Foreword: Tibetans experienced only one period of unification in their history; for most of the rest of the time, they lived in a state of division.

The Tibetan Empire, spanning the 7th to 9th centuries AD, represents the only period of unification and peak in Tibetan history.

Tibetan Empire （618–842/848）

Peak area: ≈4.3-4.9 million square kilometers

Its sphere of influence extends to present-day Qinghai, Gansu, Xinjiang, and Sichuan provinces in China, as well as Nepal, Bhutan, the Kashmir region, and northern Afghanistan.

However, for most of the time after their peak, Tibetans were dominated and ruled by other ethnic groups or became vassal states of other ethnic groups.

The regimes and ethnic groups that ruled Tibet:

Yuan Dynasty – Mongols （1271-1368）

Ming Dynasty – Chinese （1368-1644）

(This is controversial; some scholars believe the early Ming Dynasty controlled Tibet, while others believe it never did, but at least it was a vassal state Existing records indicate that after China destroyed Mongol rule, it sent envoys to Tibet, and many Tibetan lamas subsequently traveled to China to receive investiture and titles.)

Qing Dynasty – Manchus （1644-1911）

Republic of China – Chinese （1911-1949）

People's Republic of China – Chinese （1950-now）

In fact, the Mongols and Manchus did not have a very deep level of control over Tibet. If you were to ask which regime has the highest degree of control over Tibetans, it would undoubtedly be the current CCP China.

The current status of the ethnic groups ruling Tibet:

Mongolians – Most of their territory are divided between the Chinese and Russians, and they are largely ruled by the Chinese and Russians.

Manchus – Their rule was destroyed by the Chinese in the early 20th century; 90% of the Manchu population is now ruled by the Chinese, with a minority ruled by the Russians.

Chinese – At their peak