Rulers and leaders of Poland

Every ruler and leader of the Polish state from 960 to today — dukes, kings, presidents, prime ministers and first secretaries, the rulers of the duchies during the fragmentation, and in the years without a state, those who ruled the Polish lands. Years with no ruler are listed as interregna.

The Baptism of Poland 960–1024

960–992 Mieszko I — Duke of the Polans monarch
992–1025 Bolesław I the Brave — duke, from 1025 first King of Poland monarch

The Early Piast Monarchy 1025–1137

1025–1031 Mieszko II Lambert — King of Poland monarch
Driven out of the country in 1031; his brother Bezprym sent the coronation regalia to the Emperor.
1031–1032 Bezprym — duke, seized power monarch
1032–1034 Mieszko II Lambert — Duke of Poland, no longer crowned monarch
At Merseburg in 1033 he submitted to the Emperor and had to share the country with his kinsmen for a time; he never regained the royal title.
1034–1037 Casimir I the Restorer — Duke of Poland, soon driven out monarch
Took power at his father’s death in 1034, in a state already in crisis; within a few years he had to flee to Hungary and then to Germany.
1037–1039 Interregnum — collapse of the state, pagan reaction monarch
The state breaks apart; Masław takes Mazovia, and Gniezno and Poznań are sacked by Bohemia in 1038.
1039–1058 Casimir I the Restorer — Duke of Poland, rebuilt the state monarch
1058–1079 Bolesław II the Bold — duke, from 1076 King of Poland monarch
1079–1102 Władysław I Herman — Duke of Poland monarch
1080–1100 Sieciech — palatine to Władysław Herman, in fact ruled the duchy de facto leader
He minted his own coin. Herman’s sons, Zbigniew and Bolesław, defeated him at Żarnowiec in 1099, and at the turn of 1100–01 he left the country.
1102–1107 Zbigniew — duke, co-ruler monarch
1102–1138 Bolesław III Wrymouth — Duke of Poland monarch

Fragmentation 1138–1319

1138–1146 Władysław II the Exile — senior duke, driven out by his brothers senior duke
1138–1177 Mieszko III the Old — Duke of Greater Poland provincial ruler
Lost the province together with Kraków in the revolt of 1177.
1138–1146 Władysław II the Exile — Duke of Silesia provincial ruler
Driven out in 1146, he died in exile in 1159.
1138–1144 Salomea of Berg — Wrymouth’s widow, holding Łęczyca as her dower provincial ruler
1138–1173 Bolesław IV the Curly — Duke of Mazovia and Kuyavia provincial ruler
1146–1173 Bolesław IV the Curly — senior duke senior duke
1146–1163 Bolesław IV the Curly — ruler of Silesia as senior duke, while the Exile’s sons were abroad provincial ruler
1146–1166 Henry of Sandomierz — Duke of Sandomierz provincial ruler
Killed on an expedition against the Prussians in 1166.
1163–1201 Bolesław I the Tall — Duke of Silesia (Wrocław) provincial ruler
Came back from exile in 1163 and shared the rule with his brother Mieszko until 1172.
1166–1173 Bolesław IV the Curly — ruler of Sandomierz Land provincial ruler
1172–1211 Mieszko IV Tanglefoot — Duke of Racibórz, of Opole and Racibórz from 1202 provincial ruler
1173–1177 Mieszko III the Old — senior duke, ousted from Kraków senior duke
1173–1201 Jarosław of Opole — Duke of Opole, from 1198 also Bishop of Wrocław provincial ruler
1173–1194 Casimir II the Just — Duke of Sandomierz provincial ruler
Duke of Wiślica from 1166 before that.
1173–1186 Leszek of Mazovia — Duke of Mazovia provincial ruler
A sickly minor: the magnate Żyron governed for him under Casimir the Just, to whom he left the duchy.
1177–1194 Casimir II the Just — senior duke, against the seniority rule senior duke
Took Kraków after the magnates rose against Mieszko the Old; the Łęczyca assembly of 1180 secured the Kraków throne for his descendants, breaking the seniority rule.
1177–1181 Casimir II the Just — ruler of Gniezno and Kalisz provincial ruler
1177–1194 Odon of Poznań — Duke of Poznań, from 1182 of the land south of the Obra provincial ruler
A son of Mieszko the Old, who recovered Gniezno and Kalisz in 1181 and took Poznań from him in 1182.
1178–1205 Sambor I — Governor of Gdańsk, under Polish overlordship provincial ruler
Died before 1205, or in 1207 according to the Oliwa necrology.
1181–1202 Mieszko III the Old — Duke of Greater Poland again provincial ruler
1186–1194 Casimir II the Just — Duke of Mazovia provincial ruler
1191 Mieszko III the Old — senior duke, briefly back in Kraków senior duke
1194–1198 Leszek the White — senior duke, a minor under his mother’s regency senior duke
1194–1229 Władysław III Spindleshanks — Duke of Greater Poland — until 1202 only of the land south of the Obra provincial ruler
From 1223 he fought his nephew Władysław Odonic for the province and was in the end driven out of it; he died in exile in 1231.
1194–1205 Leszek the White — Duke of Sandomierz provincial ruler
1194–1195 Bolesław of Kuyavia — Duke of Kuyavia provincial ruler
A son of Mieszko the Old; killed at the Battle of the Mozgawa in 1195. Some historians date his rule from 1186.
1194–1200 Leszek the White — Duke of Mazovia, jointly with his brother Konrad provincial ruler
1194–1247 Konrad I of Mazovia — Duke of Mazovia and Kuyavia, from 1233 of Czersk; of Łęczyca and Sieradz too from 1231 provincial ruler
Under the regency of his mother, Helena of Znojmo, until about 1200. In 1226 he brought in the Teutonic Order to fight the Prussians.
1195–1198 Mieszko III the Old — Duke of Kuyavia provincial ruler
In 1198 he handed Kuyavia to the sons of Casimir the Just.
1198–1202 Mieszko III the Old — senior duke again, until his death senior duke
After 1177 he won Kraków back three more times: briefly in 1191, in 1198, and — after a short ejection in favour of Leszek the White — in 1199, this time until his death in 1202. Some historians hold that Leszek, not Mieszko, ruled Kraków in 1200–1201.
1201–1238 Henry I the Bearded — Duke of Silesia provincial ruler
1202–1206 Władysław III Spindleshanks — the last senior duke senior duke
Took Kraków when Mieszko the Old died in 1202; some historians hold that the lords sent him away that autumn, others that he kept it until 1206. Leszek the White succeeded him, and from then on the Kraków throne no longer passed by seniority: the seniorate was over.
1205–1220 Mestwin I — Governor of Gdańsk, under Polish overlordship provincial ruler
1206–1227 Leszek the White — Duke of Kraków and Sandomierz Duke of Kraków
Mieszko Tanglefoot seized Kraków in 1210–11. Leszek was murdered at Gąsawa in 1227.
1207–1217 Władysław Odonic — Duke of Kalisz, by grant of Henry the Bearded provincial ruler
1210–1211 Mieszko IV Tanglefoot — Duke of Kraków, displaced Leszek the White Duke of Kraków
1211–1230 Casimir I of Opole — Duke of Opole and Racibórz provincial ruler
1220–1266 Świętopełk II the Great — governor, from 1227 independent Duke of Gdańsk provincial ruler
Broke with Poland after the attack at Gąsawa in 1227, in which Leszek the White was killed and which he is generally held to have organised.
1223–1228 Władysław Odonic — Duke at Ujście, from 1225 at Nakło too, at war with Spindleshanks provincial ruler
1227–1230 Bolesław V the Chaste — Duke of Sandomierz, a minor provincial ruler
1228–1229 Władysław III Spindleshanks — Duke of Kraków Duke of Kraków
1229–1232 Konrad I of Mazovia — Duke of Kraków Duke of Kraków
1229–1239 Władysław Odonic — Duke of Greater Poland provincial ruler
In 1234 he lost the land beyond the Warta, Kalisz included, to Henry the Bearded.
1230–1246 Mieszko II the Fat — Duke of Opole and Racibórz provincial ruler
1230–1232 Bolesław I of Mazovia — Duke of Sandomierz, installed by his father, Konrad of Mazovia provincial ruler
1232–1238 Henry I the Bearded — Duke of Kraków — the so-called monarchy of the Silesian Henrys Duke of Kraków
1232–1242 Bolesław V the Chaste — Duke of Sandomierz provincial ruler
1233–1267 Casimir I of Kuyavia — Duke of Kuyavia, of Łęczyca too from 1247 and of Sieradz until 1261 provincial ruler
1233–1248 Bolesław I of Mazovia — Duke of Płock (northern Mazovia) provincial ruler
1233–1271 Sambor II — Duke of Lubiszewo and Tczew provincial ruler
The start of his rule is disputed (between 1225 and 1233).
1233–1262 Ratibor — Duke of Białogarda provincial ruler
1234–1238 Henry I the Bearded — ruler of southern Greater Poland provincial ruler
1238–1241 Henry II the Pious — Duke of Kraków, killed at Legnica Duke of Kraków
1238–1241 Henry II the Pious — ruler of southern, from 1239 most of Greater Poland provincial ruler
1238–1241 Henry II the Pious — Duke of Silesia provincial ruler
1239–1257 Przemysł I — Duke of Greater Poland, from 1247 of Poznań provincial ruler
After his father’s death in 1239 he held only the province’s north-eastern edge, with Nakło and Ujście; from 1241 until 1247 he ruled jointly with his brother Bolesław.
1241 Bolesław II the Horned — Duke of Kraków for a few weeks after Legnica Duke of Kraków
1241–1243 Konrad I of Mazovia — Duke of Kraków, a second time Duke of Kraków
1241–1279 Bolesław the Pious — Duke of Kalisz, of all Greater Poland in 1257–73 provincial ruler
His Statute of Kalisz of 1264 gave the Jews a legal protection that later privileges built on for centuries.
1241–1278 Bolesław II the Horned — Duke of Wrocław, from 1248 of Legnica provincial ruler
From the division of 1248 Silesia broke into ever smaller duchies: Legnica, Głogów from 1251, then Jawor, Świdnica, Ścinawa and Oleśnica.
1243–1279 Bolesław V the Chaste — Duke of Kraków and Sandomierz Duke of Kraków
1246–1281 Władysław of Opole — Duke of Opole and Racibórz provincial ruler
1247–1262 Siemowit I of Mazovia — Duke of Czersk, of all Mazovia from 1248 provincial ruler
Killed by Lithuanian raiders at Jazdów in 1262.
1248–1266 Henry III the White — Duke of Wrocław provincial ruler
1261–1288 Leszek II the Black — Duke of Sieradz, of Łęczyca too from 1267; of Inowrocław as well in 1273–78 provincial ruler
1262–1294 Konrad II of Czersk — Duke of Mazovia, from 1275 of Czersk provincial ruler
A Lithuanian captive in 1262–64, while his mother Pereyaslava and Bolesław the Pious governed as regents.
1262–1313 Bolesław II of Mazovia — Duke of Mazovia, from 1275 of Płock; of all Mazovia in 1294–1310 provincial ruler
1266–1290 Henry Probus — Duke of Wrocław provincial ruler
Under the guardianship of his uncle Władysław, Archbishop of Salzburg, until 1270, then of Ottokar II of Bohemia until 1273.
1266–1270 Wartislaw II — Duke of Gdańsk provincial ruler
1266–1294 Mestwin II — Duke of Świecie, of Gdańsk from 1270 provincial ruler
By the Kępno agreement of 1282 he made Przemysł II his heir.
1267–1287 Ziemomysł of Kuyavia — Duke of Inowrocław provincial ruler
Removed by his own subjects in 1271–78, when Bolesław the Pious and then Leszek the Black held Inowrocław.
1267–1300 Władysław I the Elbow-high — Duke of Brześć Kujawski provincial ruler
Under the regency of his mother, Euphrosyne of Opole, until 1275, and sharing the duchy with his brothers Casimir and Siemowit until 1288.
1273–1296 Przemysł II — Duke of Poznań, of all Greater Poland from 1279 provincial ruler
1279–1288 Leszek II the Black — Duke of Kraków and Sandomierz Duke of Kraków
1281–1313 Bolko I of Opole — Duke of Opole provincial ruler
At his father’s death Upper Silesia split into the duchies of Opole, Racibórz, Cieszyn and Bytom.
1287–1312 Siemowit of Dobrzyń — Duke of Dobrzyń provincial ruler
Died between 1306 and 1312.
1287–1314 the sons of Ziemomysł — Leszek, Przemysł and Casimir — joint Dukes of Inowrocław provincial ruler
Under their mother Salomea’s regency until 1294; vassals of Wenceslaus II from 1300.
1288–1289 Bolesław II of Mazovia — Duke of Kraków, briefly after Leszek the Black died Duke of Kraków
1288–1290 Henry Probus — Duke of Kraków Duke of Kraków
1288–1289 Bolesław II of Mazovia — Duke of Sandomierz provincial ruler
1288–1294 Casimir II of Łęczyca — Duke of Łęczyca provincial ruler
Łokietek’s brother; killed fighting the Lithuanians at Trojanów in 1294.
1288–1300 Władysław I the Elbow-high — Duke of Sieradz, of Łęczyca too from 1294 provincial ruler
1289 Władysław I the Elbow-high — styled himself Duke of Kraków; took the city but not the Wawel, and soon had to flee it Duke of Kraków
1289 Konrad II of Czersk — Duke of Sandomierz provincial ruler
1289–1292 Władysław I the Elbow-high — Duke of Sandomierz provincial ruler
In 1292 Wenceslaus II took Sandomierz and forced him to do homage.
1290–1291 Przemysł II — Duke of Kraków by Henry Probus’s will Duke of Kraków
1290–1296 Henry V the Fat — Duke of Legnica and Wrocław provincial ruler
1291–1299 Wenceslaus II — King of Bohemia, Duke of Kraków, of Sandomierz too from 1292 and of Greater Poland from 1299 Duke of Kraków
1294–1296 Przemysł II — Duke of Pomerania provincial ruler
1295–1296 Przemysł II — King of Poland monarch
The first coronation since 1076, at Gniezno. Murdered at Rogoźno seven months later.
1296–1300 Władysław I the Elbow-high — Duke of Greater Poland and Pomerania provincial ruler
Took the province after Przemysł II was murdered; pushed out by Wenceslaus II, he left the country in 1300 and came back in 1304.
1296–1309 Henry III of Głogów — Duke of Głogów; from 1296 of the land south of the Obra, from 1306 of most of Greater Poland provincial ruler
He styled himself heir of the Kingdom of Poland.
1296–1311 Bolesław III the Generous — Duke of Wrocław, with his brothers provincial ruler
A minor; Wenceslaus II was regent from 1302 to 1305.
1300–1305 Wenceslaus II — King of Bohemia and Poland monarch
Crowned at Gniezno in 1300; he governed through his captains and stayed in Prague.
1304–1305 Władysław I the Elbow-high — back from exile: Wiślica, then Sandomierz, Kuyavia, Łęczyca and Sieradz provincial ruler
1305–1306 Wenceslaus III — King of Bohemia and Poland monarch
Inherited the title but was never crowned in Poland. Murdered at Olomouc in August 1306 on his way to Poland.
1306–1319 Władysław I the Elbow-high — Duke of Kraków, Sandomierz, Brześć, Łęczyca and Sieradz; of Greater Poland from 1314 — the reunifier Duke of Kraków
Gdańsk Pomerania, which he took in 1306, was seized by the Teutonic Order in 1308–09.
1309–1314 Henry IV the Faithful and his brothers — the sons of Henry of Głogów, Dukes of Greater Poland provincial ruler
In 1314 the Greater Poland knights drove them out and submitted to Łokietek.
1310–1345 Siemowit II of Mazovia — Duke of Warsaw, from 1313 of Rawa provincial ruler
1310–1341 Trojden I of Mazovia — Duke of Czersk, of Warsaw too from 1313 provincial ruler
1311–1335 Henry VI the Good — Duke of Wrocław provincial ruler
The last Duke of Wrocław: he did homage to the King of Bohemia in 1327, and at his death in 1335 the duchy passed to the Bohemian crown.
1313–1356 Bolko II of Opole — Duke of Opole provincial ruler
1313–1336 Wenceslaus of Płock — Duke of Płock provincial ruler
1314–1324 Leszek of Inowrocław — Duke of Inowrocław provincial ruler
1314–1327 Przemysł of Inowrocław — Duke of Bydgoszcz and Wyszogród provincial ruler
1314–1332 Casimir III of Gniewkowo — Duke of Gniewkowo provincial ruler

The Reunited Kingdom 1320–1384

1320–1333 Władysław I the Elbow-high — King of Poland monarch
Crowned in Kraków on 20 January 1320 — the first king crowned at the Wawel.
1333–1370 Casimir III the Great — King of Poland monarch
The last Piast on the throne. By the old saying, he found Poland of wood and left it of stone.
1370–1382 Louis the Hungarian — King of Poland and Hungary monarch
1382–1384 Interregnum — civil war in Greater Poland monarch
1384–1399 Jadwiga of Poland — King of Poland monarch
Crowned king, not queen — a ruler in her own right, not a king’s consort.

Union with Lithuania 1385–1568

1386–1434 Władysław II Jagiełło — King of Poland, Supreme Duke of Lithuania monarch
1434–1444 Władysław III of Varna — King of Poland and Hungary monarch
Killed at the Battle of Varna at the age of twenty.
1444–1447 Interregnum — three years without a king monarch
1447–1492 Casimir IV Jagiellon — King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania monarch
Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1440; he accepted the Polish crown after the three-year interregnum that followed his brother’s death at Varna.
1492–1501 John I Albert — King of Poland monarch
1501–1506 Alexander Jagiellon — King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania monarch
Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1492, while his brother John Albert was King of Poland.
1506–1548 Sigismund I the Old — King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania monarch
1548–1572 Sigismund II Augustus — King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, the last male Jagiellon monarch

The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth 1569–1771

1573–1575 Henry de Valois — first elected king monarch
Fled to France after four months to take the French throne.
1575–1586 Anna Jagiellon — King of Poland, co-ruled with Báthory monarch
The last of the Jagiellons; elected after Valois fled, on condition that she marry Báthory.
1576–1586 Stephen Báthory — King of Poland monarch
1587–1632 Sigismund III Vasa — King of Poland, and of Sweden 1592–99 monarch
Moved the capital from Kraków to Warsaw.
1632–1648 Władysław IV Vasa — King of Poland monarch
1648–1668 John II Casimir — King of Poland monarch
Reigned through the Khmelnytsky uprising and the Swedish Deluge; abdicated.
1669–1673 Michael Korybut Wiśniowiecki — King of Poland monarch
1674–1696 John III Sobieski — King of Poland, victor at Vienna monarch
1697–1706 Augustus II the Strong — King of Poland, Elector of Saxony monarch
1704–1709 Stanisław Leszczyński — king installed by Sweden monarch
1709–1733 Augustus II the Strong — King of Poland, restored monarch
1733–1736 Stanisław Leszczyński — king, second election monarch
His election triggered the War of the Polish Succession.
1733–1763 Augustus III — King of Poland, Elector of Saxony monarch
1764–1795 Stanisław August Poniatowski — the last King of Poland monarch

The First Partition 1772–1792

1772–1786 Frederick the Great — King of Prussia — partitioning power occupying power
1772–1780 Maria Theresa — ruler of the Habsburg monarchy — partitioning power occupying power
1772–1796 Catherine II — Empress of Russia — partitioning power occupying power
1780–1790 Joseph II — Holy Roman Emperor — partitioning power occupying power
1786–1797 Frederick William II — King of Prussia — partitioning power occupying power
1790–1792 Leopold II — Holy Roman Emperor — partitioning power occupying power
1792–1835 Francis II — Holy Roman Emperor, from 1804 Emperor of Austria — partitioning power occupying power

The Second Partition 1793–1794

1794 Tadeusz Kościuszko — Supreme Commander of the National Armed Force de facto leader
Took supreme authority by the Act of Insurrection on 24 March 1794; wounded and captured at Maciejowice on 10 October. Tomasz Wawrzecki succeeded him until November.

Poland Erased from the Map 1795–1806

1796–1801 Paul I — Emperor of Russia — partitioning power occupying power
1797–1840 Frederick William III — King of Prussia — partitioning power occupying power
1801–1814 Alexander I — Emperor of Russia — partitioning power occupying power

The Duchy of Warsaw 1807–1814

1807–1813 Napoleon — Emperor of the French, creator and protector of the Duchy of Warsaw de facto leader
He gave the Duchy its constitution and enlarged it in 1809 with land taken from Austria; its army marched with him on Moscow in 1812.
1807–1815 Frederick Augustus I — Duke of Warsaw, King of Saxony monarch

The Congress Kingdom 1815–1863

1815–1830 Grand Duke Constantine — the tsar’s brother, commander-in-chief of the Kingdom’s army — its real ruler de facto leader
The viceroy in name was General Józef Zajączek. The November Uprising began with an attempt to seize Constantine at the Belweder; he escaped Warsaw and died in 1831.
1815–1825 Alexander I — Emperor of Russia and King of Poland monarch
1825–1855 Nicholas I — Emperor of Russia and King of Poland monarch
The insurgent sejm dethroned him in 1831; once the rising was put down he abolished the Kingdom’s constitution.
1830–1831 Józef Chłopicki — dictator of the November Uprising de facto leader
Dictator from 5 December 1830 to 17 January 1831; he sought a settlement with the tsar and stood down when none came.
1831 Adam Jerzy Czartoryski — President of the National Government after the tsar was dethroned head of state
From 30 January to 15 August 1831.
1831 Jan Krukowiecki — President of the National Government; surrendered Warsaw head of state
From 17 August to the surrender of Warsaw on 7 September 1831.
1831 Bonawentura Niemojowski — last President of the National Government head of state
From the surrender of Warsaw until the last of the army crossed into Prussia in early October 1831.
1831–1856 Ivan Paskevich — captor of Warsaw, Viceroy of the Kingdom of Poland occupying power
Ruled the Kingdom from the fall of the uprising until his death in 1856 — the "Paskevich night".
1835–1848 Ferdinand I — Emperor of Austria — partitioning power occupying power
1840–1861 Frederick William IV — King of Prussia — partitioning power occupying power
1848–1916 Franz Joseph I — Emperor of Austria, from 1867 of Austria-Hungary — partitioning power occupying power
1855–1863 Alexander II — Emperor of Russia and King of Poland monarch
1861–1888 William I — King of Prussia, from 1871 German Emperor — partitioning power occupying power
1862–1863 Aleksander Wielopolski — head of the Kingdom’s civil government; his conscription levy set off the January Uprising head of government
From 1861 he pursued a settlement that gave the Kingdom back Polish institutions; dismissed in July 1863.
1862–1890 Otto von Bismarck — Minister-President of Prussia, from 1871 Chancellor of Germany — partitioning power occupying power
Behind the Kulturkampf in the Prussian partition, the Prussian deportations of 1885 and the Settlement Commission of 1886.
1863–1864 Romuald Traugutt — dictator of the January Uprising, head of the National Government head of state
Led the uprising from October 1863 until his arrest in April 1864, and was hanged below the Warsaw Citadel in August. Ludwik Mierosławski and Marian Langiewicz had each been dictator briefly before him.
1863–1874 Fyodor Berg — Viceroy of the Kingdom of Poland — suppressed the January Uprising occupying power
The last viceroy; under him the Kingdom’s separate institutions were abolished.

The Vistula Land 1864–1915

1864–1881 Alexander II — Emperor of Russia — partitioning power occupying power
1881–1894 Alexander III — Emperor of Russia — partitioning power occupying power
1888 Frederick III — German Emperor for 99 days — partitioning power occupying power
1888–1918 William II — German Emperor and King of Prussia — partitioning power occupying power
1894–1917 Nicholas II — last Emperor of Russia — partitioning power occupying power
1915–1918 Hans von Beseler — Governor-General of Warsaw — occupying power occupying power
1915–1916 Erich von Diller — Military Governor-General at Kielce, from October 1915 at Lublin — Austrian occupying power occupying power

The Regency Kingdom 1916–1917

1916–1917 Karl Kuk — Military Governor-General at Lublin — Austrian occupying power occupying power
1916–1918 Charles I — last Emperor of Austria — partitioning power occupying power
1917–1918 Regency Council — Kakowski, Lubomirski, Ostrowski — the Regency Kingdom head of state
Governed under German and Austrian occupation; handed its power to Piłsudski on 14 November 1918.
1917–1918 Jan Kucharzewski — prime minister of the Regency Kingdom head of government
1917–1918 Stanisław Szeptycki — Military Governor-General at Lublin — Austrian occupying power occupying power
A Pole in Austrian service; stepped down in protest at the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, which gave the Chełm Land to Ukraine. Later a general of the Polish Army.

The Second Republic 1918–1938

1918–1922 Józef Piłsudski — Chief of State head of state
1918 Antoni Ponikowski — acting prime minister of the Regency Kingdom head of government
1918 Jan Kanty Steczkowski — prime minister of the Regency Kingdom head of government
1918 Józef Świeżyński — prime minister of the Regency Kingdom head of government
1918 Władysław Wróblewski — acting prime minister in the days of independence head of government
1918 Ignacy Daszyński — prime minister of the Provisional People’s Government in Lublin head of government
The Lublin government, formed on 7 November, stood down for Piłsudski after four days.
1918–1919 Jędrzej Moraczewski — first prime minister of the restored state head of government
1918 Anton Lipošćak — Military Governor-General at Lublin — Austrian occupying power occupying power
1919 Ignacy Jan Paderewski — prime minister and foreign minister; signed the Treaty of Versailles head of government
1919–1920 Leopold Skulski — Prime Minister head of government
1920 Władysław Grabski — prime minister during the Soviet offensive and the Spa conference head of government
1920–1921 Wincenty Witos — prime minister of the Government of National Defence head of government
1921–1922 Antoni Ponikowski — Prime Minister head of government
1922 Gabriel Narutowicz — first President of Poland head of state
Assassinated five days after taking office.
1922 Maciej Rataj — Marshal of the Sejm, acting President head of state
Acting president for five days, from the assassination of Narutowicz to the election of Wojciechowski.
1922–1926 Stanisław Wojciechowski — President of Poland head of state
1922 Artur Śliwiński — prime minister for nine days head of government
1922 Julian Nowak — Prime Minister head of government
1922–1923 Władysław Sikorski — prime minister after the Narutowicz assassination head of government
1923 Wincenty Witos — prime minister, second term head of government
1923–1925 Władysław Grabski — prime minister; his currency reform introduced the złoty head of government
1925–1926 Aleksander Skrzyński — Prime Minister head of government
1926–1935 Józef Piłsudski — Marshal, de facto leader after the May coup de facto leader
1926 Maciej Rataj — Marshal of the Sejm, acting President head of state
Acting president for three weeks, from Wojciechowski’s resignation after the May coup to the election of Mościcki.
1926–1939 Ignacy Mościcki — President of Poland head of state
1926 Wincenty Witos — prime minister, third term — brought down by the May coup head of government
1926 Kazimierz Bartel — prime minister of the first government after the coup head of government
1926–1928 Józef Piłsudski — prime minister, first term head of government
1928–1930 Kazimierz Bartel — prime minister, two further governments head of government
1929 Kazimierz Świtalski — Prime Minister head of government
1930–1931 Walery Sławek — prime minister, two governments around the Brest elections head of government
1930 Józef Piłsudski — prime minister, second term head of government
1931–1933 Aleksander Prystor — prime minister through the Great Depression head of government
1933–1934 Janusz Jędrzejewicz — prime minister; reformed the schools and the universities head of government
1934–1935 Leon Kozłowski — Prime Minister head of government
1935–1939 Edward Rydz-Śmigły — Inspector-General of the Armed Forces, from 1936 Marshal of Poland — "second person in the state" de facto leader
Inspector-General from 13 May 1935, the day after Piłsudski died. In 1936 a circular from the prime minister ranked him first in the state after the President, and in 1937 the Camp of National Unity was built around him. Commander-in-Chief in September 1939; interned in Romania, he gave up his post in November.
1935–1939 Józef Beck — foreign minister from 1932; after Piłsudski’s death he ruled together with Mościcki and Rydz-Śmigły de facto leader
He ran foreign policy almost single-handed. On 5 May 1939 he rejected Hitler’s demands before the Sejm: "There is only one thing in the life of men, nations and states that is beyond price, and that is honour."
1935 Walery Sławek — prime minister, third term — the April Constitution head of government
1935–1936 Marian Zyndram-Kościałkowski — Prime Minister head of government
1936–1939 Felicjan Sławoj Składkowski — last prime minister of the Second Republic head of government

Two Occupations 1939–1940

1939–1945 Adolf Hitler — leader of Nazi Germany — occupying power occupying power
1939–1945 Hans Frank — Governor-General — occupying power occupying power
1939–1941 Joseph Stalin — leader of the Soviet Union — occupier of the eastern half of the country occupying power
The USSR annexed the land it took in September 1939 after staged "elections", and lost it when Germany attacked in June 1941.
1939–1947 Władysław Raczkiewicz — President of the Republic in exile head of state, in exile
1939–1943 Władysław Sikorski — Prime Minister in exile and Commander-in-Chief head of government, in exile

German Occupation 1941–1944

1943–1944 Stanisław Mikołajczyk — Prime Minister in exile head of government, in exile
1944–1948 Władysław Gomułka — General Secretary of the Polish Workers’ Party de facto leader
Removed in 1948 for "right-wing nationalist deviation" and imprisoned from 1951 to 1954; he returned to power in 1956.
1944–1952 Bolesław Bierut — chairman of the KRN from 1944, President from 1947 head of state
1944–1947 Edward Osóbka-Morawski — prime minister of the Lublin Committee, then of the Provisional Government head of government
1944 Joseph Stalin — leader of the Soviet Union — the Red Army retakes the eastern half of the country occupying power
The USSR never gave back the land it had taken in 1939; in 1945 the powers accepted a frontier on the Curzon Line. West of it, power went to the Lublin Committee, which answered to Moscow.
1944–1947 Tomasz Arciszewski — Prime Minister in exile head of government, in exile

People’s Poland 1945–1988

1947–1952 Józef Cyrankiewicz — Prime Minister head of government
1947–1972 August Zaleski — President of the Republic in exile head of state, in exile
He stayed in office when his seven-year term ran out in 1954, which split the emigration: until his death part of it recognised the Council of Three instead.
1947–1949 Tadeusz Bór-Komorowski — Prime Minister in exile head of government, in exile
1948–1956 Bolesław Bierut — leader of the Polish Workers’ Party, from December 1948 of the United Workers’ Party de facto leader
1949–1950 Tadeusz Tomaszewski — Prime Minister in exile head of government, in exile
1950–1953 Roman Odzierzyński — Prime Minister in exile head of government, in exile
1952–1964 Aleksander Zawadzki — Chairman of the Council of State head of state
1952–1954 Bolesław Bierut — prime minister once the presidency was abolished head of government
1954–1970 Józef Cyrankiewicz — prime minister, his second and longest term head of government
1954 Jerzy Hryniewski — Prime Minister in exile head of government, in exile
1954–1955 Stanisław Mackiewicz — Prime Minister in exile head of government, in exile
Went back to communist Poland in 1956.
1955 Hugon Hanke — Prime Minister in exile for a month head of government, in exile
An agent of communist intelligence since 1952; while still in office as prime minister he left for Poland and went over to the communist government.
1955–1965 Antoni Pająk — Prime Minister in exile head of government, in exile
1956 Edward Ochab — First Secretary de facto leader
1956–1970 Władysław Gomułka — First Secretary de facto leader
1964–1968 Edward Ochab — Chairman of the Council of State head of state
1965–1970 Aleksander Zawisza — Prime Minister in exile head of government, in exile
1968–1970 Marian Spychalski — Chairman of the Council of State head of state
1970–1980 Edward Gierek — First Secretary de facto leader
1970–1972 Józef Cyrankiewicz — Chairman of the Council of State head of state
1970–1980 Piotr Jaroszewicz — prime minister of the Gierek decade, built on foreign credit head of government
1970–1972 Zygmunt Muchniewski — Prime Minister in exile head of government, in exile
1972–1985 Henryk Jabłoński — Chairman of the Council of State head of state
1972–1979 Stanisław Ostrowski — President of the Republic in exile head of state, in exile
1972–1976 Alfred Urbański — Prime Minister in exile head of government, in exile
1976–1986 Kazimierz Sabbat — Prime Minister in exile head of government, in exile
1979–1986 Edward Raczyński — President of the Republic in exile head of state, in exile
1980–1981 Stanisław Kania — First Secretary de facto leader
1980 Edward Babiuch — prime minister; his price rise set off the July strikes head of government
1980–1981 Józef Pińkowski — prime minister while Solidarity was being founded head of government
1981–1989 Wojciech Jaruzelski — First Secretary, imposed martial law de facto leader
1981–1985 Wojciech Jaruzelski — prime minister; he declared martial law from this office head of government
1985–1989 Wojciech Jaruzelski — Chairman of the Council of State head of state
1985–1988 Zbigniew Messner — prime minister; his economic reform failed in a referendum head of government
1986–1989 Kazimierz Sabbat — President of the Republic in exile head of state, in exile
1986–1990 Edward Szczepanik — last Prime Minister in exile head of government, in exile
1988–1989 Mieczysław Rakowski — last communist prime minister with a full mandate head of government

The Third Republic 1989–2026

1989–1990 Mieczysław Rakowski — last First Secretary de facto leader
Took over the party from Jaruzelski in July 1989, when Jaruzelski became president. From September Mazowiecki governed, and in January 1990 the party dissolved itself.
1989 Czesław Kiszczak — appointed prime minister by the Sejm; never managed to form a government head of government
Three weeks in August before the Mazowiecki government — the moment the ruling party lost its majority in the Sejm, as its allies walked away.
1989–1991 Tadeusz Mazowiecki — first non-communist prime minister head of government
1989–1990 Wojciech Jaruzelski — President of the People’s Republic, then of the Republic head of state
1989–1990 Ryszard Kaczorowski — last President of the Republic in exile head of state, in exile
On 22 December 1990 he handed the presidential insignia to Lech Wałęsa. He was killed in the Smolensk air disaster.
1990–1995 Lech Wałęsa — President of Poland head of state
1991 Jan Krzysztof Bielecki — Prime Minister head of government
1991–1992 Jan Olszewski — prime minister; the Sejm voted his government out on the "night of the files" head of government
1992 Waldemar Pawlak — prime minister for 33 days; could not form a government head of government
1992–1993 Hanna Suchocka — first woman prime minister head of government
1993–1995 Waldemar Pawlak — prime minister, second term head of government
1995–1996 Józef Oleksy — Prime Minister head of government
1995–2005 Aleksander Kwaśniewski — President of Poland head of state
1996–1997 Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz — Prime Minister head of government
1997–2001 Jerzy Buzek — prime minister, later President of the European Parliament head of government
2001–2004 Leszek Miller — prime minister; signed the EU accession treaty head of government
2004–2005 Marek Belka — prime minister; took office the day after Poland joined the EU head of government
2005–2006 Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz — Prime Minister head of government
2005–2010 Lech Kaczyński — President of Poland head of state
Killed in the Smolensk air disaster in April 2010.
2006–2007 Jarosław Kaczyński — Prime Minister head of government
2007–2014 Donald Tusk — Prime Minister head of government
2010–2015 Bronisław Komorowski — President of Poland head of state
From 10 April 2010, after Lech Kaczyński’s death, he acted as president as Marshal of the Sejm. He won the election and gave up the Marshal’s office on 8 July; he took office as president on 6 August.
2010 Grzegorz Schetyna — Marshal of the Sejm, acting President head of state
Acting president from 8 July until Komorowski was sworn in on 6 August 2010. For a few hours on 8 July, before the Sejm elected him Marshal, the Marshal of the Senate, Bogdan Borusewicz, acted instead.
2014–2015 Ewa Kopacz — Prime Minister head of government
2015–2017 Beata Szydło — Prime Minister head of government
2015–2025 Andrzej Duda — President of Poland head of state
2017–2023 Mateusz Morawiecki — Prime Minister head of government
since 2023 Donald Tusk — Prime Minister head of government
since 2025 Karol Nawrocki — President of Poland head of state