List of heads of state of Poland facts for kids

This article tells you about the heads of state of Poland. A head of state is the main leader of a country. Today, the President of Poland is the head of state.

Early Polish Leaders

In the very early days of Poland, before it was a Christian country, there were many legendary rulers. These stories were written down much later, in the 13th century. They tell us about the first leaders who helped shape the Polish nation.

Legendary Dukes and Princesses

Some of the most famous legendary rulers include Lech I, who is said to have founded the Polish nation. Then there was Krakus I, who is linked to the founding of Kraków. His daughter, Wanda, is also a well-known legendary princess. These stories are part of Poland's early history.

Name	Lifespan	Reign start	Reign end	Notes	Family	Image
Lech I	6th century	6th century	6th century	Legendary founder of the Polish nation	Lechites (tribe)
Krakus I Krak	8th century	8th century	8th century	Legendary founder of Kraków	Lechites (tribe)
Wanda Wąda	8th century	8th century	8th century	Legendary daughter of Krakus	Lechites (tribe)
Piast the Wheelwright Polish: Piast Kołodziej	9th century	9th century	9th century	Legendary founder of the Piast dynasty.	Piast

Semi-Legendary Dukes

Some historians think that a few rulers before Mieszko I might have been real people. They are mentioned in an old Polish book from the early 12th century called Gesta principum Polonorum. These dukes were part of the Polans tribe in Greater Poland.

Name	Lifespan	Reign start	Reign end	Notes	Family	Image
Siemowit Ziemowit	9th century	9th century	9th century	Son of Piast the Wheelwright	Piast
Lestek Leszek, Lestko	9th / 10th centuries	9th / 10th centuries	9th / 10th centuries	Son of Siemowit	Piast
Siemomysł Ziemomysł	10th century	10th century	10th century	Son of Lestek	Piast

Kingdom and Duchy of Poland (966–1569)

This period saw Poland become a Christian nation and then a kingdom. The Piast dynasty ruled for a long time.

Piast Dukes and Kings

The first Christian ruler of Poland was Mieszko I. He was a duke. His son, Bolesław I the Brave, was the first to be crowned King of Poland in 1025.

Name	Lifespan	Reign start	Reign end	Notes	Family	Image
Mieszko I	ca. 940 – 25 May 992	ca. 960	992	First Christian Polish monarch.	Piast
Bolesław I the Brave Bolesław I the Great	967 – 17 June 1025	Duke: 992 King: 18 April 1025	Duke: 18 April 1025 King: 17 June 1025	First to be crowned king.	Piast
Casimir I the Restorer Polish: Kazimierz I Odnowiciel	(1016-06-25)25 June 1016 – 28 November 1058(1058-11-28) (aged 42)	1039	1058	Helped rebuild Poland after a difficult period.	Piast
Bolesław II the Generous Polish: Bolesław II Szczodry	ca. 1041 or 1042 – 2 or 3 April 1081 or 1082	Duke: 1058 King: 1076	Duke: 1076 King: 1079	Son of Kazimierz I.	Piast
Władysław I Herman	ca. 1044 – 4 June 1102	1079	1102	Son of Kazimierz I.	Piast
Bolesław III Wrymouth Polish: Bolesław III Krzywousty	(1086-08-20)20 August 1086 – 28 October 1138(1138-10-28) (aged 52)	1107	1138	Divided Poland among his sons, which led to a long period of fragmentation.	Piast

Fragmentation and Reunification (1138–1314)

After Bolesław III, Poland was divided into many smaller duchies ruled by different Piast princes. They were called "High Dukes" or "Supreme Princes." This made Poland weaker for a long time.

Piast High Dukes

During this time, many different Piast dukes ruled over parts of Poland. They often fought each other. Some important ones were Władysław II the Exile, Bolesław IV the Curly, and Mieszko III the Old.

Name	Lifespan	Reign start	Reign end	Notes	Family	Image
Władysław II the Exile Polish: Władysław II Wygnaniec	1105 – 30 May 1159	1138	1146	Son of Bolesław III. Exiled by his brothers.	Piast
Bolesław IV the Curly Polish: Bolesław Kędzierzawy	ca. 1125 – 5 January 1173	1146	1173	Son of Bolesław III.	Piast
Mieszko III the Old Polish: Mieszko III Stary	ca. 1127 – 13 March 1202	1173	1177	Son of Bolesław III.	Piast
Casimir II the Just Polish: Kazimierz II Sprawiedliwy	ca. 1138 – 5 May 1194	1177	1190	Son of Bolesław III.	Piast
Leszek I the White Polish: Leszek Biały	ca. 1186 – 24 November 1227	1194	1198	Son of Casimir II.	Piast
Henryk I the Bearded Polish: Henryk I Brodaty	ca. 1165 – 19 March 1238	1225	1225	Grandson of Władysław II.	Piast
Henryk II the Pious Polish: Henryk II Pobożny	ca. 1196 – 9 April 1241	1238	1241	Son of Henry I. Died in the Battle of Legnica.	Piast
Bolesław V the Chaste Polish: Bolesław Wstydliwy	21 June 1226 – 7 December 1279	1243	1279	Son of Leszek the White.	Piast
Leszek II the Black Polish: Leszek Czarny	ca. 1241 – 30 September 1288	1279	1288	Grandson of Konrad I of Masovia.	Piast
Henryk IV Probus Polish: Henryk IV Prawy	ca. 1257/58 – 23 June 1290	1288	1289	Duke of Lower Silesia.	Piast
Władysław I the Elbow-high Polish: Władysław I Łokietek	1261 – 2 March 1333	1289	1289	Later reunited the Kingdom of Poland.	Piast

Kings During Reunification Attempts

Some rulers tried to bring Poland back together as one kingdom.

Piast Kings

Przemysł II was a Piast duke who became King in 1295, trying to reunite the country.

Name	Lifespan	Reign start	Reign end	Notes	Family	Image
Przemysł II	(1257-10-14)14 October 1257 – 8 February 1296(1296-02-08) (aged 38)	High Duke: 1290 King: 1295	High Duke: 1291 King: 1296	Also Duke of Poznań, Greater Poland, and Pomerania.	Piast

Přemyslid Kings

After Przemysł II, kings from Bohemia, like Wenceslaus II of Bohemia, ruled Poland for a short time.

Name	Lifespan	Reign start	Reign end	Notes	Family	Image
Wenceslaus II of Bohemia Polish: Wacław II Czeski	(1271-09-27)27 September 1271 – 21 June 1305(1305-06-21) (aged 33)	High Duke: 1291 King: 1300	High Duke: 1300 King: 1305	Also King of Bohemia.	Přemyslid
Wenceslaus III of Bohemia Polish: Wacław III Czeski	(1289-10-06)6 October 1289 – 4 August 1306(1306-08-04) (aged 16)	1305	1306	Son of Wenceslaus II.	Přemyslid

Reunited Kingdom of Poland (1314–1569)

Poland was finally reunited under the rule of Władysław I the Elbow-high. This began a new strong period for the kingdom.

Piast Kings

Casimir III the Great was one of Poland's most important kings. He built many castles and founded the Kraków Academy, one of the oldest universities in Europe.

Name	Lifespan	Reign start	Reign end	Notes	Family	Image
Władysław I the Elbow-high Polish: Władysław I Łokietek	1261 – 2 March 1333	1320	1333	Reunited the Kingdom of Poland.	Piast
Casimir III the Great Polish: Kazimierz III Wielki	(1310-04-30)30 April 1310 – 5 November 1370(1370-11-05) (aged 60)	1333	1370	Regarded as one of the greatest Polish monarchs.	Piast

Anjou Kings

After the Piast dynasty ended, the Anjou family from Hungary ruled Poland. Jadwiga of Poland was a very important queen, known for her wisdom and charity.

Name	Lifespan	Reign start	Reign end	Notes	Family	Image
Louis I of Hungary Polish: Ludwik Węgierski	(1326-03-05)5 March 1326 – 10 September 1382(1382-09-10) (aged 56)	1370	1382	Nephew of Casimir III. Also King of Hungary.	Anjou
Jadwiga of Poland Polish: Jadwiga Andegaweńska	1373/4 – 17 July 1399	16 October 1384	17 July 1399	Reigned jointly with her husband Władysław II Jagiełło from 1386.	Anjou

Jagiellonian Kings

The Jagiellonian dynasty began with Władysław II Jagiełło, who was also the Grand Duke of Lithuania. This union created a powerful state.

Name	Lifespan	Reign start	Reign end	Notes	Family	Image
Władysław II Jagiełło	ca. 1351/1362 – (1434-06-01)1 June 1434	4 March 1386	1 June 1434	Grand Duke of Lithuania. Longest-reigning King of Poland.	Jagiellonian
Władysław III of Poland Władysław III of Varna	(1424-10-31)31 October 1424 – 10 November 1444(1444-11-10) (aged 20)	25 July 1434	10 November 1444	Also King of Hungary. Died in the Battle of Varna.	Jagiellonian
Casimir IV Jagiellon Kazimierz IV Jagiellończyk	(1427-11-30)30 November 1427 - 7 June 1492(1492-06-07) (aged 64)	25 June 1447	7 June 1492	Also Grand Duke of Lithuania.	Jagiellonian
Sigismund I the Old Zygmunt I Stary	(1467-01-01)1 January 1467 – 1 April 1548(1548-04-01) (aged 81)	8 December 1506	1 April 1548	Also Grand Duke of Lithuania.	Jagiellonian
Sigismund II Augustus Zygmunt II August	(1520-08-01)1 August 1520 – 7 July 1572(1572-07-07) (aged 51)	1 April 1548	7 July 1572	Created the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1569.	Jagiellonian

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (1569–1795)

The Commonwealth was a huge country ruled by elected kings. Nobles chose the king, which was unique in Europe.

Name	Lifespan	Reign start	Reign end	Notes	Family	Image
Henry de Valois Henryk Walezy	(1551-09-19)19 September 1551 – 2 August 1589(1589-08-02) (aged 37)	21 February 1574	12 May 1575	Left Poland to become King of France.	Valois
Anna Anna Jagiellonka	(1523-10-18)18 October 1523 – 9 September 1596(1596-09-09) (aged 72)	15 December 1575	12 December 1586	Reigned with her husband Stephen Báthory.	Jagiellonian
Stephen Báthory Stefan Batory	(1533-09-27)27 September 1533 – 12 December 1586(1586-12-12) (aged 53)	15 December 1575	12 December 1586	Reigned with his wife Anna.	Báthory
Sigismund III Zygmunt III Waza	20 June 1566 – 30 April 1632(1632-04-30) (aged 65)	18 September 1587	19 April 1632	Moved the capital from Kraków to Warsaw.	Vasa
Władysław IV Władysław IV Waza	9 June 1595 – 20 May 1648(1648-05-20) (aged 52)	8 November 1632	20 May 1648	Son of Sigismund III.	Vasa
John II Casimir Jan II Kazimierz	(1609-03-22)22 March 1609 – 16 December 1672(1672-12-16) (aged 63)	20 November 1648	16 September 1668	Abdicated (gave up his throne).	Vasa
Michael I Michał Korybut Wiśniowiecki	(1640-05-31)May 31, 1640 – November 10, 1673(1673-11-10) (aged 33)	19 June 1669	10 November 1673	Elected king.	Wiśniowiecki
John III Jan III Sobieski	(1629-08-17)17 August 1629 – 17 June 1696(1696-06-17) (aged 66)	21 May 1674	17 June 1696	Famous for his victory at the Battle of Vienna in 1683.	Sobieski
Augustus II the Strong August II Mocny	(1670-05-12)12 May 1670 – 1 February 1733(1733-02-01) (aged 62)	15 September 1697	16 February 1704 (deposed)	Also Elector of Saxony.	Wettin
Stanisław I Stanisław I Leszczyński	(1677-10-20)20 October 1677 – 23 February 1766(1766-02-23) (aged 88)	4 October 1705	8 August 1709	Elected king.	Leszczyński
Augustus II the Strong August II Mocny	(1670-05-12)12 May 1670 – 1 February 1733(1733-02-01) (aged 62)	8 August 1709	1 February 1733	Restored to the throne.	Wettin
Augustus III August III Sas	17 October 1696 – 5 October 1763(1763-10-05) (aged 66)	17 January 1734	5 October 1763	Son of Augustus II.	Wettin
Stanisław II Augustus Stanisław August Poniatowski	(1732-01-17)17 January 1732 – 12 February 1798(1798-02-12) (aged 66)	25 November 1764	7 January 1795	Last King of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Forced to give up his throne.	Poniatowski

Duchy of Warsaw (1807–1815)

After Poland was divided by other countries, Napoleon Bonaparte created a small Polish state called the Duchy of Warsaw.

Name	Lifespan	Reign start	Reign end	Notes	Family	Image
Frederick Augustus I Fryderyk August I	(1750-12-23)23 December 1750 – (1827-05-05)5 May 1827 (aged 76)	9 June 1807	22 May 1815	Duke of Warsaw.	Wettin

Kings of Congress Poland (1815–1917)

After Napoleon's defeat, a new Polish state, called Congress Poland, was created. It was ruled by the Russian Emperors, who were also Kings of Poland.

Republic of Poland (1918–1939)

After World War I, Poland became an independent republic again.

Chief of State

Józef Piłsudski was the first Chief of State of the newly independent Poland. He was a very important leader in Polish history.

Portrait		Name (Birth–Death)	Entered office	Left office	Political party	Notes
–		Józef Piłsudski (1867–1935)	14 November 1918	11 December 1922	Independent	Provisional Chief of State.

President of the Republic

Poland then had presidents. The first president, Gabriel Narutowicz, was sadly assassinated just five days after taking office.

Portrait		Name (Birth–Death)	Entered office	Left office	Political party	Election	Notes
1		Gabriel Narutowicz (1865–1922)	11 December 1922	16 December 1922 (Died in office)	Independent	Dec 1922 (I)	First President of Poland.
–		Maciej Rataj (1884–1940) Acting President	16 December 1922	22 December 1922	Polish People's Party "Piast"	—	Served as Acting President.
2		Stanisław Wojciechowski (1869–1953)	22 December 1922	14 May 1926 (Deposed)	Polish People's Party "Piast"	Dec 1922 (II)	Removed from office during the May Coup.
–		Maciej Rataj (1884–1940) Acting President	14 May 1926	4 June 1926	Polish People's Party "Piast"	—	Served as Acting President again.
3		Ignacy Mościcki (1867–1946)	4 June 1926	30 September 1939	Independent	Jun 1926 1933	His government went into exile after Poland's defeat in World War II.

Polish Government in Exile (1939–1990)

During World War II and the Cold War, a Polish government continued to exist outside of Poland, mainly in London. It was recognized by some countries for a time.

The main president of this government was Władysław Raczkiewicz. This government kept the idea of an independent Poland alive. It handed over its powers when Poland became fully democratic again in 1990.

Portrait		Name (Birth–Death)	Entered office	Left office	Political party	Notes
1		Władysław Raczkiewicz (1885–1947)	30 September 1939	6 June 1947 (Died in office)	Independent	His government lost recognition by Western countries in 1945.
2		August Zaleski (1883–1972)	9 June 1947	7 April 1972 (Died in office)	Independent
3		Stanisław Ostrowski (1892–1982)	9 April 1972	24 March 1979	Independent
4		Edward Raczyński (1891–1993)	8 April 1979	8 April 1986	Independent
5		Kazimierz Sabbat (1913–1989)	8 April 1986	19 July 1989 (Died in office)	Independent
6		Ryszard Kaczorowski (1919–2010)	19 July 1989	22 December 1990	Independent	Resigned when Lech Wałęsa was elected president in Poland.

Polish People's Republic (1944–1989)

After World War II, Poland became a communist state under Soviet influence. It was called the Polish People's Republic.

President of the State National Council

The first leader of this new government was Bolesław Bierut.

Portrait		Name (Birth–Death)	Entered office	Left office	Political party	Notes
1		Bolesław Bierut (1892–1956)	31 December 1944	4 February 1947	Polish Workers' Party

President of the Republic

Bolesław Bierut continued as President when the Polish People's Republic was officially formed.

Portrait		Name (Birth–Death)	Entered office	Left office	Political party	Election	Notes
–		Franciszek Trąbalski (1870–1964) Acting	4 February 1947		Polish Workers' Party	—
–		Władysław Kowalski (1894–1958) Acting	4 February 1947	5 February 1947	Polish Workers' Party		Served as Acting President.
1		Bolesław Bierut (1892–1956)	5 February 1947	20 November 1952	Polish Workers' Party/ Polish United Workers' Party	1947	Also led the main political party.

Chairman of the Council of State

In 1952, the role of president was replaced by a group called the Council of State. The person leading this council was the head of state.

Portrait		Name (Birth–Death)	Entered office	Left office	Political party	Notes
1		Aleksander Zawadzki (1899–1964)	20 November 1952	7 August 1964 (Died in office)	Polish United Workers' Party	Died while in office.
2		Edward Ochab (1906–1989)	12 August 1964	10 April 1968	Polish United Workers' Party
3		Marian Spychalski (1906–1980)	10 April 1968	23 December 1970	Polish United Workers' Party
4		Józef Cyrankiewicz (1911–1989)	23 December 1970	28 March 1972	Polish United Workers' Party
5		Henryk Jabłoński (1909–2003)	28 March 1972	6 November 1985	Polish United Workers' Party
6		Wojciech Jaruzelski (1923–2014)	6 November 1985	19 July 1989	Polish United Workers' Party	Also the leader of the main political party.

Republic of Poland (1989–present)

Poland became a democratic republic again in 1989. Since then, the country has had several presidents elected by the people.

President of the Republic

Wojciech Jaruzelski was the first president after the change to democracy. Then, Lech Wałęsa, a famous leader from the Solidarity movement, became the first president elected by popular vote.

	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Entered office	Left office	Political party	Election	Notes Previous office
1		Wojciech Jaruzelski (1923–2014)	19 July 1989	22 December 1990 (Resigned)	Polish United Workers' Party	1989	Elected by the Parliament.
2		Lech Wałęsa (born 1943)	22 December 1990	22 December 1995	Independent	1990	First president elected by popular vote.
3		Aleksander Kwaśniewski (born 1954)	23 December 1995	23 December 2005	Democratic Left Alliance	1995 2000	Served two terms as president.
4		Lech Kaczyński (1949–2010)	23 December 2005	10 April 2010 (Died in office)	Law and Justice	2005	Died in a plane crash.
–		Bronisław Komorowski (born 1952) Acting President	10 April 2010	8 July 2010	Civic Platform	—	Served as Acting President after Lech Kaczyński's death.
–		Bogdan Borusewicz (born 1949) Acting President	8 July 2010	8 July 2010	Civic Platform		Served as Acting President for a very short time.
–		Grzegorz Schetyna (born 1963) Acting President	8 July 2010	6 August 2010	Civic Platform		Served as Acting President until the new president was sworn in.
5		Bronisław Komorowski (born 1952)	6 August 2010	6 August 2015	Civic Platform	2010	Was also Acting President earlier in 2010.
6		Andrzej Duda (born 1972)	6 August 2015	Incumbent	Law and Justice	2015 2020	The current President of Poland.
7		Karol Nawrocki (born 1983)	Assuming office: 6 August 2025		Independent	2025	Elected to become the next President of Poland.

Timeline of Modern Polish Leaders

See also

In Spanish: Anexo:Presidentes de Polonia para niños

• List of Polish monarchs
• Prime Minister of Poland
  • List of prime ministers of Poland