Under Bhutan's early theocratic
dual system of government, decreasingly effective central government control resulted in the
de facto disintegration of the office of
Zhabdrung Rinpoche after the death of
Ngawang Namgyal in 1651. Under this system, the Zhabdrung reigned over the temporal
Druk Desi and religious
Je Khenpo. Two successor Zhabdrungs – the son (1651) and stepbrother (1680) of Ngawang Namgyal – were effectively controlled by the Druk Desi and Je Khenpo until power was further splintered through the innovation of multiple Zhabdrung incarnations, reflecting speech, mind, and body. Increasingly secular regional lords (
penlops and
dzongpens) competed for power amid a backdrop of civil war over the Zhabdrung and invasions from
Tibet and the
Mongol Empire. The penlops of
Trongsa and
Paro, and the dzongpens of
Punakha,
Thimphu, and
Wangdue Phodrang were particularly notable figures in the competition for regional dominance. During this period, there were a total of nine provinces and eight penlops vying for power.
Chogyal Minjur Tenpa (1613–1680;
r. 1667–1680) was the first Penlop of Trongsa, appointed by Ngawang Namgyal. He was born Damchho Lhundrub in Min-Chhud,
Tibet, and led a monastic life from childhood. Before his appointment at Trongsa, he held the appointed post of Umzey (Chant Master). A trusted follower of the Zhabdrung, Minjur Tenpa was sent to subdue kings of Bumthang, Lhuntse, Trashigang, Zhemgang, and other lords from
Trongsa Dzong. After doing so, the Tongsa divided his control in the east among eight regions (Shachho Khorlo Tsegay), overseen by Dungpas and Kutshabs (civil servants). He went on to build
Jakar,
Lhuntse, Trashigang, and Zhemgang
Dzongs. The family belongs to the descendants of Dungkar Choji of the Nyö clan, and is descended from
Pema Lingpa, a Bhutanese
Nyingma saint. The Nyö clan emerged as a local aristocracy supplanting many older aristocratic families of Tibetan origin that sided with Tibet during invasions of Bhutan. In doing so, the clan came to occupy the
de facto hereditary position of Penlop of Trongsa since
Jigme Namgyal (appointed from among his family), as well as significant national and local government positions. While the Penlop of Trongsa controlled central and eastern Bhutan, the rival Penlop of Paro controlled western Bhutan. Dzongpens controlled areas surrounding their respective dzongs. Eastern dzongpens were generally under the control of the Penlop of Trongsa, who was officially endowed with the power to appoint them in 1853. This period of intense rivalry between and within western and central Bhutan, coupled with external forces from Tibet and especially the
British Empire, provided the conditions for the ascendancy of the Penlop of Trongsa. The pro-Britain Penlop
Ugyen Wangchuck ultimately prevailed against the pro-Tibet and anti-Britain Penlop of Paro after a series of civil wars and rebellions between 1882 and 1885. After his father's death in 1881, Ugyen Wangchuck entered a feud over the post of Penlop of Trongsa. In 1882, at the age of 20, he marched on Bumthang and Trongsa, winning the post of Penlop of Trongsa in addition to Paro. In 1885, Ugyen Wangchuck intervened in a conflict between the Dzongpens of Punakha and Thimphu, sacking both sides and seizing
Simtokha Dzong. From this time forward, the office of
Druk Desi became purely ceremonial. ==Legal status==