Treaty of mutual recognition and allegiance between the governments of Mongolia and Tibet
The 1913 Mongol-Tibetan treaty was one of the earliest formal acts of mutual recognition between the two newly declared independent states following the fall of the Qing dynasty.
Key Facts
- Date signed
- 11 January 1913 (29 December 1912 Julian)
- Location
- Urga (now Ulaanbaatar), Mongolia
- Tibetan text surfaced
- Original Tibetan copy found in Mongolian archives in 2007
- Mongolian text published
- Published by Mongolian Academy of Sciences in 1982
- Tibetan negotiator
- Dorjiev, a Buryat Russian subject
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The collapse of the Qing dynasty in 1912 prompted both Mongolia and Tibet to declare independence. Each sought diplomatic recognition and alliances to consolidate their newfound sovereignty against potential Chinese reassertion of control, motivating them to seek formal ties with one another.
On 11 January 1913, representatives of the governments of Mongolia and Tibet signed a Treaty of Friendship and Alliance at Urga. The agreement established mutual recognition and pledged allegiance between the two states. The Tibetan side was represented by Dorjiev, whose authority to sign was later questioned given his status as a Russian subject of Buryat ethnicity.
The treaty stood as an early instance of Mongolian and Tibetan mutual recognition, though its legal weight was disputed due to questions over Dorjiev's negotiating authority. Its Mongolian text was not published until 1982, and an original Tibetan copy did not surface until 2007, limiting its historical impact and international acknowledgment at the time.
Political Outcome
Mongolia and Tibet formally recognized each other's independence and pledged mutual friendship and alliance.
Both Mongolia and Tibet were nominally under Qing Chinese suzerainty
Mongolia and Tibet mutually recognized each other as independent states