Person

Güshi Khan

1582–1655 · 17th century

Güshi Khan was a Khoshut Mongol chief who founded the Khoshut Khanate in the Kokonor region and Tibet. Answering the call of the Gelug school, he defeated its enemies in Kham and the Tsangpa kings of Tsang, and in 1642 made the Fifth Dalai Lama the spiritual and political head of Tibet, founding the Ganden Phodrang government. He kept military power himself as King of Tibet until his death in 1655.

Güshi Khan
Image: Photography: Brian J. McMorrow, fresco: UnknownUnknown · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 3 state histories

Tsangpa dynastyGanden PhodrangKhoshut Khanate

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Güshi Khan. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/gushi-khan
MLA
“Güshi Khan.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/gushi-khan. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Güshi Khan.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/gushi-khan.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Güshi Khan’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/gushi-khan (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻