The Current parts of Tibet, Tibetan Autonomous Region and other parts of historical Tibet in provinces of China.
Tibetan history can broadly be divided in two parts; i.e. Tibet before 1900 and Tibet since 1900. Below is a brief about some of the history of Tibet across these timelines.
The pre 1900 history of Tibet includes Tibet’s older history. This part includes the times during Mongolian Invasion and also about the roots of Dalai Lama lineage. During the Imperial age, the first King of Tibet was Namri Songsten and Lhasa was the Capital. The imperial age came to an abrupt end around 842 upon the assassination of King Langdama. After several hundred years of strive and conflict over border regions a treaty was signed between China and Tibet during 821. Mongolian invasion happened in 1240 and continued till 1247. During this period prince Godan Khan met the Tibetan lama and converted to Buddhism and accepted the Lama as his spiritual advisor. Tibet retained some autonomy and had religious authority during the period of Mongolian influence. Later, the Han Chinese took over the Mongol empire. During 1578 the Mongol ruler Altan Khan bestowed the title Dalai Lama on Sonam Gyasto. In return the Dalai Lama proclaimed Altan Khan to be a reincarnation of the previous rulers and gave legitimacy to his rule. Initially during the rule of Dalai Lama diplomatic the political authority over Tibet was assumed and relations with China were initiated. Again in 1717 Tibet was invaded by the Mongols. The Qing emperor could manage to conquer Tibet and taking advantage of the situation declared that Tibet is a tributary state and turned parts of this into the Chinese province of Qinghai. Soon the British invaded briefly in 1903 with an intention to establish diplomatic relations and resolve disputes over border between Tibet and British India. (FreeTibet)
The Tibetan Flag
The post 1900 period had equally significant events beginning with the proclamation of independence by Dalai Lama in 1912. A three party agreement between Britain, Tibet and China was attempted defining the borders and autonomy of Tibet. China did not sign this as south Tibet was ceded to British India. China invaded in 1950 and Tenzin Gyasto was given full powers to rule as the Dalai Lama. The 17 point agreement of 1951 affirmed the Chinese sovereignty over Tibet. As a consequence Lhasa had an influx of refugees from the eastern Tibet. The Chinese responded with brutality as the Dalai Lama fled to the mountains of northern India. During the continued Chinese rule there was destruction of Buddhist monasteries and cultural sites. Since then there have been several diplomatic efforts for Autonomy to Tibet but China adopted a strong policy which lead to several deaths and political prisoners. The Dalai Lama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. In 1995 the six year old Panchen Lama became a political prisoner. Since then, there has been global protests demonstrating the Tibetan rejection of Chinese rule. (FreeTibet)
The 14th Dalai Lama, the leader of Tibet, a Buddhist country