First published 1914 King of Bhutan Sir Gongsa Ugyen Wangchuck 1862–1926 first King of Bhutan from 1907 to 1926
He was born in 1862 to Jigme Namgyal, penlop (governor) of Trongsa and Ashi Pema Choki. He succeeded his father as Penlop of Trongsa. From his power base in central Bhutan, Ugyen Wangchuck defeated his political enemies and united the country following several civil wars and rebellions in 1882–1885. In 1907, an epochal year for the country, Ugyen Wangchuck was unanimously chosen as the hereditary monarch of the country by the people at Punakha, the old capital of Bhutan. For his services in mediating between the British and Tibetans during the Younghusband Expedition to Lhasa, Tibet,[1] he was knighted by the British in 1904. He was appointed Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire (GCIE) in the 1921 New Year Honours,[2] having already been appointed Knight Commander (KCIE) in Durbar Gold Medal – 1911 Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India (KCSI) – 1911 Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire (GCIE) – 1921 (KCIE – 1904) In his lifetime he has done extreme works in order to unite the country as well as to get trusted by House of Wangchuck (Tibetan: དབངWylie: Dbang-phyug Rgyal-brgyud) has ruled Bhutan since it was reunified in 1907. Prior to reunification, the Wangchuck family had governed the district of Trongsa as descendants of Dungkar Choji. They eventually overpowered other regional lords and earned the favour of the British Empire. After consolidating power, Penlop of Trongsa Sir Ugyen Wangchuck was elected hereditary King of Bhutan, or Druk Gyalpo ("Dragon King"), thus founding the royal Wangchuck dynasty centralized government power in Bhutan and established relations with the British Empire and India under its first two monarchs. The third, fourth, and fifth (current) monarchs have put the kingdom on its path toward democratization, decentralization, and development.
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