Tashi Namgyal

The End of the Priest-Patron Relationship: The 13th Dalai Lama and the Tibet-Qing Fallout

PhD Candidate, Departments of History

(Graduate Resident Spring 2025)

The Thirteenth Dalai Lama, Tubten Gyatso (1876โ€“1933), assumed political authority over Tibet during a period of waning Qing influence in the region and the emergence of more powerful local forces in the Buddhist nation. A number of crucial factors influenced the trajectory of Sino-Tibetan relations from the ascendance of the 13th Dalai Lama in 1895 until the collapse of the Qing dynasty in 1911. The British military expedition to Lhasa in 1904 represented a pivotal moment in the evolution of the Qing-Tibet power dynamic, as it significantly altered the nature of the Tibetan theocracy, especially following the 13th Dalai Lamaโ€™s escape from Lhasa. It is noteworthy that the Dalai Lamaโ€™s prolonged periods of exile had a profound impact on his worldview and attitude toward the Qing. In light of the aforementioned historical context, this dissertation presents a critical examination of the pivotal factors that led to the dissolution of the centuries-long priest-patron relationship between the Tibetan Buddhist hierarchs and the Qing emperors.