History House of Wangchuck

1 history

1.1 origins
1.2 nationhood under wangchucks
1.3 democratization under wangchucks

history

there have been 5 wangchuck kings of bhutan, namely:

the ascendency of house of wangchuck rooted in historical politics of bhutan. between 1616 , 1907, varying administrative, religious, , regional powers vied control within bhutan. during period, factions influenced , supported tibet , british empire. ultimately, hereditary penlop of trongsa, ugyen wangchuck, elected first druk gyalpo assembly of subjects in 1907, marking ascendency of house of wangchuck.

origins

under bhutan s theocratic tibetan dual system of government, decreasingly effective central government control resulted in de facto disintegration of office of shabdrung after death of shabdrung ngawang namgyal in 1651. under dual system of government, desi or temporal rulers took control of civil administration , je khenpos took control of religious affairs. 2 successor shabdrungs – son (1651) , stepbrother (1680) of ngawang namgyal – controlled druk desi , je khenpo until power further splintered through innovation of multiple shabdrung incarnations, reflecting speech, mind, , body. increasingly secular regional lords (penlops , dzongpons) competed power amid backdrop of civil war on shabdrung , invasions tibet, , mongol empire. penlops of trongsa , paro, , dzongpons of punakha, thimphu, , wangdue phodrang particularly notable figures in competition regional dominance.

chogyal minjur tenpa (1613–1680; r. 1667–1680) first penlop of trongsa (tongsab), appointed shabdrung ngawang namgyal. born damchho lhundrub in min-chhud, tibet, , led monastic life childhood. before appointment tongsab, held appointed post of umzey (chant master). trusted follower of shabdrung, minjur tenpa sent subdue kings of bumthang, lhuntse, trashigang, zhemgang, , other lords trongsa dzong. after doing so, tongsab divided control in east among 8 regions (shachho khorlo tsegay), overseen dungpas , kutshabs (civil servants). went on build jakar, lhuntse, trashigang, , zhemgang dzongs.

within political landscape, wangchuck family originated in bumthang region of central bhutan. family belongs nyö clan, , descended pema lingpa, bhutanese nyingmapa saint. nyö clan emerged local aristocracy, supplanting many older aristocratic families of tibetan origin sided tibet during invasions of bhutan. in doing so, clan came occupy hereditary position of penlop of trongsa, significant national , local government positions.

the penlop of trongsa managed central bhutan; rival penlop of paro controlled western bhutan; , dzongpons controlled areas surrounding respective dzongs. penlop of paro, unlike trongsa, office appointed druk desi s central government. because western regions controlled penlop of paro contained lucrative trade routes, became object of competition among aristocratic families.

although bhutan enjoyed favorable relations both tibet , british india through 19th century, extension of british power @ bhutan s borders tibetan incursions in british sikkim defined politically opposed pro-tibet , pro-britain forces. period of intense rivalry between , within western , central bhutan, coupled external forces tibet , british empire, provided conditions ascendancy of penlop of trongsa.

after duar war britain (1864–65) substantial territorial losses (cooch behar 1835; assam duars 1841), armed conflict turned inward. in 1870, amid continuing civil wars, 10th penlop of trongsa, jigme namgyal ascended office of 48th druk desi. in 1879, appointed 17-year-old son ugyen wangchuck 23th penlop of paro. jigme namgyal reigned through death 1881, punctuated periods of retirement during retained effective control of country.

the pro-britain penlop ugyen wangchuck prevailed against pro-tibet , anti-britain penlop of paro after series of civil wars , rebellions between 1882 , 1885. after father s death in 1881, ugyen wangchuck entered feud on post of penlop of trongsa. in 1882, @ age of 20, marched on bumthang , trongsa, winning post of penlop of trongsa in addition paro. in 1885, ugyen wangchuck intervened in conflict between dzongpens of punakha , thimphu, sacking both sides , seizing simtokha dzong. time forward, office of desi became purely ceremonial.

nationhood under wangchucks

king ugyen wangchuck, receiving order of knight commander of order of british empire @ punakha dzong

the 12th trongsa penlop, ugyen wangchuck, firmly in power , advised kazi ugyen dorji, accompanied british expedition tibet invaluable intermediary, earning first british knighthood. penlop ugyen wangchuck further garnered knighthood in kcie in 1904. meanwhile, last officially recognized shabdrung , druk desi had died in 1903 , 1904, respectively. result, power vacuum formed within dysfunctional dual system of government. civil administration had fallen hands of penlop ugyen wangchuck, , in november 1907 unanimously elected hereditary monarch assembly of leading members of clergy, officials, , aristocratic families. ascendency throne ended traditional dual system of government in place 300 years. title penlop of trongsa – or penlop of chötse, name trongsa – continued held crown princes.

as king of bhutan, ugyen wangchuck secured treaty of punakha (1910), under britain guaranteed bhutan s independence, granted bhutanese royal government stipend, , took control of bhutanese foreign relations. after coronation, uygen further merited british delhi durbar gold medal in 1911; knight commander of order of star of india (kcsi) in 1911; , knight grand commander of order of indian empire (gcie) in 1921. king ugyen wangchuck died in 1926.

the reign of second king jigme wangchuck (1926–1952) characterized increasingly powerful central government , beginnings of infrastructure development. bhutan established first diplomatic relations india under bilateral treaty of friendship, largely patterned after prior treaty of punakha.

the third king jigme dorji wangchuck (r. 1952–1972) ascended throne @ age of 16, having been educated in england , india. during reign of third king, bhutan began further political , legal reforms , started open outside world. notably, third king responsible establishing unicameral national assembly in 1953 , establishing relations indian prime minister jawaharlal nehru in 1958. under jigme dorji wangchuck, bhutan modernized legal codes.

democratization under wangchucks

the third king died in 1972, , raven crown passed 16-year-old jigme singye wangchuck. fourth king was, father, educated in england , india, , had attended ugyen wangchuck academy @ satsham choten in paro. reigning until 2006, fourth king responsible development of tourism industry, gross national happiness concept, , strides in democratization including draft constitution of bhutan. later years of reign, however, marked departure of bhutanese refugees in 1990s amid government s driglam namzha policy , citizenship laws overzealously enforced district officials. astonishment of bhutanese public, fourth king announced abdication in 2005 , retired in 2006, handing crown son jigme khesar namgyel wangchuck.

jigme khesar namgyel wangchuck assumed throne fifth king in 2008 kingdom adopted first democratic constitution.