Overview
Over thirteen centuries, Tibetan elites developed unique concepts of law, created legal texts, and formulated sophisticated ideological accounts of law's place within their political and religious landscape. When writing was first introduced in the seventh century, Tibetan rulers commissioned laws and recorded legal practices. As the Tibetan empire collapsed in the ninth and tenth centuries, new ideas emerged concerning the nature of Tibetan law and its relationship with Buddhist morality.
Throughout subsequent centuries, multiple authors – both religious and secular – engaged with different concepts of law, from authoritative rules and religious morality to precedent and dispute resolution. While Tibet never developed what could be called a 'legal system' in the conventional sense, various rulers, religious leaders, and communities undertook practices of discipline, governance, and conflict resolution that remained distinctively Tibetan, creating a rich textual tradition that continued into the twentieth century.
This website lists Tibetan historical documents from the time of the late empire up to the sixteenth century, which are legal or relevant to law in some way.
