Sadnalegs
Encyclopedia
Sadnalegs or Tridé Songtsen , was the youngest son of King Trisong Detsen
of Tibet
(reigned circa 800-815 CE - though various accounts give the beginning of his reign as 797 or 804 CE).
Trisong Detsen retired to live at Zungkar and handed power to his second son, Mune Tsenpo
, in 797. From this point there is much confusion in the various historical sources. It seems there was a struggle for the succession after the death of Trisong Detsen. It is not clear when Trisong Detsen died, or for how long Mune Tsenpo reigned. It is said that Mune Tsenpo was poisoned by his mother who was jealous of his beautiful wife.
Whatever the case, both the Tang
Annals and the Tibetan sources agree that, since Mune Tsenpo had no heirs, power passed to his younger brother, Sadnalegs, who was on the throne by 804 CE.
The other brother, Mutik Tsenpo, was apparently not considered for office as he had previously murdered a senior minister and had been banished to Lhodak Kharchu near the Bhutan
ese border.
As he was quite young when he came to the throne, Sadnalegs was assisted by four experienced ministers, two of whom were also Buddhist monks. They followed the policies of the previous kings. Sadnalegs had four wives from different Tibetan clans.
Monastery to help translate Buddhist texts. Sadnaleg had the temple of Skar-cung (Karchung) built near Lhasa. Due to opposition to Buddhism, the king called a meeting with delegates and vassals from all over the kingdom and drew up a document pledging support for Buddhism which was signed by all who attended. An inscribed pillar with an account of this pledge was erected in front of the Karchung which still exists and has been translated into English.
, Linzhou
, Weizhou
, Yazhou and Suizhou
, envoys began travelling regularly from 804 onwards between Lhasa and China, although no formal treaty was signed. When Emperor De Zong died in 805, Ralpacan sent gifts of gold, silver, cloth, oxen and horses for the funeral.
The Tibetan army continued to attack the Arabs to the west and, according to al-Ya'qubi, they besieged Samarkand
, the capital of Transoxiana
at the time. Finally, the Tibetan Governor of Turkestan presented a statue made of gold and precious stones to the Arab Caliph
al-Ma'mun
(r. 813-833). This statue was later sent to the Ka'ba in Mecca
.
give 814). He had five sons, the first became a monk, the last two died in childhood. When Sadnaleg died, Langdarma
was bypassed as he was anti-Buddhist and hot tempered and the royal power was given to Ralpacan
.
An impressive stone pillar with an inscription commemorating Sadnalegs stand in the burial ground of the Tibetan kings near 'Phyong-rgas. It is partially illegible but confirms a number of historical events. It is of importance in dating Sadnalegs' reign as it states that warfare with China began when he took power. The Tang Annals report that the Chinese and Tibetans were fighting continuously between 799 and 803 CE, so it seems likely that Sadnalegs came to the throne c. 800-804 CE.
Trisong Detsen
Trisong Detsän or Trisong Detsen ཁྲི་སྲོང་ལྡེ་བཙན , was the son of Me Agtsom and one of the emperors of Tibet and ruled...
of Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
(reigned circa 800-815 CE - though various accounts give the beginning of his reign as 797 or 804 CE).
Trisong Detsen retired to live at Zungkar and handed power to his second son, Mune Tsenpo
Muné Tsenpo
Muné Tsenpo was the 39th Emperor of Tibet . This period of Tibetan history, towards the end, and after the reign of Trisong Detsen is very murky and the sources give conflicting stories and dates....
, in 797. From this point there is much confusion in the various historical sources. It seems there was a struggle for the succession after the death of Trisong Detsen. It is not clear when Trisong Detsen died, or for how long Mune Tsenpo reigned. It is said that Mune Tsenpo was poisoned by his mother who was jealous of his beautiful wife.
Whatever the case, both the Tang
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
Annals and the Tibetan sources agree that, since Mune Tsenpo had no heirs, power passed to his younger brother, Sadnalegs, who was on the throne by 804 CE.
The other brother, Mutik Tsenpo, was apparently not considered for office as he had previously murdered a senior minister and had been banished to Lhodak Kharchu near the Bhutan
Bhutan
Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
ese border.
As he was quite young when he came to the throne, Sadnalegs was assisted by four experienced ministers, two of whom were also Buddhist monks. They followed the policies of the previous kings. Sadnalegs had four wives from different Tibetan clans.
Support for Buddhism
Indian scholars were invited to SamyeSamye
The Samye Monastery or Samye Gompa is the first Buddhist monastery built in Tibet, was most probably first constructed between 775 and 779 CE under the patronage of King Trisong Detsen of Tibet who sought to revitalize Buddhism, which had declined since its introduction by King Songtsen Gampo in...
Monastery to help translate Buddhist texts. Sadnaleg had the temple of Skar-cung (Karchung) built near Lhasa. Due to opposition to Buddhism, the king called a meeting with delegates and vassals from all over the kingdom and drew up a document pledging support for Buddhism which was signed by all who attended. An inscribed pillar with an account of this pledge was erected in front of the Karchung which still exists and has been translated into English.
Political and military activities
Although Tibetan forces were fighting the Chinese between 799 and 803, with battles in YanzhouYanzhou
Yanzhou is a county-level city of Jining, in the southwest of Shandong province, People's Republic of China.-Administration:The County-level city of Yanzhou administers 10 township-level divisions.-Transportation:*Beijing-Shanghai Railway...
, Linzhou
Linzhou
Linzhou may refer to:* Linzhou, Henan , county-level city of Anyang, Henan, PRC* Lhünzhub County, or Linzhou County from its Chinese name, of Lhasa, Tibet, PRC* Linzhou Steel , state-owned steel company established in Henan, PRC in 1969...
, Weizhou
Weizhou
Weizhou Island is a Chinese island in the Gulf of Tonkin. The largest island of Guangxi province, Weizhou is west of Leizhou Peninsula, south of Beihai, and east of Vietnam...
, Yazhou and Suizhou
Suizhou
Suizhou , formerly Sui County , is a prefecture-level city in Hubei province of Central China.-Administration:The prefecture-level city of Suizhou administers 2 county-level divisions, including 1 district and 1 county-level city....
, envoys began travelling regularly from 804 onwards between Lhasa and China, although no formal treaty was signed. When Emperor De Zong died in 805, Ralpacan sent gifts of gold, silver, cloth, oxen and horses for the funeral.
The Tibetan army continued to attack the Arabs to the west and, according to al-Ya'qubi, they besieged Samarkand
Samarkand
Although a Persian-speaking region, it was not united politically with Iran most of the times between the disintegration of the Seleucid Empire and the Arab conquest . In the 6th century it was within the domain of the Turkic kingdom of the Göktürks.At the start of the 8th century Samarkand came...
, the capital of Transoxiana
Transoxiana
Transoxiana is the ancient name used for the portion of Central Asia corresponding approximately with modern-day Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, southern Kyrgystan and southwest Kazakhstan. Geographically, it is the region between the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers...
at the time. Finally, the Tibetan Governor of Turkestan presented a statue made of gold and precious stones to the Arab Caliph
Caliph
The Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transcribed version of the Arabic word which means "successor" or "representative"...
al-Ma'mun
Al-Ma'mun
Abū Jaʿfar Abdullāh al-Māʾmūn ibn Harūn was an Abbasid caliph who reigned from 813 until his death in 833...
(r. 813-833). This statue was later sent to the Ka'ba in Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
.
Death and succession
Sadnalegs probably died in 815 (though the Blue AnnalsBlue Annals
The Blue Annals completed in 1476, authored by Gö Lotsāwa Zhönnu Pel , is a Tibetan historical survey with a marked 'ecumenical' view, focusing upon the dissemination of various sectarian spiritual traditions throughout Tibet.An English translation by George de Roerich with help from Gendun...
give 814). He had five sons, the first became a monk, the last two died in childhood. When Sadnaleg died, Langdarma
Langdarma
Langdarma was the last emperor of the unified Tibetan empire, who most likely reigned from 838 to 841 CE. Early sources named him Tri Darma meaning "King Darma"; "Lang" is a nickname meaning "ox". He was also called tsenpo or lhase Au Dunten...
was bypassed as he was anti-Buddhist and hot tempered and the royal power was given to Ralpacan
Ralpacan
Ralpacan , born c. 806, the Year of the Dog was, according to traditional sources, the 41st King of Tibet, ruling from the death of his father, Sadnalegs, in c. 815, until 838 CE...
.
An impressive stone pillar with an inscription commemorating Sadnalegs stand in the burial ground of the Tibetan kings near 'Phyong-rgas. It is partially illegible but confirms a number of historical events. It is of importance in dating Sadnalegs' reign as it states that warfare with China began when he took power. The Tang Annals report that the Chinese and Tibetans were fighting continuously between 799 and 803 CE, so it seems likely that Sadnalegs came to the throne c. 800-804 CE.