Jigme Dorji Wangchuck

(Redirected from Third King of Bhutan)

Jigme Dorji Wangchuck (2 May, 1929-15 July/21, 1972) served as the Dragon King of Bhutan and is the third person to have served as king. He began to open up Bhutan to the outside world, began modernization, and took the first steps toward democratization. Upon succeeding his father, Jigme Wangchuck, on October 27, 1952, Jigme Dorji Wangchuck put an end to feudalism and released all remaining serfs. He encouraged certain modern inventions to assist the local peasantry and introduced wheeled vehicles, where previously the transportation of crops and people was done manually.

In 1959, the People's Republic of China occupied Tibet, a country with which Bhutan had a long-established relationship. This encouraged the king to foster stronger ties with foreign nations and culminated with Bhutan joining the United Nations in 1971. At the same time, he empowered the National Assembly to remove him and his successors with a two-thirds majority.

Jigme Dorji Wangchuck suffered his first heart attack at the age of twenty. He made frequent visits overseas for medical treatment, dying in Nairobi, Kenya, while receiving medical treatment, in 1972. Jigme Singye Wangchuck, his son, succeeded him.

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