Gar Tongtsen Yulsung (; zh, t=噶爾·東贊域松; 590-667) was a general of the

Tibetan Empire The Tibetan Empire (,) was an empire centered on the Tibetan Plateau, formed as a result of expansion under the Yarlung dynasty heralded by its 33rd king, Songtsen Gampo, in the 7th century. It expanded further under the 38th king, Trisong De ...

who served as '' Lönchen'' during the reign of

Songtsen Gampo Songtsen Gampo (Classical , pronounced ) (; (601–683 CE, reign 614-648) was the 33rd Tibetan king of the Yarlung dynasty and the founder of the Tibetan Empire. The first of three Dharma Kings of Tibet, he formally introduced Buddhism to Tib ...

. In many Chinese records, his name was given as Lù Dōngzàn ( zh, t=祿東贊) or Lùn Dōngzàn ( zh, t=論東贊); both are attempts to transliterate the short form of his title and name, ''Lön Tongtsen''.

Career

Gar Tongtsen was born into the Gar clan, an important Tibetan family based in modern

Maizhokunggar County Maizhokunggar County or Meldro Gungkar County is a Counties of the People's Republic of China, county of Lhasa (prefecture-level city), Lhasa and east of the main center of Chengguan District, Lhasa, Chengguan, Tibet Autonomous Region. It has an ...

. According to '' Clear Mirror on Royal Genealogy'', Tongtsen was dispatched as envoys to Licchavi Kingdom (in modern Nepal) together with Thonmi Sambhota by the emperor

Amshuverma Amshuverma or Amshu Verma () was a king of Nepal from around 605–621 CE. Initially a feudal lord, he rose to the position of ''Mahasamanta'' (equivalent to prime minister) in about 598 CE when Shivadeva I of the Licchavi dynasty was the ru ...

, who was the ruler of Licchavi, married Princess Bhrikuti to Songtsen Gampo. But the historicity of the princess is not certain because no reference to her has been found among the documents discovered at

Dunhuang Dunhuang () is a county-level city in northwestern Gansu Province, Western China. According to the 2010 Chinese census, the city has a population of 186,027, though 2019 estimates put the city's population at about 191,800. Sachu (Dunhuang) was ...

. Tongtsen was dispatched to the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

together with Dri Seru Gungton and Thonmi Sambhota in 640, requesting a marriage between the Tibetan emperor and a Tang princess. Taizong, the Tang emperor, agreed and married

Princess Wencheng Princess Wencheng (; ) was a princess and member of a minor branch of the royal clan of the Tang dynasty, who married King Songtsen Gampo of the Tibetan Empire in 641. She is also known by the name Gyasa or "Chinese wife" in Tibet. Both Wencheng ...

to Songtsen Gampo. Taizong appreciated his talent and promoted him to "Right Guard Senior General" (), but was refused by him. Later, the '' Lönchen''

Khyungpo Pungse Khyungpo Pungse Sutse (, ? – ?) was a general of the Tibetan Empire. Born in Khyungpo (modern Dêngqên and Biru in Kham). He killed his king and surrendered to the Tibet king, Namri Songtsen. He was so witty that Namri Songtsen put great ...

invited Songtsen came to visit his fief. Tongtsen was sent there to set up the emperor's camp, but found it was a conspiracy. Tongtsen fled stealthily and told the conspiracy to the emperor. After the death of Pungse, Tongtsen was appointed as '' Lönchen''. Songtsen Gampo died in 650, and Mangsong Mangtsen succeeded. Tongtsen acted as regent because Mangsong was an infant. During this period, Tongtsen carried out a tax reform in 653, conducted a census in 654, and made the first law of Tibet in 655. Relations between China and Tibet began to sour during this period. Tibet conquered ( Ngari) and ( Tsang) in 652, and finally '' 'A-zha'' (which was called "Tuyunhun" by Chinese people) in 663. Tibet held over the whole of the Tibetan plateau, and tried to seize the

Western Regions The Western Regions or Xiyu (Hsi-yü; ) was a historical name specified in Ancient Chinese chronicles between the 3rd century BC to the 8th century AD that referred to the regions west of the Yumen Pass, most often the Tarim Basin in prese ...

of Tang China. Tongtsen left in A-zha'' to defend against Tang China, and was dismissed by Mangsong due to his age. Not long after his successor Omade Lotsen was executed because the "guilty of rebellion", and the position turned back to him. Six years later, he died of neck cancer on his way back to

Lhasa Lhasa, officially the Chengguan District of Lhasa City, is the inner urban district of Lhasa (city), Lhasa City, Tibet Autonomous Region, Southwestern China. Lhasa is the second most populous urban area on the Tibetan Plateau after Xining ...

Family

Gar Tongtsen had five sons, all of them were famous Tibetan generals: * Gar Tsenye Dompu () * Gar Trinring Tsendro (), also known as Lon Trinring () and Lùn Qīnlíng ( zh, t=論欽陵) * Gar Tsenba () * Gar Tagu Risum () * Gar Tsenyen Gungton ()

References

''Old Tibetan Chronicle'', P.T. 1287

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Gar Tongtsen Yulsung 7th-century Tibetan people People from the Tibetan Empire 667 deaths 590 births