Tusken King was a rank used by the Tusken Raiders during the time of the Galactic Civil War. The position of King was assumed amongst a number of Tusken Raiders, but the most well known was the Tusken King who fought and died in the Invasion of Mos Espa.
Tusken Raiders were originally known as Sand People until their ruthless attack on Fort Tusken around a century before the Battle of Yavin. The position of Tusken King was created sometime afterwards.
During more ancient times, a Tusken King plagued Bestine's first settlers. Nevertheless, the existence of Tusken Kings was not confirmed until the Galactic Civil War and remained to the state of rumor for a long time. It was said that the Tusken King was the proudest and strongest of all the Sand People, leading his people in their attacks and officiating in their sacred rituals.
A number of Tusken Kings were known to rule the Sand People during the time of the Galactic Civil War following the Battle of Yavin. One, and perhaps the most famous example, included the Tusken King who launched an invasion of Mos Espa, in 1 ABY, but died in the ensuing battle. This Tusken King wore a krayt dragon skull rucksack, and clothing radically different than most Tusken Raiders.
However, at least one other Tusken Raiders was known to assume the rank of King on Tatooine around this same time period. A Tusken King and a group of fellow Sand People overtook a village on Tatooine. However, the escaped citizen Tolan Nokkar employed a spacer who liberated the village by wiping out the Tuskens and their King. The same year, a Tusken King, possibly the same than the one aforementioned, led a group of Sand People to overtake an Imperial bunker on the planet. Unlike the Tusken King who fought in the Invasion of Mos Espa, this or these Kings wore garbs indistinguishable from other Tusken Raiders.