Editing Tibet (section)

=== Tibetan Empire ===
{{main|Tibetan Empire}}
[[File:Tibetan empire greatest extent 780s-790s CE.png|thumb|upright=1.35|Map of the Tibetan Empire at its greatest extent between the 780s and the 790s CE]]
The history of a unified Tibet begins with the rule of [[Songtsen Gampo]] (604–650{{nbsp}}CE), who united parts of the [[Yarlung Tsangpo River (Tibet)|Yarlung River]] Valley and founded the Tibetan Empire. He also brought in many reforms, and Tibetan power spread rapidly, creating a large and powerful empire. It is traditionally considered that his first wife was the Princess of Nepal, [[Bhrikuti]], and that she played a great role in the establishment of Buddhism in Tibet. In 640, he married [[Princess Wencheng]], the niece of the Chinese emperor [[Emperor Taizong of Tang|Taizong of Tang China]].<ref>Forbes, Andrew; Henley, David (2011). 'The First Tibetan Empire' in: ''China's Ancient Tea Horse Road''. Chiang Mai: Cognoscenti Books. ASIN: B005DQV7Q2</ref>

Under the next few Tibetan kings, Buddhism became established as the state religion and Tibetan power increased even further over large areas of [[Central Asia]], while major inroads were made into Chinese territory, even reaching the [[Tang dynasty|Tang]]'s capital [[Chang'an]] (modern [[Xi'an]]) in late 763.<ref>Beckwith 1987, pg. 146</ref> However, the Tibetan occupation of Chang'an only lasted for fifteen days, after which they were defeated by Tang and its ally, the Turkic [[Uyghur Khaganate]].

[[File:Miran Fort BLP466 PHOTO1187 2 60.jpg|thumb|[[Miran fort]]]]

The [[Kingdom of Nanzhao]] (in [[Yunnan]] and neighbouring regions) remained under Tibetan control from 750 to 794, when they turned on their Tibetan overlords and helped the Chinese inflict a serious defeat on the Tibetans.<ref>Marks, Thomas A. (1978). "Nanchao and Tibet in South-western China and Central Asia." ''The Tibet Journal''. Vol. 3, No. 4. Winter 1978, pp. 13–16.</ref>

In 747, the hold of Tibet was loosened by the campaign of general [[Gao Xianzhi]], who tried to re-open the direct communications between Central Asia and [[Kashmir]]. By 750, the Tibetans had lost almost all of their central Asian possessions to the [[Tang dynasty|Chinese]]. However, after Gao Xianzhi's defeat by the [[Abbasid Caliphate|Arabs]] and [[Karluks|Qarluqs]] at the [[Battle of Talas]] (751) and the subsequent [[civil war]] known as the [[An Lushan Rebellion]] (755), Chinese influence decreased rapidly and Tibetan influence resumed.

At its height in the 780s to 790s, the Tibetan Empire reached its highest glory when it ruled and controlled a territory stretching from modern-day Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, China, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan.

In 821/822{{nbsp}}CE, Tibet and China signed a peace treaty. A bilingual account of this treaty, including details of the borders between the two countries, is inscribed on a [[Tang–Tibet Treaty Inscription|stone pillar]] which stands outside the [[Jokhang]] temple in Lhasa.<ref>''A Corpus of Early Tibetan Inscriptions''. H. E. Richardson. Royal Asiatic Society (1985), pp. 106–43. {{ISBN|0-947593-00-4}}.</ref> Tibet continued as a Central Asian empire until the mid-9th century, when a civil war over succession led to the collapse of imperial Tibet. The period that followed is known traditionally as the ''[[Era of Fragmentation]]'', when political control over Tibet became divided between regional warlords and tribes with no dominant centralized authority. An [[Tibetan Expedition of Islamic Bengal|Islamic invasion]] from Bengal took place in 1206.