13th Dalai Lama

Born Thubten Gyatso in 1876, he was recognized as the reincarnation at two and enthroned at the Potala Palace in 1879, though political power waited until 1895 when he reached maturity. He inherited a Tibet caught between empires - the Qing in freefall, the British pushing north - and set about rebuilding its geopolitical position after the British expedition forced the question. An intellectual and a pragmatist, he restored discipline to monastic life while expanding the ranks of lay officials to dilute the monks' grip on power. By the time he died in 1933, Tibet had tasted sovereignty again, and the machinery of state had been pulled, however briefly, into the twentieth century.