History of Bhutan

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Flag of Bhutan since the 19th century
Location of Bhutan between China (Tibet) and India

The Bhutanese history includes, starting with the probable settlement of the Himalayas lying land around 2000 BC, a 4,000 range of years. The first 3000 years of this history remain in the realm of mythology until today , as there are no written records about the original inhabitants of the country, the Thepu . It was only with the introduction of Buddhism by monks who fled Tibet in the 9th century that the phase of reliable historical knowledge began. Until then a Hindu feudal principality , the country has been shaped by Buddhism ever since. From 1616 Shabdung Nawang Namgyal united the principalities of the country under his rule. Despite a border conflict with the British colonial rulers of India for almost a century , Bhutan retained its independence. The country has been a constitutional monarchy since 1968 .

prehistory

Mountainous world of Bhutan

Even if the archaeological knowledge about Bhutan's early history is still poor, stone tools and weapons as well as megaliths , which were probably used to mark borders or ritual purposes, suggest that the country, which is characterized by the highest mountains in the world, was settled around 2000 Christ took place.

There is speculation that the area of ​​today's Bhutan in the 7th – 9th centuries. It was part of the Tibetan Kingdom or the North Indian Empire of Kamarupa in the 19th century . However, this is not proven. Rather, Bhutan is likely to have been free from foreign rule for the entire time it existed. Speculations about belonging to Tibet are also fed by the name "Bhutan", which is probably derived from the Sanskrit word Bhota-ant (end of Bhot, an Indian name for Tibet) or Bhu-uttan ("highlands"). The name Bhutan is only used in English-language publications in the country itself, however, the traditional self-designation since the 17th century has been Drukyul - land of the dragon people or land of the thunder dragon - a reference to the country's dominant Buddhist faith.

Introduction of Buddhism

Buddhist thangka from Bhutan

Buddhism was introduced in the 8th and 9th centuries by Tibetan monks. In 747, however, the Buddhist saint Padmasambhava is said to have come to Bhutan at the invitation of some local princes from India and converted King Sendharka. He later traveled on to Tibet. After his return from Tibet, he is said to have founded the Nyingma movement of Mahayana Buddhism, which became the dominant religion in Bhutan for the next few centuries. Guru Rimpoche stayed temporarily in India and had a strong Indian influence on the culture of Bhutan until increasing immigration from Tibet brought new cultural and religious influences from Tibet.

Indian-Hindu influences were eliminated and in the 12th century Buddhism in the form of Tibetan Lamaism was declared the state religion. Many monasteries arose and became the pillars of feudal society. From the mixture of Thepu and Tibetans the people who developed Bhotija and established the Drukpa Kagyu -School of Buddhism, which is the dominant form of this doctrine today.

Unification of the country

Shapdrung, the unity of Bhutan in a 19th century depiction

Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyel (1616-1651), who had to flee to Bhutan because his recognition as the rebirth of Pema Karpo (the head of the Drukpa Kagyü school of Buddhism) was rejected by the Tsang Desi , succeeded during his reign from 1616 Unification of the previously independent principalities of the country into a theocratic empire. The Tibetan-born religious dignitary is seen as the founder of the state and the founder of Bhutanese identity. With his cultural achievements - he divided all regions of the country into one kingdom administered in writing - he laid the foundation for today's Bhutanese society. The state was given the name Druk Yul (Land of Dragons) , which is still valid today . He began the settlement with the submission of the followers of the Drikung Kagyu sect of Buddhism in western Bhutan. In 1634 Shabdrung completed his unification work by victorious in the "battle of the five lamas" over a force of the Tibetans and Bhutans allied with them against him. The division of the country's leadership by a religious ( Je Khenpo ) and a political-administrative leader (Druk Desi) goes back to him .

In 1627 the Jesuits Estêvão Cacella and João Cabral were the first representatives of the Roman Catholic Church in Bhutan and the first Europeans to travel to the country. They also got to know Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyel and reported about him in letters to their order.

Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyel death and conflict with Tibet 1651–1728

Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyel's death in 1651 was kept secret for 54 years to prevent the state from falling apart. It was rumored that Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyel had withdrawn on religious grounds; a practice that was not uncommon in Bhutan, Sikkim and Tibet at the time . Dignitaries were appointed in his name during this time and food was placed in front of his locked door every day. Bhutan successfully defended itself against attacks by the combined Tibetan-Mongolian forces in 1710 and 1730. State authority was formally shared between a spiritual leader ( rgyal tshab ; called Dharma Raja by British-Indian authors ) and a secular chief ( sde srid [phyag mdzod] , called Deb Raja by British-Indian writers ), but in practice it resided in the Hands of priests ( lamas ). These were provided by the governors ( pönlop ) who collected taxes and duties from the farmers and exercised jurisdiction. There was repeated fighting between the feudal power groups, in which both the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama intervened from Tibet .

Reincarnations as a system of government

In order to maintain continuity in the future, the Je Khenpo and the Druk Desi developed the concept of "multiple reincarnation " of the first Shabdrung - a reincarnation of either the body, the voice or the mind. The last person to be considered the reincarnation of the body Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyel died in the mid-18th century, and embodiments of the voice and spirit were recognized as early as the early 20th century. The state religion also gained further influence in the 17th century through the provision that at least one son from each family with several sons had to enter a monastery.

Conflict with the British

Dzong (fortress) of Trongsa

In 1772 the border conflict with the British East India Company began for almost a century . After the conquest of Assam in 1826, the British colonial power sought direct control of the border passes and in 1864 and 1865 (Treaty of Sinchula) occupied the district of Dewangiri and other areas of Bhutan. With British support, the governor Ugyen Wangchuk seized power in 1895 . During his reign, the slow reform process began in Bhutan, as he saw to it that schools were built. In 1907 he was elected king in Punakha and introduced the hereditary maharaja dignity (Wangchuk dynasty). In the Treaty of Sinchula of 1910, Great Britain formally recognized the independence of Bhutan, but retained control of foreign policy (status as a protectorate of British India).

Big neighbor India

On August 8, 1949, Bhutan signed a friendship treaty with India, according to which India takes care of Bhutan's foreign policy and provides economic aid (construction of roads and power stations). An Indian political resident was based in Gangtok ( Sikkim ). A conspiracy led by officers and officials (April 5, 1964 assassination of Prime Minister Jigme Dorji ; August 1, 1965 assassination attempt on the king) was directed against the moderate reforms of King Jigme Dorje Wangchuk (reign 1952–1972) and his alliance with India .

Reforms since the 1960s

In November 1964 the king took over the entire state authority. The Tshogdu , created in 1953 , the first parliament of Bhutan, received certain legislative rights in 1968, which paved the way for Bhutan to a constitutional monarchy . The Royal Council and the Council of Ministers form the executive . Political parties remained banned until 2007. Under King Jigme Dorje Wangchuk , the privileges of the lamas were restricted and measures to dismantle feudal conditions were introduced (abolition of serfdom , preparation of land reform to limit large land ownership to 120 hectares, start of state five-year plans, development of the education system, granting of citizenship to the Nepalese population ). On February 12, 1971, Bhutan was recognized under international law (admission to the UN ) of the de facto already existing statehood.

After Jigme Dorje Wangchuk's death , Crown Prince Jigme Singye Wangchuk was proclaimed the new king in 1972; the official coronation followed on June 2, 1974.

In 1981, Tibetan refugees who refused to accept Bhutanese citizenship were expelled.

Political opposition to a citizenship law introduced in 1985 was the reason for the unrest and the displacement of more than 100,000 Nepalese Bhutans ( Lhotsampas ) from southern Bhutan to Nepal in 1990 . In August 1998, King Jigme Singye Wangchuck, against the will of Parliament, restricted his own power and submitted to the authority of Parliament. In the years that followed, the king took various steps to transform the country into a constitutional monarchy. In 2005 he announced general elections.

King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck in March 2007

On December 14, 2006, at the age of 51, King Jigme Singye Wangchuk abdicated in favor of his son Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk . Reasons for the change originally planned for 2008 were not known. In his first address, the 26-year-old new king declared that he wanted to advance the country's democratic development. The king's first trip abroad took him to India in February 2007, where a revised treaty of friendship was concluded, making Bhutan fully sovereign in terms of foreign policy and arms industry. On November 6, 2008, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk was crowned 5th Dragon King. In 2008 a constitution was introduced in Bhutan, through which Bhutan became a democratic-constitutional monarchy. Since then, political parties have been allowed to form in the country and the country is governed by elected representatives. In December 2007 the upper house of the new parliament was elected.

The election to the House of Commons was the last step in the introduction of a constitutional monarchy. 318,465 eligible voters of the Kingdom of Bhutan elected a national assembly for the first time on March 24, 2008, see p. Parliamentary elections in Bhutan in 2008 . They gave 47 seats for the lower house, for which the People's Democratic Party (PDP) and the Bhutanese Party for Peace and Prosperity (DPT) competed. The royalist- oriented Bhutanese Party for Peace and Prosperity (DPT) achieved an overwhelming victory, winning 45 of the 47 seats.

In the future, all kings should hand over the crown to the heir to the throne on their 65th birthday.

See also

literature

  • Michael Aris: Bhutan: The Early History of a Himalayan Kingdom . Aris and Philipps, Warminster, 1979.
  • Françoise Pommaret: History and nation building . In: Christian Schicklgruber, Françoise Pommaret (ed.): Bhutan - Fortress of the Gods . Paul Haupt, Bern 1997, ISBN 3-258-05793-1 , pp. 177-235.

Web links

Commons : History of Bhutan  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ "Background Note: Bhutan" US Department of State (March 2008).
  2. ↑ The Politics of Bhutan ; Cornell University Press, Ithaca, 1977; Page 24; ISBN 0-8014-0909-8 . Quotation: "[T] here can be no doubt that since at least the tenth century no external power has controlled Bhutan, although there have been periods when various of its neighbors have been able to exert a strong cultural and / or political influence there. "
  3. ↑ Robert L. Worden: Origins and Early Settlement, AD 600-1600 . In Savada.
  4. ^ Robert L. Worden: Arrival of Buddhism.
  5. ↑ Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal and the visit of the Portuguese Jesuit Patres Father Estevão Cacella and Father João Cabral in 1627 . Pro Bhutan eV (English; PDF; 992 kB), accessed on April 18, 2017
  6. ^ A b Robert L. Worden: Administrative Integration and Conflict with Tibet, 1651-1728.
  7. ↑ Luciano Petech: The Rulers of Bhutan c. 1650-1750. In: Oriens Extremus. Journal for Language and Culture of the Far East , Volume 19, Hamburg 1972, pp. 203–213.
  8. ↑ Bhutan - History ( Memento from January 20, 2013 in the web archive archive.today ), country-facts.com;
    Chronicle of Bhutan , chroniken-asien.de
  9. ↑ Hope in Bhutan: The Dragon King is crowned. Spiegel Online, November 6, 2008, archived from the original on December 4, 2008 ; Retrieved February 19, 2017 .