The Thirteenth Dalai Lama (Thubten Gyatso)

Thubten Gyatso (1876–1933 CE), the 'Great Thirteenth,' was the major reforming and modernizing Dalai Lama and—after a century of short-lived predecessors—a long-reigning ruler who took the actual reins of power. Born in south-central Tibet and enthroned in 1879, he assumed full authority in 1895 and navigated Tibet through the rivalry of the British and Russian empires (the 'Great Game'), the British military expedition of 1904, and the collapse of the Qing dynasty, twice fleeing into exile (to Mongolia and to British India) before returning and, in 1913, proclaiming Tibet's independence. He worked to restore monastic discipline, broaden the lay administration, build a modern army, and open limited contacts with the wider world. The immediate predecessor of the present Dalai Lama, he is one of the most consequential and best-documented figures of modern Tibetan history.