Me Agtsom

Mes Ag Tshoms (Tibetan: མེས་ཡག་ཚོམས, "Bearded Grandfather"), birth name Tridé Tsuktsen (Wylie: khri lde gtsug btsan, 704–755 CE) was the emperor of the Tibetan Empire and the son of Tridu Songtsen and his queen, Tsenma Toktokteng, Princess of Chim (Wylie: btsan ma thog thog steng). He is usually known by his nickname Mé Aktsom "Bearded Grandfather", which was given to him later in life because he was so hirsute.

His father, Tridu Songtsen, died in 704 in battle in Mywa territory in the Kingdom of Nanzhao (Wylie: 'jang, modern lowland Yunnan). The Old Book of Tang states he was on his way to suppress tributary kingdoms on the southern borders of Tibet, including Nepal and parts of India.

There was a dispute among his sons but "after a long time" the people put seven-year-old Tridé Tsuktsen on the throne.

It is very unclear, however, from the sources exactly what happened after the death of Tridu Songtsen. According to the Tibetan Annals, "he who would be crowned king" (i.e. Mes-ag-tshoms?) was born in the spring of 704, just a few months before his father died.

Beckwith states that in the winter of 704-705, Lha ("Balpho" or Lha Balpo), one of the sons of Tridu Songtsen, took the throne, but Thrimalö (Wylie: khri ma lod), the empress dowager, wife of the second emperor, Mangsong Mangtsen, and mother of Tridu Songtsen, "dethroned Lha in favor of the infant Rgyal Gtsug ru, the future Khri gtsug brtsan, popularly known as Mes ag tshoms. Revolts and executions accompanied the virtual coup, but the Annals and Chinese sources have little to report on them. It is interesting to note that Lha apparently was not killed, but only forced into semiretirement. It was thus, perhaps, the "Retired Emperor" Lha who actually received and married the Chinese princess Chin-ch'eng in 710. In any event, Tibet experienced more internal unrest, and was conspicuously quiet on its borders with China."