There have been five Wangchuck kings of Bhutan, namely: •
Ugyen Wangchuck (
b.1861–
d.1926) "First King"; reigned 17 December 1907 – 21 August 1926. •
Jigme Wangchuck (
b.1905–
d.1952) "Second King";
r. 21 August 1926 – 24 March 1952. •
Jigme Dorji Wangchuck (
b.1929–
d.1972) "Third King";
r. 24 March 1952 – 24 July 1972. •
Jigme Singye Wangchuck (
b.1955) "Fourth King";
r. 24 July 1972 – 9 December 2006. •
Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck (
b.1980) "Fifth King";
r. 9 December 2006 – present. The ascendency of the Wangchuck family is deeply rooted in the historical politics of
Bhutan. Between 1616 and 1907, varying administrative, religious, and regional powers vied for control within Bhutan. During this period, factions were influenced and supported by
Tibet and the
British Empire. Ultimately, the hereditary
Penlop of Trongsa,
Ugyen Wangchuck, was elected the first
Druk Gyalpo by an assembly of his subjects in 1907, marking the ascendency of his dynasty.
Origins Under Bhutan's early theocratic
Tibetan dual system of government, decreasingly effective central government control resulted in the
de facto disintegration of the office of
Shabdrung after the death of
Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal in 1651. Under the dual system of the government, Desi or the temporal rulers took control of civil administration and Je Khenpos took control of religious affairs. Two successor
Shabdrungs – 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
Shabdrung incarnations, reflecting speech, mind, and body. Increasingly secular regional lords (
penlops and
dzongpons) competed for power amid a backdrop of civil war over the
Shabdrung and invasions from
Tibet, and the
Mongol Empire. The penlops of
Trongsa and
Paro, and the
dzongpons of
Punakha,
Thimphu, and
Wangdue Phodrang were particularly notable figures in the competition for regional dominance.
Chogyal Minjur Tenpa (1613–1680;
r. 1667–1680) was the first
Penlop of Trongsa (
Tongsab), appointed by
Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal. He was born Damchho Lhundrub in Min-Chhud,
Tibet, and led a monastic life from childhood. Before his appointment as
Tongsab, he held the appointed post of
Umzey (Chant Master). A trusted follower of the
Shabdrung, Minjur Tenpa was sent to subdue kings of Bumthang, Lhuntse, Trashigang, Zhemgang, and other lords from
Trongsa Dzong. After doing so, the Tongsab 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. Within this political landscape, the Wangchuck family originated in the
Bumthang region of central Bhutan. The family belongs to the Nyö clan, and is descended from
Pema Lingpa, a Bhutanese
Nyingmapa 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 hereditary position of
Penlop of Trongsa, as well as significant national and local government positions. The
Penlop of Trongsa managed central Bhutan; the rival Penlop of Paro controlled western Bhutan; and dzongpons controlled areas surrounding their respective
dzongs. The Penlop of Paro, unlike Trongsa, was an office appointed by the
Druk Desi's central government. Because western regions controlled by the Penlop of Paro contained lucrative trade routes, it became the object of competition among aristocratic families. 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 Desi became purely ceremonial. The title
Penlop of Trongsa – or Penlop of Chötse, another name for Trongsa – continued to be held by crown princes. As
King of Bhutan, Ugyen Wangchuck secured the
Treaty of Punakha (1910), under which Britain guaranteed Bhutan's independence, granted Bhutanese Royal Government a stipend, and took control of
Bhutanese foreign relations. After his coronation, Uygen further merited the British
Delhi Durbar Gold Medal in 1911; the
Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India (
KCSI) in 1911; and the
Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire (
GCIE) in 1921. King Ugyen Wangchuck died in 1926. The reign of the Second King
Jigme Wangchuck (1926–1952) was characterized by an increasingly powerful central government and the beginnings of infrastructure development. Bhutan also established its first diplomatic relations with
India under the bilateral Treaty of Friendship, largely patterned after the prior Treaty of Punakha. The Third King
Jigme Dorji Wangchuck (
r. 1952–1972) ascended the throne at the age of 23, having been educated in
England and
India. During the reign of the Third King, Bhutan began further political and legal reforms and started to open to the outside world.
Democratization under the Wangchucks The Third King died in 1972, and the
Raven Crown passed to the 16-year-old
Jigme Singye Wangchuck. The Fourth King was, like his father, educated in England and India, and had also attended Ugyen Wangchuck Academy at Satsham Choten in
Paro. Reigning until 2006, the Fourth King was responsible for the development of the tourism industry,
Gross National Happiness as a concept, and strides in democratization including the draft
Constitution of Bhutan. The later years of his reign, however, also marked the departure of
Bhutanese refugees in the 1990s amid the government's
driglam namzha policy (official behaviour and dress code) and citizenship laws that were overzealously enforced by some
district officials. To the surprise of the Bhutanese public, the Fourth King announced his abdication in 2005 and retired in 2006, handing the crown to his son
Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck.
Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck assumed the throne as the Fifth King in 2008 as the kingdom adopted its
first democratic Constitution. ==Genealogy==