Altan Khan in the context of "History of Tibet"

Zasagt Khan (Mongolian: Засагт Хаан; Chinese: 扎薩克圖汗), born Tümen (Mongolian: Түмэн; Chinese: 圖們) (1539–1592), was a khagan of the Northern Yuan dynasty, reigning from 1558 until his death in 1592. He succeeded Darayisung Gödeng Khan and ruled directly over the Chahar. During his reign, the Mongols conquered the Daur and Evenk tribes.

Zasagt Khan was the first of three sons of Darayisung Gödeng Khan. His authority was validated by Altan Khan, and he later coordinated Altan's actions to win over the Uriyangkhai and Daur Mongols. His relatives, Abtai Khan and Khutughtai Sechen Khung Taiji, brought a significant portion of the Four Oirats back into the Mongol fold. In addition to conducting successful raids against the Ming dynasty, Zasagt Khan conquered Koko Nur and appointed his son as its ruler.

The Dalai Lama (UK: /ˈdælaɪ ˈlɑːmə/, US: /ˈdɑːlaɪ/; Tibetan: ཏཱ་ལའི་བླ་མ་, Wylie: Tā la'i bla ma [táːlɛː láma]) is the head of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. The term is part of the full title "Holiness Knowing Everything Vajradhara Dalai Lama" given by Altan Khan. He offered it in appreciation to the Gelug school's then-leader, Sonam Gyatso, who received it in 1578 at Yanghua Monastery. At that time, Sonam Gyatso had just given teachings to the Khan, and so the title of Dalai Lama was also given to the entire tulku lineage. Sonam Gyatso became the 3rd Dalai Lama, while the first two tulkus in the lineage, the 1st Dalai Lama and the 2nd Dalai Lama, were posthumously awarded the title.

Since the time of the 5th Dalai Lama in the 17th century, the Dalai Lama has been a symbol of unification of the state of Tibet. The Dalai Lama was an important figure of the Gelug tradition, which was dominant in Central Tibet, but his religious authority went beyond sectarian boundaries, representing Buddhist values and traditions not tied to a specific school. The Dalai Lama's traditional function as an ecumenical figure has been taken up by the fourteenth Dalai Lama, who has worked to overcome sectarian and other divisions in the exile community and become a symbol of Tibetan nationhood for Tibetans in Tibet and in exile. He is Tenzin Gyatso, who escaped from Lhasa in 1959 during the Tibetan uprising and lives in exile in Dharamshala, India.

Güshi Khan (1582 – 14 January 1655) was a Khoshut prince and founder of the Khoshut Khanate, who supplanted the Tumed descendants of Altan Khan as the main benefactor of the Dalai Lama and the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. In 1637, Güshi Khan defeated a rival Mongol prince Choghtu Khong Tayiji, a Kagyu follower, near Qinghai Lake and established his khanate in Tibet over the next years. His military assistance to the Gelug school enabled the 5th Dalai Lama to establish political control over Tibet.

Guden Khan (Mongolian: Гүдэн Хаан; Chinese: 庫騰汗), who was born Daraisung (or Darayisung; Mongolian: Дарайсун; Chinese: 打來孫), (c. 1520–1557) was a khagan of the Northern Yuan dynasty, reigning from 1547 to 1557. He was the eldest son of Bodi Alagh Khan, whom he succeeded as khagan.

During his rule, Altan Khan, who led the Tümed Mongols at the time, became more powerful and also more disrespectful of the power of the Great Khan. Daraisung Khan was unable to achieve victory in the conflicts that arose from this. Altan Khan eventually forced Daraisung Guden Khan to flee eastward. Four years later in 1551, Daraisung made a compromise with Altan accepting Altan's leadership in exchange for giving the title "Gegeen Khan" to him. As a result, Daraisung Guden Khan was forced to relocate his imperial court to the east near Manchuria, and the power of the Great Khan began to decline. Although most Mongol nobles still recognized the Great Khan as the leader, it was in name only and two Borjin nobles declared themselves as khans of their own territories during this period.

The 3rd Dalai Lama, Sonam Gyatso (Tibetan: བསོད་ནམས་རྒྱ་མཚོ་, Wylie: bsod nams rgya mtsho, ZWPY: Soinam Gyaco; 1543–1588), was the first in the tulku lineage to be entitled formally as the Dalai Lama. In 1578 Altan Khan presented the spiritual title of Dalai Lama, in honor of Sonam Gyatso's profound teachings conferred in Mongolia, which soon became a Tibetan Buddhist country. He founded Kumbum Monastery, Lithang Monastery, and Namgyal Monastery. The spiritual title was retrospectively given to his two tulku lineage predecessors, the 1st Dalai Lama and the 2nd Dalai Lama.

Sonam Gyatso was born near Lhasa in 1543 and was recognised as the reincarnation of Gendun Gyatso and subsequently enthroned at Drepung Monastery by Panchen Sonam Dragpa, who became his tutor. Panchen Sonam Dragpa was the 15th Ganden Tripa and his texts still serve as the core curriculum for many Gelug monasteries. The 3rd Dalai Lama studied at Drepung Monastery and became its abbot. His reputation spread quickly and the monks at Sera Monastery also recognised him as their abbot.

The Longqing Emperor (4 March 1537 – 5 July 1572), personal name Zhu Zaiji, was the 13th emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigning from 1567 to 1572. He was initially known as the Prince of Yu (裕王) from 1539 to 1567 before he became the emperor. He succeeded his father, the Jiajing Emperor.

After the death of the Jiajing Emperor, the Longqing Emperor inherited a country in turmoil due to years of mismanagement and corruption. Recognizing the extent of the chaos caused during his father's lengthy reign, the Emperor worked to restore order in the state administration. He reinstated talented officials who had been previously exiled and dismissed corrupt officials and Taoist priests who had surrounded the Jiajing Emperor. Additionally, he lifted the ban on foreign trade, boosting the empire's economy, and reorganized the border troops to strengthen security on the inland and coastal borders. The seaports of Zhejiang and Fujian were fortified to defend against coastal pirates, who had been a constant nuisance during the previous government. The Emperor also successfully repelled Altan Khan's Mongol army, which had breached the Great Wall and reached Beijing. A peace treaty was signed shortly after, allowing for the resumption of the exchange of horses for silk.