The Contribution Of The Zhang To The Prosperity And Fall Of The SPu Rgyal Dynasty

In the field of the study of the history of the sPu rgyal dynasty,fruitful progress of the research regarding the Zhang has been achieved.However,there is not yet a particular study of the Zhang.Focusing on the Zhang,in particular the background of its formation,the circumstances and course of its rise,its relationship with non-Zhang noble powers and its contribution to the systems of the sPu rgyal dynasty,all of which have received very few attentions from scholars,this research wishes to present a comparatively systematic evaluation of its status in the history of the sPu rgyal dynasty.Under the ruthless suppression,during the 670 s,by the m Gar family in hegemonic power,the royal paternal branches headed by the Khu family were no longer able to continue to defend the sPu rgyal royal house.Against such a backdrop,the royal maternal powers were reorganized to take the former’s role and conduct that crucial mission,and thus the newly re-organized royal maternal power——Zhang took form during the long anti-m Gar campaign.Subsequently,in the course of the rebuilding of order and power structure of the post-m Gar era,it was after the long course of power struggles with the royal paternal power and Blon power that the Zhang eventually won out and became the host of the council.At the same time,by excluding non-Zhang rivals which also contracted marriages with the sPu rgyal house,the Zhang monopolized the privilege of contracting the heir-bearing marriages with the btsan po.Thus,since the eighth century,the Zhang became the most dominant power in the sPu rgyal era.During the sPu rgyal era,as time went by,the Zhang’s relationship with the paternal branch of the sPu rgyal house and the Blon underwent great changes.During a period from early eighth century to before the late eighth century,the internal relation of the Zhang was generally harmony,and this considerably promoted the political stability and prosperity of the sPu rgyal dynasty.Yet,after late eighth century,its internal relationship got worse and worse.As a result,the internal cohesion and integrity of the Zhang suffered serious damages,the Zhang was badly divided,and its precious function of facilitating political stability was greatly decreased.Under the longstanding struggle between the power in the center and the other power at the edge,it was the ultimate breakout of the structural conflict between the aforementioned two powers within the ruling class of the sPu rgyal dynasty,and the devastating consequences it had brought to the Tibetan society,that caused the dissolution of the sPu rgyal dynasty.In the late sPu rgyal era,the Zhang,the Blon and the whole ruling class of the sPu rgyal dynasty were all badly split.In nature,this is the product of the enduring struggle between the powers in the centre and at the edge,as mentioned above.Against such a background,the assassination of Ral pa can,Dar ma and the enduring struggle between the d Bu and the g·Yo,were all the results and manifestations of the ultimate outbreak of the internal conflict of the aristocratic class of the sPu rgyal era.For a long time,the Zhang-dominated governance model had once overcome the deficiency of the central administration systems during the sPu rgyal era,due to the underdevelopment of the centralization of the power into the hands of the b Tsan po,which continuously caused internal strife and serious crisis.Against such a backdrop,the rise of the Zhang deeply reshaped the political scene of the sPu rgyal era.The influences of the Zhang on the political systems of the sPu rgyal era is a double-edged one.On the one hand,it greatly promoted the evolution and rationalization of the central administration apparatus of the sPu rgyal dynasty and thus promoted political stability for a long time.To some extent,this greatly contributed to the prosperity of the sPu rgyal dynasty,in particular during the time of Khri srong lde brtsan.However,on the other hand,its rise too caused new problems,which should by no means be ignored in terms of its contribution to the fall of the sPu rgyal dynasty.The power struggles among the Zhang and non-Zhang powers eventually penetrated into the field of historical narrative.Here and there,this finds expressions in the historical narrative——almost in every crucial issues of Tibetan history in both old and post-dynastic Tibetan historical sources.Along with power struggles among different noble powers,struggles among narratives profoundly between the Zhang and non-Zhang powers deeply reshaped the writing of history in Tibet all through the sPu rgyal era,and continued even long after the fall of the sPu rgyal dynasty.