Tibetan conquest of the Tarim Basin
| Tibetan conquest of the Tarim Basin | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 The Tibetan Empire in 700 AD | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
|
Tibetan Empire Western Turkic Khaganate Khotan Kingdom | Tang Dynasty | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
Mangsong Mangtsen Gar Trinring Tsendro Ashina Tuizi |
Xue Rengui Kuo Tai-feng | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| 200,000[1] | 100,000[2] | ||||||||
The Tibetan conquest of the Tarim Basin was a series of military campaigns by the Tibetan Empire against the Tang dynasty from 670 to 678, which resulted in Tibetan control over large portions of the Tarim Basin and surrounding regions. This marked the first period of Tibetan dominance over the region, significantly reducing Tang China's influence in Central Asia.
Background
[edit]In the mid-7th century, the Tibetan Empire expanded greatly under the rule of Mangsong Mangtsen as it sought to gain control of Central Asia. The Tuyuhun Kingdom, which had functioned as a buffer state between Tibet and China, was already under Tibetan control by 663.[2] In the late 660s, the Tibetans once again focused their energies on the Tarim Basin, a key region to control trade routes on the Silk Road. The weakened and divided Western Turks, further falling under Tibetan domination, increasingly facilitated their thrust against the Chinese-held oasis states.[3]
Tibetan Invasion and Early Gains
[edit]In 667, two Western Turkic leaders, Ashina Tuizi and Li Che-fu, led their tribes in submission to Tibet.[4] This alliance strengthened Tibetan influence in Central Asia. In 668, Tibet constructed defensive fortifications along the Jima Gol (Ta-fei Ch'uan) in anticipation of a Chinese counterattack.[4][5] By 670, the Tibetans launched a large-scale offensive against the remaining Chinese-controlled territories in the western Tarim Basin, aided by forces from Khotan, which had fallen under their control between 665 and 670.[6] Tibetan forces rapidly captured Aksu, leaving only Kucha and Agni (Karashahr) under Tang control. Instead of launching an immediate counterattack, the Tang military withdrew from their westernmost strongholds, effectively ceding control of the Tarim Basin to the Tibetans.[7]
Tang Counteroffensive and Defeat
[edit]
Recognizing the strategic importance of the region, the Tang court mobilized a massive expeditionary force. On May 3, 670, Emperor Gaozong appointed Xue Rengui as commander of the newly assembled Tang army.[8] Initially, Xue Rengui achieved success, routing a Tibetan contingent near the Ta-fei Ch'uan and seizing large numbers of livestock.[1] However, his deputy, Kuo Tai-feng, failed to fortify the supply lines, leading to a disastrous Tibetan counterattack. Tibetan forces under Mgar Khri-brin ambushed the Chinese army, almost annihilating the Tang forces and forcing the Tang army into retreat.[9]
Second Tang expedition
[edit]In 678, another Tang army fighting in the Qinghai area also suffered a devastating defeat, a disaster brought about by the Tibetan troops.[10] Then, just two years later, in 680, the Tibetan army managed to seize the strategically situated fortress of Anrong in the mountainous border terrain of northwestern Sichuan.[8]
Aftermath
[edit]The defeat at the Dafei River and the Tibetan successes that followed marked the end of twenty years of Chinese control over the Tarim Basin.[9] The Tang court relocated the Anxi Protectorate capital from Kucha to the safer city of Turfan.[9] Tibet de facto ruled the area for the rest of the next twenty years.[5] This period marked a high point of Tibetan expansion, as they continued consolidating their hold over Central Asia.[11]
References
[edit]Citations
[edit]- ^ a b Beckwith 1993, p. 35.
- ^ a b Kuzmin 2011, p. 15.
- ^ Beckwith 2009, p. 129.
- ^ a b Beckwith 1993, p. 33.
- ^ a b Beckwith 2009, p. 130.
- ^ Graff 2003, p. 205.
- ^ Beckwith 1993, p. 34.
- ^ a b Graff 2003, p. 206.
- ^ a b c Beckwith 1993, p. 36.
- ^ Kuzmin 2011, p. 16.
- ^ Beckwith 1993, p. 37.
Works Cited
[edit]- Beckwith, Christopher I. (1993). The Tibetan Empire in Central Asia: A History of the Struggle for Great Power Among Tibetans, Turks, Arabs, and Chinese During the Early Middle Ages. Princeton Paperbacks (Illustrated, reprint, revised ed.). Princeton University Press. ISBN 9780691024691.
- Beckwith, Christopher I. (2009). Empires of the Silk Road: A History of Central Eurasia from the Bronze Age to the Present. Princeton University Press. ISBN 9781400829941.
- Skaff, Jonathan Karam (2012). Sui-Tang China and Its Turko-Mongol Neighbors: Culture, Power, and Connections, 580-800. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199996278.
- Graff, David (2003). Medieval Chinese Warfare 300-900. Routledge. ISBN 9781134553532.
- Kuzmin, Sergius L. (2011). Terentyev, Andrey (ed.). Hidden Tibet: History of Independence and Occupation. Translated by Bennett, Dmitry. Library of Tibetan Works and Archives. ISBN 9789380359472.