In 1705, Lhazang Khan of the Khoshut Mongols took control in Lhasa after killing the Tibetan regent (Desi) Sangye Gyatso. This leadership change destabilized Tibet’s political balance and set the stage for outside powers to compete for influence there.
In 1717, troops of the Dzungar Khanate entered Tibet, defeated Lhazang Khan, and took Lhasa. The occupation involved looting and violence, deepening local resentment and creating a crisis that drew in the Qing court.
In 1718, the Kangxi Emperor’s first major attempt to reach Lhasa and drive out the Dzungars failed. Qing forces were defeated near the Salween River, showing how difficult it was to project military power across the Tibetan Plateau.
In 1720, a second and larger Qing expedition reached Lhasa and forced out the Dzungar occupiers. The campaign was presented as restoring order, but it also marked the start of a lasting Qing military and political presence in central Tibet.
After Qing forces arrived, they brought Kelzang Gyatso (the Seventh Dalai Lama) to Lhasa and installed him as the key religious figure. This helped the Qing present themselves as patrons of Tibetan Buddhism while tying Tibetan leadership more closely to imperial support.
After 1720, the Qing decided to safeguard their interests by stationing a small garrison and imperial representatives (commonly called ambans) in Lhasa. Tibet kept substantial day-to-day self-rule, but the ambans became a formal channel for Qing oversight and intervention during crises.
By 1727, the Qing court was appointing ambans (imperial commissioner-residents) to represent imperial authority in Tibet. This step came as Tibetan elite rivalries escalated, and it created a clearer institutional role for Qing officials during internal disputes.
In 1727–1728, fighting among Tibetan factions drew Qing involvement, and the conflict ended with a new political arrangement backed by the Qing. The episode showed a pattern that would repeat: Tibet’s internal crises created openings for the Qing to reshape governance while claiming to restore stability.
In November 1750, unrest in Lhasa followed the killing of the Tibetan ruler Gyurme Namgyal by Qing representatives, and the ambans were then murdered in the backlash. The Qing responded by tightening the system of control and redesigning Tibet’s political structure to reduce the chance of another violent break.
In 1751, the Qing court issued a new set of rules for Tibetan governance, often described as a “Thirteen-Article” reorganization. The reforms strengthened the role of the ambans and set up (or reset) a governing council known as the Kashag, aiming to make Tibetan administration more stable and more legible to the Qing state.
After a Gurkha (Nepalese) invasion threatened Tibet in 1792, Qing forces intervened and pushed the invaders out. In 1793, the Qianlong Emperor issued the “Twenty-Nine Articles” to tighten administration and security, including the “Golden Urn” method meant to reduce manipulation in selecting major reincarnate lamas.
In 1911–1912, as the Qing dynasty collapsed in China, Qing troops and officials in Lhasa faced mutinies and armed conflict with Tibetan forces. The result was the end of Qing administration in Tibet, closing the institutional era that began with the 1720 expedition and the creation of resident Qing protectorate structures.
Qing expedition to Lhasa and installation of Qing protectorate institutions (1720)