Who was Ugyen Wangchuk and how did he become Bhutan’s first hereditary king?

Ugyen Wangchuk was the penlop (governor) of Tongsa and the most powerful regional leader in Bhutan during the early 20th century.

Following a period of significant civil unrest and the death of the last dharma raja (the spiritual ruler), the office of the deb raja (the temporal ruler) had effectively lost its authority as the incumbent withdrew into a life of contemplation. In 1907, Ugyen Wangchuk was "elected" by a council composed of lamas, abbots, councillors, and laymen to serve as the hereditary king, or druk gyalpo, of Bhutan. His ascension to the throne was subsequently supported by the British, and he established a new era of centralized leadership for the nation.12