| 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.
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.
| Name | Date of Birth | Reign start | Reign end | Date of Death | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tenzin Drukgye | 1591 | 1650 | 1655 | 1655 |
| 2 | Langonpa Tenzin Drukdra | 1655 | 1667 | 1667 | |
| 3 | Chhogyel Minjur Tempa | 1613 | 1667 | 1680 | 1680 |
| 4 | 1638 | 1680 | 1694 | 1696 | |
| 5 | Gedun Chomphel | 1695 | 1701 | 1701 | |
| 6 | Ngawang Tshering | 1701 | 1704 | ||
| 7 | 1704 | 1707 | 1707 | ||
| 8 | Druk Rabgye | 1707 | 1719 | 1729 | |
| 9 | Ngawang Gyamtsho | 1719 | 1729 | 1729 | |
| 10 | Mipham Wangpo | 1729 | 1736 | ||
| 11 | Khuwo Peljor | 1736 | 1739 | ||
| 12 | Ngawang Gyaltshen | 1739 | 1744 | ||
| 13 | Sherab Wangchuk | 1744 | 1763 | ||
| 14 | Druk Phuntsho | 1763 | 1765 | ||
| 15 | Wangzob Druk Tenzin I | 1765 | 1768 | ||
| 16 | Sonam Lhundub[4] | 1768 | 1773 | 1773 | |
| 17 | Kunga Rinchen | 1773 | 1776 | ||
| 18 | Jigme Singye | 1742 | 1776 | 1788 | 1789 |
| 19 | Druk Tenzin | 1788 | 1792 | ||
| 20 | Umzey Chapchhab | 1792 | 1792 | 1792 | |
| 21 | Chhogyel Sonam Gyaltshen (Tashi Namgyel) | 1792 | 1799 | ||
| 22 | Druk Namgyel | 1799 | 1803 | ||
| 23 | Chhogyel Sonam Gyaltshen (Tashi Namgyel) | 1803 | 1805 | ||
| 24 | Sangye Tenzin | 1805 | 1806 | ||
| 25 | Umzey Parob | 1806 | 1808 | ||
| 26 | Byop Chhyoda | 1807 | 1808 | ||
| 27 | Tulku Tsulthrim Daba | 1790 | 1809 | 1810 | 1820 |
| 28 | Zhabdrung Thutul (Jigme Dragpa) | 1810 | 1811 | ||
| 29 | Chholay Yeshey Gyaltshen | 1781 | 1811 | 1815 | 1830 |
| 30 | Tshaphu Dorji Namgyel | 1815 | 1815 | ||
| 31 | Sonam Drugyel | 1815 | 1819 | ||
| 32 | Gongzim Tenzin Drukda | 1819 | 1823 | ||
| 33 | Chhoki Gyaltshen | 1823 | 1831 | ||
| 34 | 1831 | 1832 | |||
| 35 | Adab Thinley | 1832 | 1835 | ||
| 36 | Chhoki Gyaltshen | 1835 | 1838 | ||
| 37 | Dorji Norbu | 1838 | 1850 | ||
| 38 | Wangchuk Gyalpo | 1850 | 1850 | ||
| 39 | Zhabdrung Thutul (Jigme Norbu) | 1850 | 1852 | ||
| Chagpa Sangye | 1851 | 1852 | |||
| 40 | Damchho Lhundrup | 1852 | 1854 | ||
| 41 | Jamtul Jamyang Tenzin | 1854 | 1856 | ||
| 42 | Kunga Palden | 1856 | 1860 | ||
| Sherab Tharchin | 1856 | 1860 | |||
| 43 | Phuntsho Namgyel (Nazi Pasang) | 1860 | 1863 | ||
| 44 | Tshewang Sithub | 1863 | 1864 | ||
| Tsulthrim Yonten | 1864 | 1864 | |||
| 45 | Kagyud Wangchuk | 1864 | 1864 | ||
| 46 | Tshewang Sithub | 1865 | 1867 | ||
| 47 | Tsondul Pekar | 1867 | 1870 | ||
| 48 | 1825 | 1870 | 1873 | 1881 | |
| 49 | Kitshab Dorji Namgyel | 1873 | 1879 | ||
| Jigme Namgyel | 1877 | 1878 | |||
| Kitshab Dorji Namgyel | 1878 | 1879 | |||
| 50 | Chhogyel Zangpo | March 1879 | June 1880 | 1880 | |
| Jigme Namgyel | June 1880 | July 1881 | |||
| 51 | Lam Tshewang | 1836 | July 1881 | May 1883 | 1883 |
| 52 | Gawa Zangpo | May 1883 | August 1885 | ||
| 53 | Sangay Dorji | 1885 | 1901 | 1901 | |
| 54 | 1851 | 1903 | 1905 | 1917 | |
| Notes: | |||||
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]
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