User:Mansur al Hallaj/Sandbox3
| Dorji Namgyal ནམྒྱལདོརྗི | |
|---|---|
| Zhabrung ཞབས་དྲུང | |
.jpg) Dorji Namgyal in traditional attire, in exile in Euclea | |
| Zhabrung of Duran | |
| Reign | 13th May 1876 - 2nd August 1882 |
| Predecessor | Rinchen Namgyal |
| Successor | Lhamo Namgyal |
| Regent | Gyatso Lama |
| Zhabrung of Duran | |
| Reign | 8th August 1935 - 12th October 1935 |
| Predecessor | Lhamo Namgyal |
| Successor | Kalsang Jigme Namgyal |
| Born | 7 September 1861 Chenpodrang |
| Died | 12 October 1935 (aged 74) Chenpodrang |
| Burial | Cremated at Tsachen Monastery |
| Wives | Amrita Namgyal Pema Namgyal Tashi Namgyal |
| Issue | Kalsang Jigme Namgyal Others |
| Dynasty | Namgyal |
| Father | Rinchen Namgyal |
Dorji Namgyal (Namkha: ནམྒྱལདོརྗི Namgyal Dorji) was the Zhabrung of Duran from the 13th of May 1876 to the 2nd of August 1882, before his deposition in a palace coup in favour of his sister Lhamo Namgyal, who was favoured by the Heavenly Shangean Empire. Living in exile at first in Ajahadya between 1882 and 1900, and then in EUCLEAN STATES until 1935, he claimed to represent the rightful government of Duran and lobbied foreign powers to intervene to back his claim. He would return to power after the signing of the Treaty of Keisi in 1935, but died on the 12th of October 1935, just months after reclaiming his crown.
Dorji inherited the Lotus Throne at the age of 15, following his father's unexpected death in 1876, and for the first year of his rule was overseen by a regent, the Pönchen Gyatso Lama. A nationalist, Dorji defended traditional Duranian culture and governance during his reign. This set him at odds with the Shangean merchant class, who desired a reformist leader who would protect their interests. In 1882, the Snow Petal Society of Shangean elites backed a palace coup, allegedly at the behest of the Xiyong Emperor himself, which removed Dorji from power in favour of his younger sister Lhamo, who was herself educated in Baiqiao. Forced to flee the country with a small group of loyal retainers and as much wealth as he could take, Dorji moved first to Ajahadya where he would unsuccessfully petition the Raja for military support. Realising the Raja was aligned with the Heavenly Shangean Empire, Dorji fled towards Euclea. For the next 30 years, Dorji became a notable figure in Euclean courts and high society as he attempted to gain support for his cause. While he gained little concrete aid, the romanticism attached with the "Exiled Southron King" as he was called gained him audiences and the Euclean Society for Duranian Independence formed.
The outbreak of the Great War would prove a windfall for Dorji. Where his cause had before been a source of Australist fancy, it was now viewed as a potential tool against Entente-aligned Shangea. Correspondance between Dorji and Grand Alliance leaders intensified, and Dorji's supporters in Occupied Duran began to cause unrest in the kingdom. Though this was not significant militarily, it was enough to grant Dorji's return to power as a provision of the Treaty of Keisi. Dorji returned home following the signing of the treaty, but was by now an old man. He died just two months after returning to Duran, where he was cremated at the traditional royal monastery. He was succeeded by his son, Kalsang Jigme Namgyal, who oversaw the crucial postwar period in Duran.
Life
Youth and upbringing
The eldest child of Zhabrung Rinchen Namgyal, Dorji was born into an elite milieu of Duranian society and from a young age recieved education in statecraft and religious matters. Unlike his father, who was widely viewed as being a Zohist in name only, Dorji showed an affinity with religious affairs and formed an especially close bond with his teacher Gyatso Lama, a Zohist clergyman and scholar. Living in the royal palace of Chenpodrang, Dorji was insulated from the daily struggles of the Duranian people and courtly intrigue of the palace, instead devoting his time to reading about Duran's history and culture. He saw little of his father during this formative period, which has been associated by some with his strong aversion to modernising reforms as his father had placed such projects above him.
In 1876, Rinchen Namgyal passed away due to alcohol-related complications, leaving Dorji to ascend to the throne at the age of 15. His father had been a controversial ruler, leading many to claim that he had been poisoned either by Shangean agents or by reactionary nobles who resented his reforms. For the first years of his rule, Duran was effectively controlled by his teacher Gyatso, himself highly reactionary.
First reign and deposition
The initial period of Dorji's reign was profoundly influenced by his steward's beliefs. A member of the ultra-traditionalist Nyingpa faction, Gyatso Lama was intent on reversing Rinchen's reforms to society such as his mandating of northern dress and his expansion of foreign relations. Dorji was acquiescent, if not entirely supportive of such decisions, to this political direction, and throughout his reign would attempt to limit foreign influences within Duran. This placed him at odds with the Shangean population, who were dominant within the mercantile classes and had profited from Rinchen's decision to expand foreign trade. The Heavenly Shangean Empire was in ascendence, and while Dorji was occupied with internal matters he ignored the threat growing to his south.
Having grown up secluded from the squabbles of the court and the influence of the various factions which had emerged amongst the Duranian population, Dorji remained oblivious to the tensions which were building within his kingdom. His education had informed him that the Zhabrung's rule was absolute and unquestioned, while Gyatso Lama had insulated him from factional politics in order to ensure the dominance of his Nyingpa faction in court appointments. The modernist Sarpa faction came to resent his rule and instead turn their attention to his younger sister Lhamo Namgyal, who had been educated in Shangea and was seen to be more malleable. The Snow Petal Society, a secretive club of Shangean business interests, also began to pin their interests to Lhamo with the hopes that they could secure the steward's position and extend Shangean dominance over Duran. By 1881, these two factions had begun to see common cause and, with assurances that Duranian sovereignty would be maintained under a Shangean protectorate, the Sarpa faction backed the Snow Petal Society's conspiracy.
The decision which sealed Dorji's fate was his decision to raise export and import tariffs on cross-border trade with Shangea. Facing a significant decrease in earnings, and with the tacit support of the Shangean government which was by now fully informed of their plans, the Snow Petal Society put their plans into place. A group of bribed guards and discontented soldiers marched on the Lari Dzong, forcing the Kashag to dismiss Dorji and recognise his sister Lhamo as the Zhabrung. Dorji was alerted of the coup in advance by an insider in the group, and was advised to assemble his most trusted retainers and flee the country. He convened his family and a group of 40 followers, primarily nobles and monks, before fleeing under the cover of darkness the night before the coup took place. The conspirators allowed him to flee, as they believed that his flight would disenhearten any of his supporters. Dorji made his way north, seeking asylum at the Duranian embassy in the Rajadom of Ajahadya.