the last of importance in the history of the dynasty.
Political background
The earliest years of Ngawang Tashi Drakpa's life was also a time when the political authority of the Phagmodrupa regime was at its nadir. The dynasty originally wielded strong executive power over Central Tibet (ÜÜ (region)
Ü is a geographic division and a historical region in Tibet. Together with Tsang , it forms Central Tibet Ü-Tsang , which is one of the three Tibetan regions or cholka . The other two cholka are Kham and Amdo...
and Tsang
Ü-Tsang
Ü-Tsang , or Tsang-Ü, is one of the three traditional provinces of Tibet, the other two being Amdo and Kham. Geographically Ü-Tsang covered the central and western portions of the Tibetan cultural area, including the Tsang-po watershed, the western districts surrounding and extending past Mount...
), but after 1435 the various fiefs gained an autonomous position. In particular the royal court in Nêdong
Nedong
Nedong may refer to:*Nêdong County, county in Tibet*Nêdong , village in Tibet...
was overshadowed by the Rinpungpa
Rinpungpa
Rinpungpa was a Tibetan regime that dominated much of Western Tibet and some of Central Tibet between 1440 and 1565...
family, whose principal stronghold was Samdrubtse (Shigatse
Shigatse
Shigatse is a county-level city and the second largest city in Tibet Autonomous Region , People's Republic of China, with a population of 92000, about southwest of Lhasa and northwest of Gyantse...
in Tsang, West Central Tibet). This family acted as patrons to the Karmapa
Karmapa
The Karmapa is the head of the Karma Kagyu, the largest sub-school of the Kagyupa , itself one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism....
lama
Lama
Lama is a title for a Tibetan teacher of the Dharma. The name is similar to the Sanskrit term guru .Historically, the term was used for venerated spiritual masters or heads of monasteries...
, whose religious influence in Ü (East Central Tibet) was greatly enhanced when the Rinpungpa captured Lhasa
Lhasa
Lhasa is the administrative capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China and the second most populous city on the Tibetan Plateau, after Xining. At an altitude of , Lhasa is one of the highest cities in the world...
in 1498.
Troubled childhood
Ngawang Tashi Drakpa was born in 1488 as the only son of King Ngagi WangpoNgagi Wangpo
Ngagi Wangpo , also known as Chen-nga Tsenyepa , was a King of Tibet who reigned in 1481-1491...
and his consort Lady Dsongkhama. His mother died when he was only one year old, followed by the father in 1491. Due to his minority a regent was appointed at the Nêdong court. The person chosen was Tsokye Dorje
Tsokye Dorje
Tsokye Dorje was a regent of Tibet who ruled in 1491-1499. He belonged to the Rinpungpa family and headed the central government in Nêdong during the minority of the heir of the Phagmodrupa dynasty.-Rinpungpa ascendency:...
, a member of the increasingly powerful Rinpungpa. In 1499, after a turbulent regency, Tsokye Dorje handed over powers to Ngawang Tashi Drakpa who was enthroned as king (gongma, "the high one", "superior"). Five years later the young ruler married a Rinpungpa lady out of political expediency. She bore him two sons, Drowai Gonpo
Drowai Gonpo
Drowai Gonpo was a king who wielded power in parts of Central Tibet from 1524 to 1548. He belonged to the Phagmodrupa dynasty which reigned over Tibet or parts of it from 1354 to the early 17th century.Drowai Gonpo was a son of the ruler Ngawang Tashi Drakpa Drowai Gonpo (aGro bai mgon po) (1508...
and Drakpa Jungne. He later married Sangye Pal Dzomma of the house of Nelpa, a strong-willed woman who actively assisted her husband in expanding their common power base. She was, in a modern assessment, "one of the most powerful and fascinating female rulers in Tibet".
The Phagmodrupa regain power
The years around 1500 saw the summit of Rinpungpa authority in the central parts of Tibet. The leader of the family was Donyo DorjeDonyo Dorje
Donyo Dorje was the third and most powerful prince of the Rinpungpa Dynasty that held power in much of Central Tibet from 1435 to 1565.-Succession and religious patronate:...
, a nephew of the ex-regent Tsokye Dorje. His allegiance to the Karmapa
Karmapa
The Karmapa is the head of the Karma Kagyu, the largest sub-school of the Kagyupa , itself one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism....
hierarch Chödrak Gyatso
Chödrak Gyatso
Chödrak Gyatso , also Chödrag Gyamtso, was the seventh Gyalwa Karmapa, head of the Kagyu School of Tibetan Buddhism.Chödrak Gyatso was born in Chida in the north of Tibet...
led him to harass the monks of the Gelugpa sect (the Yellow Hats) in the Lhasa area. In 1510, just after the death of the ex-regent Tsokye Dorje, a conflict escalated between Donyo Dorje and Ngawang Tashi Namgyal. After the demise of Donyo Dorje in 1512, the fortunes of the Rinpungpa eventually began to wane. In a long series of petty wars over the next years, the gongma and his allies pushed back the Rinpungpa positions. In 1517 the latter lost control over Lhasa to the detriment of the Karmapa sect. In the next year the Monlam (prayer) festival could be celebrated in Lhasa by the Gelugpa monks, for the first time in twenty years. They had previously been impeded from participating by the Rinpungpa troops. Queen Sangye Pal Dzomma was a main sponsor of the festival, and had close contacts with the Second Dalai Lama, the leading Gelugpa figure. The power of the Rinpungpa was henceforth mainly restricted to Tsang. The historical sources give a generally favourable image of Ngawang Tashi Drakpa and his queen, as being successful in warfare and great patrons of all the major religious sites in the Lhasa area. In his chronicle The Song of the Spring Queen, the Fifth Dalai Lama calls him King of Tibet, although this epithet must be qualified. The outlying areas Ngari, Amdo
Amdo
Amdo is one of the three traditional regions of Tibet, the other two being Ü-Tsang and Kham; it is also the birth place of the 14th Dalai Lama. Amdo encompasses a large area from the Machu River to the Drichu river . While culturally and ethnically a Tibetan area, Amdo has been administered by a...
and Kham
Kham
Kham , is a historical region covering a land area largely divided between present-day Tibetan Autonomous Region and Sichuan province, with smaller portions located within Qinghai, Gansu and Yunnan provinces of China. During the Republic of China's rule over mainland China , most of the region was...
seem to have been outside his political network, and Tsang did not generally obey his authority.
Relationship with China
Since ancient times, the Phagmodrupa dynasty stood in a nominal tribute relationship with ChinaChina
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. Emperors would confer titles and gifts to new rulers, but did not intervene in the internal affairs of Central Tibet. The dynastic annals of the Ming Dynasty
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
, the Mingshi, are fairly vague on Tibetan politics in this era. They complain about violence committed by monks bringing tribute in the Yangzhou
Yangzhou
Yangzhou is a prefecture-level city in central Jiangsu Province, People's Republic of China. Sitting on the northern bank of the Yangtze River, it borders the provincial capital of Nanjing to the southwest, Huai'an to the north, Yancheng to the northeast, Taizhou to the east, and Zhenjiang across...
district in 1495. The court of Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
sent envoys with an admonition to the Phagmodrupa ruler to punish the monks. Arriving to Tibet they heard that the former ruler Kunga Lekpa
Kunga Lekpa
Kunga Lekpa was a King of Tibet who ruled in 1448-1481. He belonged to the Phagmodrupa dynasty, which was the leading political regime in Tibet from 1354 to 1435, and retained a certain political status until the early 17th century...
had died (actually back in 1481 according to Tibetan chronicles), and that his son Ngagi Wangpo asked for investiture
Investiture
Investiture, from the Latin is a rather general term for the formal installation of an incumbent...
. The imperial investiture was brought to Tibet with two monks. At closer inspection it turned out that Ngagi Wangpo was dead as well. The two envoys therefore gave the investiture to his son in turn, whom they called Awang Dashi Daba Jianzan (Ngawang Tashi Drakpa Gyaltsen). The Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
authorities at home were dissatisfied with the self-willed decision of the envoys, but did not change the state of matters. Intermittent Phagmodrupa tributes continued to be dispatched to the Ming for the rest of Ngawang Tashi Drakpa's long reign. Apart from that a large number of Tibetan local regimes sent tribute, which was in reality a trade exchange; in 1524 these "tributaries" were as many as 37.
Family disputes
By the mid-16th century the physical faculties of Ngawang Tashi Drakpa began to decline. His son Drowai Gonpo (1508–1548) was established as ruler in Gongri KarpoGonggar County
Gonggar County, is a county of the Shannan Prefecture in the Tibet Autonomous Region, one of the 12 counties of the prefecture...
, to the west of Nêdong, and his sons in turn caused trouble for the ageing gongma. Rebellions against the Phagmodrupa ruler took place in 1553-54 and 1555. These disturbances underpinned the rise to power of a family of feudatories, the Kyishodpa, who resided close to Lhasa. They became the leading political power in the area in the second half of the 16th century. From 1559 the old Ngawang Tashi Drakpa entertained a close relationship with the Third Dalai Lama. In 1563 his grandson Ngawang Drakpa Gyaltsen
Ngawang Drakpa Gyaltsen
Ngawang Drakpa was a king in Central Tibet who ruled from 1564 to maybe 1579. He belonged to the Phagmodrupa dynasty which held power in Tibet or parts of it from 1354 to the early 17th century...
, of the Gongri Karpo branch of the dynasty, strove to grab power from the frail monarch. Ngawang Tashi Drakpa eventually died in the next year 1564. Two branches of the family then competed for power, and the mediation of the Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama is a high lama in the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" branch of Tibetan Buddhism. The name is a combination of the Mongolian word далай meaning "Ocean" and the Tibetan word bla-ma meaning "teacher"...
was called for. Ngawang Drakpa Gyaltsen was acknowledged as his successor, but by now the powers of the Phagmodrupa were eclipsed. Although gongmas continued to be appointed up to the early 17th century, the main struggle for power in Tibet was henceforth between the Gelugpa and the Karmapa and their patrons, the Tsangpa
Tsangpa
Tsangpa was a dynasty that dominated large parts of Tibet from 1565 to 1642. It was the last Tibetan royal dynasty to rule in own name. The regime was founded by Karma Tseten, a retainer of the prince of the Rinpungpa Dynasty and governor of Shigatse in Tsang since 1548.-Superseding the...
.
Further reading
- Wang Furen & Suo Wenqing, Highlights of Tibetan History. Beijing 1984.
- Ya Hanzhang, Biographies of the Tibetan Spiritual Leaders Panchen Erdenis. Beijing 1994.