List of rulers of Bhutan explained

Royal Title:King
Realm:Bhutan
Coatofarms:Emblem of Bhutan.svg
Coatofarms Article:Emblem of Bhutan
Incumbent:Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck
Incumbentsince:9 December 2006
Other:5th Dragon King (Druk Gyalpo)
His/Her:His
Heir Presumptive:Jigme Namgyel Wangchuck
First Monarch:Ugyen Wangchuck
Date:17 December 1907
Residence:Samteling Palace, Thimphu

Bhutan was founded and unified as a country by Ngawang Namgyal, 1st Zhabdrung Rinpoche in the mid–17th century. After his death in 1651, Bhutan nominally followed his recommended "dual system of government". Under the dual system, government control was split between a secular leader, the Druk Desi (Dzongkha: {{bo-textonly|འབྲུག་སྡེ་སྲིད་, Deb Raja);[1] and a religious leader, the Je Khenpo (Dzongkha: {{bo-textonly|རྗེ་མཁན་པོ་).

Both the Druk Desi and Je Khenpo were under the nominal authority of the Zhabdrung Rinpoche, a reincarnation of Ngawang Namgyal. In practice however, the Zhabdrung was often a child under the control of the Druk Desi, and regional penlops often administered their districts in defiance of the power of the Druk Desis until the rise of the unified Wangchuck dynasty in 1907.[2]

Since the rise of the unified Wangchuck family in 1907, the Druk Gyalpo (Dzongkha: {{bo-textonly|འབྲུག་རྒྱལ་པོ་; lit. "Dragon King") have been the head of state of the Kingdom of Bhutan.

Druk Desis (1650–1905)

See main article: Druk Desi. Below appears the list of Druk Desis throughout the existence of the office. Officeholders were initially appointed by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, though after his death the Je Khenpo and civil government decided appointments.

Italics indicate coregencies and caretaker governments, which are not traditionally separately numbered.

Druk Desis of Bhutan[3]
NameDate of BirthReign startReign endDate of Death
1Tenzin Drukgye 1591 1650 1655 1655
2Langonpa Tenzin Drukdra 1655 1667 1667
3Chhogyel Minjur Tempa1613 1667 1680 1680
41638 1680 1694 1696
5Gedun Chomphel 1695 1701 1701
6Ngawang Tshering 1701 1704
71704 1707 1707
8Druk Rabgye 1707 1719 1729
9Ngawang Gyamtsho 1719 1729 1729
10Mipham Wangpo 1729 1736
11Khuwo Peljor 1736 1739
12Ngawang Gyaltshen 1739 1744
13Sherab Wangchuk 1744 1763
14Druk Phuntsho 1763 1765
15Wangzob Druk Tenzin I 1765 1768
16Sonam Lhundub[4] 1768 1773 1773
17Kunga Rinchen 1773 1776
18Jigme Singye 1742 1776 1788 1789
19Druk Tenzin 1788 1792
20Umzey Chapchhab 1792 1792 1792
21Chhogyel Sonam Gyaltshen (Tashi Namgyel) 1792 1799
22Druk Namgyel 1799 1803
23Chhogyel Sonam Gyaltshen (Tashi Namgyel)
1803 1805
24Sangye Tenzin 1805 1806
25Umzey Parob 1806 1808
26Byop Chhyoda 1807 1808
27Tulku Tsulthrim Daba 1790 1809 1810 1820
28Zhabdrung Thutul (Jigme Dragpa) 1810 1811
29Chholay Yeshey Gyaltshen 1781 1811 1815 1830
30Tshaphu Dorji Namgyel 1815 1815
31Sonam Drugyel 1815 1819
32Gongzim Tenzin Drukda 1819 1823
33Chhoki Gyaltshen 1823 1831
341831 1832
35Adab Thinley 1832 1835
36Chhoki Gyaltshen
1835 1838
37Dorji Norbu 1838 1850
38Wangchuk Gyalpo 1850 1850
39Zhabdrung Thutul (Jigme Norbu)
1850 1852
Chagpa Sangye
1851 1852
40Damchho Lhundrup 1852 1854
41Jamtul Jamyang Tenzin 1854 1856
42Kunga Palden
1856 1860
Sherab Tharchin
1856 1860
43Phuntsho Namgyel (Nazi Pasang) 1860 1863
44Tshewang Sithub 1863 1864
Tsulthrim Yonten 1864 1864
45Kagyud Wangchuk 1864 1864
46Tshewang Sithub
1865 1867
47Tsondul Pekar 1867 1870
481825 1870 1873 1881
49Kitshab Dorji Namgyel 1873 1879
Jigme Namgyel
1877 1878
Kitshab Dorji Namgyel
1878 1879
50Chhogyel Zangpo March 1879 June 1880 1880
Jigme Namgyel
June 1880 July 1881
51Lam Tshewang 1836 July 1881 May 1883 1883
52Gawa Zangpo May 1883 August 1885
53Sangay Dorji 1885 1901 1901
541851 1903 1905 1917
Notes:

Kings of Bhutan (1907–present)

See main article: King of Bhutan and Wangchuck dynasty. The Bhutanese monarchy was established on 17 December 1907, unifying the country under the control of the Wangchuck dynasty, hereditary penlops (governors) of Trongsa Province. The King of Bhutan, formally known as the Druk Gyalpo ("Dragon King"), also occupies the office of Druk Desi under the dual system of government. Since the enactment of the Constitution of 2008, the Druk Gyalpo has remained head of state, while the Prime Minister of Bhutan acts as executive and head of government in a parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy.[5]

Timeline

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from: 1907 till: 1926 color:h text:"Ugyen" from: 1926 till: 1952 color:h text:"Jigme" from: 1952 till: 1972 color:h text:"Jigme Dorji" from: 1972 till: 2006 color:h text:"Jigme Singye" from: 2006 till: end color:h text:"Jigme Khesar Namgyel"

See also

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. The original title is Dzongkha: {{bo-textonly|སྡེ་སྲིད་ཕྱག་མཛོད་; .
  2. Book: Worden . Robert L. . Savada . Andrea Matles (ed.) . Nepal and Bhutan: Country Studies . Chapter 6 – Bhutan: Administrative Integration and Conflict with Tibet, 1651–1728 . 3rd . 1991 . . 0-8444-0777-1 . registration .
  3. Book: Dorji, C. T. . A Political & Religious History of Bhutan, 1651–1906 . Sangay Xam; Prominent Publishers . Delhi, India . 1995. 9788186239032 .
  4. Druk Desi Sonam Lhundub was the first Bhutanese ruler to confront British power, losing in a power bid in Cooch Behar, a traditional Bhutanese dependency.
  5. Web site: The Constitution of the Kingdom of Bhutan. 18 July 2008 . Government of Bhutan . 8 October 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110706162637/http://www.constitution.bt/TsaThrim%20Eng%20%28A5%29.pdf . 6 July 2011 .