History The first unified Tibetan kingdom was known as Tubo or Tu Fan. It was established by one of the greatest leaders in the nation’s history, King Songtsen Gampo. King Songtsen was the first monarch to expand Tibet’s power beyond its traditional strongholds of Lhasa and the Yarlung Valley. He is also credited with bringing Buddhism to the country. In 641 AD, King Songtsen married Princess Wencheng of China’s Tang Dynasty. It was a political marriage aimed at strengthening ties between the powers, a bond further reinforced by the 710 AD marriage between King Tride Tsuktsen of Tibet and Princess Jincheng of China. The alliance created by these royal marriages brought the two powers so close that Tibetans became involved in Chinese politics, culture and economy. This close relationship was commemorated with the Monument of the Tang-Tubo Alliance, also known as the Changqing Alliance Tablet; one of the three tablets still stands in front of the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa, Tibet. The last Tubo king, Langdharma, was an adherent of the Bön religion. His efforts to eradicate Buddhism from Tibet caused great internal strife and when he passed away, his sons and grandsons fought among themselves for the throne. […]