Empress Khri ma lod (or Thrimalö) was an Empress regent of Tibet. She was Empress consort by marriage to emperor
Mangsong Mangtsen. She was the ruler of the
Tibetan empire
The Tibetan Empire (, ; ) was an empire centered on the Tibetan Plateau, formed as a result of imperial expansion under the Yarlung dynasty heralded by its 33rd king, Songtsen Gampo, in the 7th century. The empire further expanded under the 3 ...
twice: in 675-689 during the minority of her son emperor
Tridu Songtsen
Tridu Songtsen (), Tridu Songtsen or Dusong Mangban, (b.668 – 704d.; r. 676–704 CE) was an emperor of the Tibetan Empire from 676 to 704.
Ascent to throne
'Dus-rong ascended the Tibetan throne after the death of his father, Mangsong Mangtse ...
, and in 704-712 during the minority of her grandson emperor
Gyältsugru. Her title as regent was ''tsenmo'' (the female equivalent of ''tsenpo'', the Tibetan title most frequently translated as emperor).
Life
Khri ma lod was married to emperor
Mangsong Mangtsen (''Trimang Löntsen or ''Khri-mang-slon-rtsan''). The emperor died in the winter of 676-677, and in the same year she gave birth to the emperor's son
Tridu Songtsen
Tridu Songtsen (), Tridu Songtsen or Dusong Mangban, (b.668 – 704d.; r. 676–704 CE) was an emperor of the Tibetan Empire from 676 to 704.
Ascent to throne
'Dus-rong ascended the Tibetan throne after the death of his father, Mangsong Mangtse ...
(''Khri 'dus-srong btsan'' or ''Khri-'dus-srong-rtsan'').
[ pp. 14, 48, 50.]
The
Zhangzhung
Zhangzhung or Shangshung was an ancient culture and kingdom in western and northwestern Tibet, which pre-dates the culture of Tibetan Buddhism in Tibet. Zhangzhung culture is associated with the Bon religion, which has influenced the philosophie ...
revolted early in her son's reign. She shared power with the Gar (''Mgar'') clan. When her son Tridu campaigned in the northeast 700-4 CE, she resumed her administrative regency at home.
Khri ma lod's grandson
Gyältsugru (''Rgyal-gtsug-ru'') was born in 704 to her daughter-in-law Chimza Tsunmotog (''mChims-bza' bTsan-ma Thog-thog-sten''), Princess of Chim. Upon the death of Tridu Songtsen that year, his elder son
Lha Balpo (''Lha Bal-pho'') briefly succeeded him before Khri ma lod dethroned him at Pong Lag-rang in favor of the infant Gyältsugru.
Khri ma lod had arranged for a royal marriage of Gyältsugru to a Chinese princess. The
Princess Jincheng
Princess Jincheng (, also ; , 698 – 739), surnamed Li (surname 李), Li, was an Empress consort of Tibetan Empire, Tibet. She was a member of a minor branch of the royal clan of the Chinese Tang dynasty.
Life
Princess Jincheng was a daugh ...
(金城公主, Tibetan: Kyimshang Kongjo) arrived in 710, but it is somewhat unclear whether she married the seven-year-old Gyältsugru or the deposed Lha Balpo.
[Beckwith 1983: 276.]
Khri ma lod died in 712. Gyältsugru was then officially enthroned with the royal name Tride Tsuktsän.
Khri ma lod remains the only woman in Tibetan history to rule Tibet.
References
External links
Worldwide Guide to Women in Leadership{{Emperors of Tibet
712 deaths
7th-century Tibetan people
Tibetan empresses
Tibetan Buddhists
8th-century rulers in Asia
8th-century Tibetan people
Year of birth unknown
8th-century women rulers
7th-century women rulers