British expedition to Tibet. The British expedition to Tibet began in December 1903 and lasted until September 1904. The expedition was effectively a temporary invasion by British Indian forces under the auspices of the Tibet Frontier Commission, whose purported mission was to establish diplomatic relations and resolve the dispute over the border between Tibet and Sikkim.[2] In the nineteenth century, the British conquered Burma and Sikkim, occupying the whole southern flank of Tibet, which remained the only Himalayan kingdom free of British influence.
The expedition was intended to counter Russia's perceived ambitions in the East and was initiated largely by Lord Curzon, the head of the British India government. Curzon had long obsessed over Russia's advance into Central Asia and now feared a Russian invasion of British India.[3] In April 1903, the British received clear assurances from the Russian government that it had no interest in Tibet. Background[edit] Initial advance[edit] The massacre of Chumik Shenko[edit] Radio 4 Empire - Tibet and Francis Younghusband. British expedition to Tibet. Tibet, British expedition to (1904). Suspecting that Russia proposed to establish an agent at Lhasa, capital of Tibet, then loosely under Chinese control, in 1903 the Indian government sent Col Younghusband to negotiate with the Tibetans. Denied access, he was given an escort of some 2, 000 troops with four light guns.
The force set about crossing some of the most difficult country in the world in poor weather, and Brig Gen Macdonald, the escort commander, clashed with Younghusband, maintaining that it was unwise to continue. On 31 March 1904 a deadlock with Tibetan troops at Guru turned into a battle which left over 600 Tibetans dead and half a dozen British and Indians wounded. Younghusband reached Gyantse, his authorized destination, and was besieged in nearby Chang Lo, indulging in squabbles by messenger and telegraph with his political masters and Macdonald. On 6 July the escort stormed Gyantse fort, and on the 14th the force set out for Lhasa, arriving there in early August. The Younghusband Expedition (1903-1904) « Tibet Talk. By Jigme Duntak In 1898, Lord George Curzon had been appointed as Viceroy of British India.
By December 1903 Curzon had dispatched a British force of three thousand soldiers, heavily made up of Afghans and Gurkhas from British India, in order to deal with the harsh Himalayan terrain, along with seven thousand support troops into Tibet. The military contingent was led by Brigadier General J.R. MacDonald and Major Francis Younghusband under the public pretext of solving “trading difficulties” through a “peaceful mission”. The same pretext had been used for British interventions in Burma, however, the actual reason and causes for this British expedition, which later developed into a violent military mission, were much more complex. Lord Curzon’s decision to orchestrate a forced entry into Tibet was based on his strong belief, that across the northern deserts, Russia had been intruding and exerting her influence in Tibet. The Great Game: Fears of Russian Encroachment Causes of the Expedition. Tibet Expedition - FIBIwiki. INVASION OF TIBET BEGUN. - British Expedition Concentrating in the Chumbi Valley -- Dalai Lama Returned Lord Curzon's Letters. - Editorial.
Tibet: first 1903 photographs of the secret kingdom to be auctioned off. By Daily Mail Reporter Updated: 22:42 GMT, 3 October 2010 An incredible set of pictures taken during the controversial 1903 British Mission to Tibet has come to light - the first ever photos to come out of the mysterious country. The rare snaps were taken by an officer during the campaign - the first time the British were given access to the country. They depict the haunting beauty of the secluded country and brought images of Tibeten landscapes including Mount Everest to the west for the first time. The 72 stunning pictures show local people, buildings and even a group of nuns gathered to smile for the camera. The pictures date from the notorious expedition of Edwardian adventurer Francis Younghusband in 1903-04 and gave the western world their first glimpse of life in the hidden kingdom The photographs were painstakingly pasted into an album and stored carefully, passing down through his family over the years The Council of four in the Potala palace.