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The Dzungar intervention in Tibet was a military conflict that occurred from 1717 to 1720, between the Dzungar Khaganate and the forces of first the Khoshun, led by Lha-Bzang Khan, and later the Qing dynasty. It resulted in the defeat and expulsion of the Dzungars from Tibet and the beginning of Qing influence.

Background
Since the Khoshut invasion of Central Tibet in 1641-42, Tibet had been governed through a tripartite division of power. While the Dalai Lama was the supreme spiritual ruler, the Khoshut khan controlled the armed forces and carried the title of "Dharma king, Protector of the Faith". Executive power was delegated to a regent or desi who was originally a formal appointee of the Khoshut king. After 1655 the Khoshut kings were, however, rather weak figures who enabled the Fifth Dalai Lama to wield great personal influence. His death in 1682 was kept secret until 1697, and the desi Sangye Gyatso, rumoured to be a son of the Dalai Lama, governed Tibet. It was only in 1697 that the Sixth Dalai Lama was installed, to the great irritation of the Qing Kangxi Emperor who had been kept in the dark about the matter, and furthermore was an enemy of the Dzungar rulers. The new Dalai Lama proved pliable and uninterested in the monastic life, preferring other pursuits. A Khoshut leader, Lha-Bzang Khan, became King by poisoning the current one, his brother, sometime between 1701 and 1703.

A power struggle between Snagye Gatso and Lha-Bzang Khan ensued, with Sangye Gatso planning a coup against his rival. Forewarned, Lha-Bzang Khan headed north and gathered the Khoshut tribesmen. Marching on Lhasa, he defeated Sangye Gatso in battle, after which his rival was killed. He thus became preeminent in Tibet. The Qing Emperor, eager to gain influence in Tibet, requested that the Dalai Lama be sent to Beijing. When this occurred, the Tibetan populace rioted, attacking Khoshut troops. The Dalai Lama died in mysterious circumstances in Qinghai shortly afterward. A replacement was not found, with Lha-Bzang backing one candidate and other Khoshut leaders backing another, Kelzang Gyatso.