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Archaeological findings suggest that Bhutan was inhabited as early as 2000 BC, but little is known about the area’s history until the introduction of Buddhism in the eighth or ninth century AD. Padmasambhava, known as Guru Rimpoche, is often credited for bringing Tantric Buddhism from India to Bhutan in the eighth century. Later, as a result of turmoil in Tibet in the ninth century, many Tibetan monks fled to Bhutan—increasing the religion’s influence there.
Until the early 1600s, Bhutan was a patchwork of small warring fiefdoms; they were unified by Tibetan lama and military leader Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal. Escaping political foes in Tibet, he arrived in Bhutan in 1616 and soon established himself as the region’s religious ruler. He initiated a program of fortification and military consolidation, overseeing the construction of impressive dzongs, or fortresses, such as Simtokha Dzong, which guards the entrance to the Thimphu valley. He repelled attacks from rival lamas and Tibetan forces and transformed the southern valleys into a unified country called Druk Yul (Land of the Dragon). Shabdrung also established the dual system of government by which control of the country was shared
between a spiritual leader (the Je Khempo) and an administrative leader (the Desi Druk), a policy that exists in modified form to this day. Shabdrung's death in 1705 was followed by about 200 years of internal conflict and political infighting.
This instability lasted until 1907, when Ugyen Wangchuck was elected, by a unanimous vote of Bhutan's chiefs and principal lamas, as hereditary ruler of Bhutan. Thus the first king was crowned and the Wangchuck Dynasty began. In 1910, King Ugyen and the British signed the Treaty of Punakha, which provided that British India would not interfere in the internal affairs of Bhutan if the country accepted Britain’s advice in its external relations. When Ugyen Wangchuck died in 1926, his son Jigme Wangchuck became the next ruler, and when India gained independence in 1947, Bhutan recognized the new Indian government as an independent country.
Wangchuck was succeeded in 1952 by his son, Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, who ruled for 22 years. Jigme Singye Wangchuck took the throne after his father’s death in 1974 and continued the country’s policy of controlled development with particular focus on the preservation of the environment and Bhutan's unique culture. His coronation at age 16 on June 2, 1974 was the first time the international media were allowed to enter the kingdom, and marked Bhutan's debut appearance on the world stage. The first group of paying tourists arrived later that year.
Satisfied with Bhutan's transitioning democratization process, Jigme Singye Wangchuck abdicated in December 2005, rather than wait until the promulgation of the new constitution in 2008. His son, Jigme Khesar Namgvel Wangchuck, became king upon his abdication and today heads the world’s newest democracy.