List of heads of state of Lithuania facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Lithuania has a long and interesting history, and many different leaders have guided the country over the centuries. This article tells you about the people who were in charge of Lithuania, from its early days as a kingdom to the modern republic we know today. These leaders were sometimes kings, sometimes grand dukes, and sometimes presidents.

When Lithuanian monarchs were crowned a long time ago, a special hat called the Gediminas' Cap was placed on their heads by the Bishop of Vilnius in Vilnius Cathedral.

Kingdom of Lithuania (1251–1263)
- Mindaugas' Family (1253–1263)
Grand Duchy of Lithuania (1263–1569)
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (1569–1795)
Kingdom of Lithuania (1918)
- Urach Family (1918)
Republic of Lithuania (1918–1940)
Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic (1940–1941)
- First Secretaries of the Communist Party of Lithuania
German Occupation (1941–1944)
- General Commissioners of Generalbezirk Litauen
Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic (1944–1990)
- First Secretaries of the Communist Party of Lithuania
Republic of Lithuania (1990–present)
Timeline of Modern Leaders
Images for kids
See also

Kingdom of Lithuania (1251–1263)

This was the first time Lithuania was called a kingdom. The leader was known as the King of Lithuania. The dates for this period are a bit uncertain because there aren't many old records.

Mindaugas' Family (1253–1263)

King	Picture	Time in Office	Important Notes
Mindaugas	Mindaugas, the first King of Lithuania.	1253–1263	He was first a Grand Duke, then became the King. He was killed in 1263.

Grand Duchy of Lithuania (1263–1569)

After the Kingdom, Lithuania became a Grand Duchy. Its leaders were called Grand Dukes. Like the Kingdom period, some dates are not exact due to old records.

Mindaugas' Family (1263–1267)

Grand Duke	Picture	Time in Office	Important Notes
Treniota	Treniota.	1263–1264	He was Mindaugas' nephew. He was murdered by people loyal to Mindaugas' son.
Vaišvilkas	Vaišvilkas.	1264–1267	Mindaugas' son. He was murdered in 1268.

Monomakh Family (1267–1269)

Grand Duke	Picture	Time in Office	Important Notes
Shvarn		1267–1269	He was the son of Daniel of Galicia.

Mindaugas' Family (1269–1285)

Grand Duke	Picture	Time in Office	Important Notes
Traidenis	Grand Duke Traidenis.	1270–1282
Daumantas		1282–1285	He died in a battle.

Gediminas' Family (1285–1440)

This family ruled Lithuania for a very long time.

Grand Duke	Picture	Time in Office	Important Notes
Butigeidis		1285–1291
Butvydas		1291–1295
Vytenis	Vytenis.	1295–1316
Gediminas	Gediminas, a famous Grand Duke.	1316–1341	He had 13 children.
Jaunutis	Jaunutis.	1341–1345
Algirdas	Algirdas.	1345–1377	He ruled with Kęstutis.
Jogaila Algirdaitis	Jogaila Algirdaitis.	May 1377–August 1381
Kęstutis	Kęstutis.	1381–1382	He was murdered while imprisoned.
Jogaila Algirdaitis	Jogaila Algirdaitis.	August 1382–June 1434
The Act of Kreva was signed in 1385. This meant Poland and Lithuania were ruled by one monarch, but they were still separate countries.
King of Poland and Grand Duke Jogaila Algirdaitis	Jogaila Algirdaitis.	August 1382–June 1434
Skirgaila	Skirgaila.	1386–1392	He might have been poisoned.
The Astrava Agreement was signed in 1392. After a civil war, Vytautas took over. He and the leaders after him acted as regents (like temporary rulers) for the King of Poland until 1440.
Vytautas Vytautas the Great	Vytautas the Great.	August 1392–October 1430	He was known as Vytautas the Great.
Švitrigaila	Švitrigaila.	October 1430–August 1432
Sigismund Kęstutaitis	Sigismund Kęstutaitis.	1432–1440	He was murdered by people who supported Švitrigaila.

Jagiellon Family (1440–1569)

The Jagiellon family ruled Lithuania for a long time.

The Jagiellon family continued the rule of the Gediminas family. Even though Poland and Lithuania had a personal union since 1385, they started having the same ruler all the time with Casimir IV. These rulers kept separate titles for both countries.

King of Poland and Grand Duke	Picture	Time in Office	Important Notes
Casimir IV Jagiellon	Casimir IV Jagiellon.	June 1440–June 1492	He had 12 children.
Alexander Jagiellon	Alexander Jagiellon.	July 1492–August 1506
Sigismund I Sigismund I the Old	Sigismund I the Old.	December 1506–April 1548	He had 8 children.
Sigismund II Augustus	Sigismund II Augustus.	April 1548–July 1572
The Union of Lublin was signed in 1569. This joined Poland and Lithuania into one big country called the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (1569–1795)

After the Union of Lublin, the King of Poland automatically became the Grand Duke of Lithuania. The first ruler for both countries was Sigismund II Augustus.

During a big war called the Deluge in 1655, Lithuania signed an agreement with Sweden, which technically ended its union with Poland. But Sweden lost the war, so the agreement didn't last, and the Commonwealth continued. Later, between 1772 and 1795, the Commonwealth was divided up by other countries, and Lithuania became part of the Russian Empire for 123 years.

The leaders during this time were called the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania.

King of Poland and Grand Duke	Picture	Time in Office	Important Notes
Sigismund II Augustus	Sigismund II Augustus.	July 1569–July 1572	He was the first monarch to introduce the idea of electing a king.
Henry	Henry III of France.	May 1573–May 1575	He was elected but left Poland to become King of France.
Anna	Anna Jagiellon.	December 1575–August 1587 (ruled) December 1575–September 1596 (officially)	She was elected to rule with Stephen Báthory. She ruled alone until he arrived.
Stephen Báthory	Stephen Báthory.	May 1576–December 1586	He was elected to rule with Anna Jagiellon.
Sigismund III	Sigismund III Vasa.	August 1587–April 1632	He was Anna Jagiellon's nephew. He moved the capital from Kraków to Warsaw.
Władysław IV	Władysław IV.	November 1632–May 1648	He was also the King of Sweden for a time.
John II Casimir	John II Casimir.	November 1648–September 1668	He was a cardinal before becoming king. He gave up his throne.
Michael I	Michael I.	June 1669–November 1673	He was elected.
John III Sobieski	John III Sobieski.	May 1674–June 1696	He was a very successful military leader.
Augustus II	Augustus II the Strong.	September 1697–1706 (1st time)	He was elected. He was removed from power in 1706 during a war.
Stanislaus I	Stanislaus I.	July 1704–July 1709 (1st time)	He was put in power by Sweden. He was exiled in 1709.
Augustus II	Augustus II.	July 1709–February 1733 (2nd time)	He was put back in power.
Stanislaus I	Stanislaus I.	September 1733–January 1736 (2nd time)	His election caused a war. He was removed from power in 1736.
Augustus III	Augustus III.	October 1733–October 1763	He became king in 1733 and was crowned in 1734.
Stanislaus II Augustus	Stanislaus II Augustus.	September 1764–November 1795	He was the last King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania. His rule ended when Poland and Lithuania were divided up by other countries.

Kingdom of Lithuania (1918)

After a long time, Lithuania declared its independence on February 16, 1918. The Council of Lithuania invited a German duke, Wilhelm of Urach, to become their king. He accepted and took the name Mindaugas II. But the Council changed its mind on November 2, 1918, because Germany was losing World War I.

Urach Family (1918)

King	Picture	Time in Office	Important Notes
Mindaugas II	Mindaugas II.	July 11, 1918–November 2, 1918	He was invited to be king but the offer was later taken back.

Republic of Lithuania (1918–1940)

After the short-lived kingdom, Lithuania became a republic.

Early Leaders of the Council of Lithuania

At first, Lithuania was led by the Presidium of the State Council. Its chairman was the actual head of state. The official position of President was created on April 4, 1919. Antanas Smetona was the first person to be called President.

No.	Picture	Name	Time in Office	Important Notes
1	Antanas Smetona.	Antanas Smetona	November 2, 1918–April 4, 1919	He was the chairman of the Presidium of the State Council.

Presidents of the Republic of Lithuania

The role of President was officially created on April 4, 1919.

No.	Picture	Name	Time in Office	Important Notes
1	Antanas Smetona.	Antanas Smetona	April 4, 1919–June 19, 1920	He was the first President of Lithuania.
	Antanas Smetona.	Antanas Smetona	Aleksandras Stulginskis.	Aleksandras Stulginskis (Acting)	June 19, 1919–December 21, 1922	He was acting President as the Chairman of the Constituent Assembly.
	2	Aleksandras Stulginskis.			Aleksandras Stulginskis	December 21, 1922–June 7, 1926	He was elected President by the Seimas (Parliament).
Kazys Grinius.						Kazys Grinius	June 7, 1926–December 18, 1926	He was elected President by the Seimas.
							There was a coup d'état (a sudden, illegal takeover of government) in December 1926.
			–	Jonas Staugaitis.			Jonas Staugaitis (Acting)	December 18, 1926–December 19, 1926	He was acting President after the coup.
	–		Aleksandras Stulginskis.	Aleksandras Stulginskis (Acting)			December 19, 1926	He was acting President after the coup.
Antanas Smetona.	–		Antanas Smetona	December 19, 1926–June 15, 1940		He returned to power after the coup.
	On June 15, 1940, the Soviet Union occupied Lithuania for the first time.
	–	Antanas Merkys.		Antanas Merkys (Acting)	June 15, 1940–June 17, 1940	He was acting President after the Soviet occupation.
	–	Justas Paleckis.		Justas Paleckis (Acting)	June 17, 1940–August 15, 1940	He was put in place by the Soviet leaders. The position of President was officially removed on June 24, 1940.

Leaders Recognized After Their Deaths

Some people who fought for Lithuania's freedom during difficult times were later recognized as acting Presidents.

No.	Picture	Name	Time in Office	Important Notes
–	Jonas Žemaitis.	Jonas Žemaitis (Acting)	February 16, 1949–November 26, 1954	He was a general who led resistance against the Soviet occupation.
–	Adolfas Ramanauskas.	Adolfas Ramanauskas (Acting)	November 26, 1954–November 29, 1957	He was a colonel who also led resistance against the Soviet occupation.

Heads of the Lithuanian Diplomatic Service

After the Soviet Union occupied Lithuania in 1940, the last Foreign Minister, Juozas Urbšys, made sure that Stasys Lozoraitis would lead the Lithuanian diplomatic service from outside the country. This group acted like a government in exile, which was very important for keeping the idea of an independent Lithuania alive until it became free again.

No.	Picture	Name	Time in Office	Important Notes
1	Stasys Lozoraitis.	Stasys Lozoraitis	June 15, 1940–December 24, 1983	He took office after the Soviet invasion.
2	Stasys Bačkis.	Stasys Bačkis	December 24, 1983–November 15, 1987	He took office after Stasys Lozoraitis passed away.
–	Stasys Lozoraitis Jr.	Stasys Lozoraitis Jr.	November 15, 1987–September 6, 1991	He became the leader of the Diplomatic Service after Stasys Bačkis left Washington, D.C.

Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic (1940–1941)

The Soviet Union took over Lithuania and created the Lithuanian SSR in July 1940.

First Secretaries of the Communist Party of Lithuania

During this time, the real power was held by the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Lithuania.

No.	Picture	Name	Time in Office	Important Notes
1	Lithuanian SSR emblem.	Antanas Sniečkus	July 21, 1940–June 24, 1941
On June 22, 1941, Nazi Germany invaded Lithuania.

German Occupation (1941–1944)

When Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union, Lithuania briefly declared its independence again. A temporary government was formed, but Germany soon occupied Lithuania. They created a region called Generalbezirk Litauen, which was part of a larger German-controlled area.

General Commissioners of Generalbezirk Litauen

These were the German officials in charge during the occupation.

No.	Picture	Name	Time in Office	Important Notes
1	Adrian von Renteln.	Adrian von Renteln	August 1941–August 1944	He was the German general commissioner.
In 1944, the Soviet Union reoccupied Lithuania.

Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic (1944–1990)

After the Germans left, the Soviet Union took control of Lithuania again and re-established the Lithuanian SSR. The Communist Party of Lithuania held the real power.

First Secretaries of the Communist Party of Lithuania

These individuals were the most powerful people in Lithuania during this period.

No.	Picture	Name	Time in Office	Important Notes
1	Antanas Sniečkus.	Antanas Sniečkus	July 13, 1944–January 22, 1974	He was the longest-serving First Secretary.
			–	Lithuanian SSR emblem.	Valery Khazarov (Acting)	January 22, 1974–February 18, 1974	He was acting First Secretary.
			–	Petras Griškevičius.	Petras Griškevičius	February 18, 1974–November 14, 1987
			–			Lithuanian SSR emblem.	Nikolay Mitkin (Acting)	November 14, 1987–December 1, 1987	He was acting First Secretary.
3	Ringaudas Songaila	December 1, 1987–October 19, 1988	–
3	Algirdas Brazauskas.	Algirdas Brazauskas	October 19, 1988–March 11, 1990
On December 7, 1989, the Communist Party's "leading role" was removed from the constitution.
On March 11, 1990, Lithuania declared its independence again.

Republic of Lithuania (1990–present)

After declaring independence on March 11, 1990, the leader of the Supreme Council was the official head of state. This changed in 1992 when a new Constitution created the office of President. Other countries started to recognize Lithuania's independence in September 1991.

No.	Picture	Name	Elected	Took Office	Left Office	Political Party	Notes
-	Vytautas Landsbergis.	Vytautas Landsbergis	–	March 11, 1990	November 25, 1992	Sąjūdis	As Chairman of the Supreme Council.
The Speaker of the Seimas, Algirdas Brazauskas, was acting President from November 25, 1992, to February 25, 1993.
1	Algirdas Brazauskas.	Algirdas Brazauskas	1993	February 25, 1993	February 25, 1998	Democratic Labour Party of Lithuania	He was the first President of the Republic of Lithuania.
2	Valdas Adamkus.	Valdas Adamkus	1997–98	February 26, 1998	February 26, 2003	Independent
3	Rolandas Paksas.	Rolandas Paksas	2002–03	February 26, 2003	April 6, 2004	Order and Justice	He was removed from office.
The Speaker of the Seimas, Artūras Paulauskas, was acting President from April 6, 2004, to July 12, 2004.
(2)	Valdas Adamkus.	Valdas Adamkus	2004	July 12, 2004	July 12, 2009	Independent
4	Dalia Grybauskaitė.	Dalia Grybauskaitė	2009 2014	July 12, 2009	July 12, 2019	Independent	She was the first female President of Lithuania and the first to be reelected.
5	Gitanas Nausėda.	Gitanas Nausėda	2019 2024	July 12, 2019	Incumbent	Independent