khanate · China, Tibet and Mongolia

Khoshut Khanate

1642 CE – 1717 CE · capital Lhasa

The Oirat Mongol khanate that conquered Tibet for the Fifth Dalai Lama in 1642 and whose khans held the title King of Tibet until the Dzungar invasion of 1717.

Origins

Güshi Khan, a chief of the Khoshut, one of the Four Oirat, answered an appeal from Gelug leaders threatened by their rivals. He moved to the Kokonor region, defeated the Khalkha prince Choghtu Khong Tayiji in 1637, subdued the king of Beri in Kham in 1640 and overthrew the Tsangpa dynasty in 1642.

Rule and society

Güshi Khan took the title King of Tibet but handed civil and religious authority to the Fifth Dalai Lama in the Ganden Phodrang, keeping military power and protecting the Gelug. Khoshut nomads settled around Kokonor, while the khans spent part of the year near Lhasa. The relationship produced a joint government in which the khan's real influence varied with each generation.

Decline and legacy

Lhazang Khan killed the regent Sangye Gyatso in 1705 and deposed the Sixth Dalai Lama, making many Tibetans hostile. In 1717 the Dzungar Khanate invaded and killed him. The Qing Empire expelled the Dzungars in 1720 and crushed a Khoshut revolt in Kokonor in 1723 to 1724.

Lineage

Four Oirat 1399 CE – 1634 CEKhoshut Khanate

Connections (3)

Tsangpa dynasty was conquered by Khoshut Khanate1642 CE
Ganden Phodrang was a vassal of Khoshut Khanate1642 CE – 1717 CE
Khoshut Khanate was conquered by Dzungar Khanate1717 CE

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Cite this page

APA: The Epoch Institute. (2026). Khoshut Khanate. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/khoshut-khanate
MLA: “Khoshut Khanate.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/khoshut-khanate. Accessed .
Chicago: The Epoch Institute. “Khoshut Khanate.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/khoshut-khanate.
Harvard: The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Khoshut Khanate’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/khoshut-khanate (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻