Background
Dayan Khan was the son of Güshi Khan of the Khoshut tribe who allied with the Gelug faction (the Yellow Church) in Tibet and was victorious in 1642.
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Career
He sat on the throne during the time of the 5th Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso, but did not have a major independent role in Tibetan politics. The Dalai Lama, in return, named him Dharma king, Protector of the Faith. The Khoshut khan did not normally interfere in political matters, but rather managed the Mongol forces that backed up the dharma regime of Dalai Lama.
As long as Güshi was alive he maintained a degree of control over the new Tibetan state.
However, he died in January 1655, 73 years old. They were suspicious of each other and primarily focused on Mongolian affairs
Dayan, who was also known as Tenzin Dorje or Tsik Shitu Tenzin, was the eldest son of the younger queen of Güshi. He was proclaimed the new "king of Tibet" by the Dalai Lama on 7 February 1658 and took responsibility for the Mongol troops like his father had done.
There was however commotion among the Mongols who lived by the Tsongön Lake in this period, as the factions did want to submit to each other.
The situation indicates the degree of Dalai Lama"s spiritual and political influence. Clearly, Dayan Khan did not have the pondus of his father. The Khoshut elite was handicapped by its nomadic lifestyle, having their main pastures in the land of Dam (south-east of Tengri-Nor Lake).
The king would only come to Lhasa in the winters, though not every year, and stay at the Ganden Khangsar Palace.
An incident with the Qing Empire occurred towards the end of Dayan"s reign, in 1667. An army of Mongols from Kokonor moved towards Xining near the border and laid siege to the city.
However, they withdrew on the approach of Chinese troops.
