408 klaus sagaster
The importance of Tibet for Mongolian culture and society does not
exclude that the religious contacts have only too often also been used
for political aims. This was already the case in the thirteenth/fourteenth
century, and also played an important role in the encounter of Altan
Khan with the third Dalai Lama. The intention of the “Yellow Hats”
dGe-lugs-pa to use the Mongolian power in their feud with the “Red
Hats” and especially with the Karma-pa, is fully con rmed by the
events in the rst half of the seventeenth century. Töröbayiqu Güüsi
(Gu ri) Khan (1582–1655)^139 of the Western Mongolian Qo od tribe,
a descendent of inggis Khan’s brother Qabutu Qasar, e.g., got rid
of the two main opponents of the dGe-lugs-pa. In 1640 he defeated
Don-yod, the ruler of Be-ri, in the Eastern Tibetan Khams, an adher-
ent of the non-Buddhist Bon religion and embittered enemy not only
of the dGe-lugs-pa but also of the other Buddhist schools. In 1642,
Güüsi Khan conquered bSam-grub-rtse, the capital of the Southern
Tibetan district of gTsang, the later gZhis-ka-rtse (Shigatse). The regents
(sde-srid) of gTsang were resolute adherents of the Karma-pa and saw
the good relations between the dGe-lugs-pa and the Mongols not only
as a danger for the prominence of the “Red Hats”, but also for the
independence of Tibet. The regent Karma-bsTan-skyong-dbang-po
(r. 1620–1642) was captured and executed soon after. Güüsi Khan
granted Ngag-dbang-blo-bzang-rgya-mtsho (1617–1682), the fth Dalai
Lama, the conquered territories, the “Thirteen Districts of Tibet” (khri-
skor bcu-gsum) as ef. He followed the example set by Qubilai Khan,
who gave the same present to the Sa-skya-pa hierarch ’Phags-pa. As
a consequence, the Dalai Lama was both the worldly leader and the
highest religious authority of Tibet. In worldly affairs the Tibetan Lama
was subordinated to the highest authority of the Mongolian Khan, who
passed on the governmental matters to a Tibetan regent.^140
- Chinas Interference with Tibetan-Mongolian Politics
The reign of the Qo od Khans in Tibet lasted seventy- ve years,
though until the enthronement of lHa-bzang Khan (1703–1717) this
(^139) Zlatkin 1964, pp. 167–169 et passim; Úiral 1996, pp. 177–178.
(^140) Tucci 1949, pp. 62–64; Shakabpa 1967, pp. 105–107, 110–112; Úiral 1996,
pp. 181–182.