Middle Ages

Tibetan Empire

Period
AD 623 – AD 849
Duration
approx. 226 years
Greatest extent
around AD 830
Area (max.)
approx. 3.9 million km²
Tibetan Empire at its greatest extent (around AD 830) · Borders: Cliopatria
▶ View on the interactive map

Profile

Strength

Tough highland warriors and cavalry; at times the empire was a great power alongside Tang China and the Abbasid Caliphate.

Famous figures

  • Songtsen Gampo
  • Trisong Detsen
  • Ralpachan
  • Langdarma

Wars & battles won

  • Victory over the Tang at the Dafei River (670)
  • Capture of the Tang capital Chang'an (763)

Wars & battles lost

  • Collapse after the murder of Langdarma (842)

Languages

  • Tibetan

Period and duration

Tibetan Empire — according to the map data from AD 623 to AD 849, roughly 226 years. The dates refer to the time the empire is drawn as its own territory on the world map; historians sometimes date its founding and end differently.

Greatest extent

Tibetan Empire — greatest extent around AD 830: the mapped borders then cover about 3.9 million km², roughly 2.6% of Earth's land area. The area is calculated from the border lines of the map and is therefore an approximation.

AD 623Area according to the map data (max. 3.9 million km²)AD 849

Predecessors and successors

States that ruled the same territory directly before and after:

Before (AD 622)

After

Neighbours around AD 830

The largest states in the region at the same time:

Learn more

Borders and dates: Cliopatria / Seshat Global History Databank (CC BY 4.0). Coastlines: Natural Earth. Text: Centaurian.