principality · China, Tibet and Mongolia

Rinpungpa

1435 CE – 1565 CE (approx.) · capital Rinpung

A family of ministers from Tsang who overshadowed the Phagmodrupa kings and dominated western and central Tibet for over a century.

Origins

The Rinpung family served the Phagmodrupa dynasty as governors in the Tsang region of west-central Tibet. In 1435, after a succession crisis at the Phagmodru court, Norbu Zangpo of Rinpung seized the fortress of Samdrubtse (Shigatse), and the family became the real power in Tsang while still nominally serving the Phagmodru kings.

Rule and society

The Rinpungpa governed through fortress-districts and alliances with local nobles. They were patrons of the Karma Kagyu school and its Karmapa lamas, and under Donyö Dorje, at the height of their power around 1500, they took control of the Lhasa region and banned Gelug monks from Lhasa's great prayer festival between 1498 and 1517.

Decline and legacy

Their power declined after 1512 through internal quarrels. Zhingshak Tseten Dorje, a former Rinpungpa official at Samdrubtse, rebelled in the 1550s and in 1565 founded the Tsangpa dynasty, which took over Rinpung's position.

Lineage

RinpungpaTsangpa dynasty 1565 CE – 1642 CE

Connections (1)

Rinpungpa was a vassal of Phagmodrupa dynasty1435 CE – 1565 CE

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Cite this page

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

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻