Gongma Drakpa Gyaltsen

Gongma Drakpa Gyaltsen (Tibetan: གྲགས་ཕ་རྒྱལ་མཚན, Wylie: Gong ma grags pa rgyal mts'an, 1374–1432) was a king of Tibet who ruled in 1385–1432.

His father had very briefly succeeded to the rulership of Central Tibet in 1373, but lost his mind when a house where he stayed overnight caught fire.

Five years later he was raised to the dignity of regent of Tibet by a faction opposed to the current ruler Sonam Drakpa.

[9] The honorary title Chanhuawang (Prince who Expounds Buddhism) was borne by Drakpa Gyaltsen and his successors on the throne until the 17th century.

He received three petitions from Drakpa Gyaltsen with a lament that "without an overlord there would be no protection [and] through which he offered head and body [to the emperor]".

A monk from Tsang called Gedun Drub attended the sermons and subsequently became a disciple of Tsongkhapa; he would later be counted as the First Dalai Lama.

[16] At his demise he was succeeded by his nephew Drakpa Jungne, whose mother belonged to the powerful feudatory family Rinpungpa in Tsang.

However, dynastic turmoil and localism among the regional lords led to a breakdown of Phagmodrupa power three years after the accession of the new king.