This article lists the heads of state of Poland. Currently, the President of Poland is the head of state of the country.
Poland in the Early Middle Ages
Legendary rulers Most of these rulers appear for the first time in chronicles from the 13th century:
Semi-legendary dukes of the Polans in Greater Poland Several historians tend to believe that the three legendary rulers of early Poland before Mieszko I might actually be historical persons. They appear in the oldest Polish chronicle, Gesta principum Polonorum from the early 12th century.
Kingdom of Poland and Duchy of Poland (966–1569) Piast dukes and kings
Fragmentation of the Kingdom of Poland, 1138–1314
Piast high dukes
Reunification attempts in the Kingdom of Poland 1232–1305
Piast kings
Přemyslid kings
Reunited Kingdom of Poland, 1314–1569
Piast kings
Anjou kings
Jagiellonian kings
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (1569–1795)
Duchy of Warsaw (1807–1815)
Kings of the Congress Kingdom of Poland in the Russian Empire (1815–1917)
RulerDynastyReign startReign endNotes Alexander I (Aleksander I/II) Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov 9 June 1815 1 December 1825 The Kingdom of Poland created at the Congress of Vienna and therefore dubbed "Congress Poland". Nicholas I (Mikołaj I) Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov 1 December 1825 2 March 1855 Deposed by the Polish Parliament (Sejm) on 25 January 1831 during the November Uprising (1830–1831), autonomy was abolished in 1832. Alexander II (Aleksander II/III) Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov 2 March 1855 13 March 1881 The Kingdom of Poland was annexed into the Russian Empire after the January Uprising (1863–1864) and the name of the kingdom was changed to Vistula Land (1867–1915) Alexander III (Aleksander III/IV) Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov 13 March 1881 1 November 1894 Nicholas II (Mikołaj II) Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov 1 November 1894 15 March 1917 Abdicated in 1917
Republic of Poland (1918–1939)
Chief of State
PortraitName(Birth–Death)Entered officeLeft officePolitical partyNotes– Józef Piłsudski(1867–1935) 14 November 1918 11 December 1922 Independent Provisional Chief of State until 1918
President of the Republic PortraitName(Birth–Death)Entered officeLeft officePolitical partyElectionNotes1 Gabriel Narutowicz(1865–1922) 11 December 1922 16 December 1922 Independentsupported byPolish People's Party "Wyzwolenie" Dec 1922 (I) First President of Poland. Assassinated after only 5 days in office– Maciej Rataj(1884–1940)Acting President 16 December 1922 22 December 1922 Polish People's Party "Piast" — Marshal of the Sejm2 Stanisław Wojciechowski(1869–1953) 22 December 1922 14 May 1926 Polish People's Party "Piast" Dec 1922 (II) Deposed in the May Coup by Marshal Józef Piłsudski– Maciej Rataj(1884–1940)Acting President 14 May 1926 4 June 1926 Polish People's Party "Piast" — Marshal of the Sejm– Józef Piłsudski(1867–1935)Did not take office Independent May 1926 Piłsudski was elected President by the National Assembly but declined to take office.3 Ignacy Mościcki(1867–1946) 4 June 1926 30 September 1939 Independentsupported byNonpartisan Bloc for Cooperation with the Government Jun 19261933 Mościcki's government was exiled to Romania after Poland's defeat in World War II on 17 September.
Government of the Republic of Poland in Exile (1939–1990)
After the German conquest of Poland, a Polish government-in-exile was formed under the protection of France and Britain. The President of the Republic and the government-in-exile were recognised by the United Kingdom and, later, by the United States until 6 July 1945, when the Western Allies accepted the Communist-led government backed by Joseph Stalin. Despite having lost recognition by other governments, the government-in-exile continued in London until the election of Lech Wałęsa as President of the Republic of Poland in December 1990, upon which it handed over its formal powers and the insignia of the Polish Second Republic to President-elect Wałęsa in a ceremony at the Warsaw Royal Castle on 22 December 1990.
The sole internationally recognised president of the exiled government was Władysław Raczkiewicz, who took office after Ignacy Mościcki's resignation in September 1939.
PortraitName(Birth–Death)Entered officeLeft officePolitical partyNotes1 Władysław Raczkiewicz(1885–1947) 30 September 1939 6 June 1947 Independent Raczkiewicz's government lost recognition by the Western Allies on 6 July 1945.2 August Zaleski(1883–1972) 9 June 1947 7 April 1972 Independent From 1954 onwards, opposed by the Rada Trzech (Council of Three)3 Stanisław Ostrowski(1892–1982) 9 April 1972 24 March 1979 Independent4 Edward Raczyński(1891–1993) 8 April 1979 8 April 1986 Independent5 Kazimierz Sabbat(1913–1989) 8 April 1986 19 July 1989 Independent6 Ryszard Kaczorowski(1919–2010) 19 July 1989 22 December 1990 Independent Kaczorowski resigned on 22 December 1990, upon the election of Lech Wałęsa as President of the Republic of Poland.
Polish People's Republic (1944–1989)
President of the State National Council The Provisional Government of the Republic of Poland was founded under Soviet protection on 31 December 1944 and recognised by the United States and the United Kingdom since 6 July 1945. It evolved into the Government of National Unity on 28 June 1945, and eventually into the Polish People's Republic on 19 February 1947.
PortraitName(Birth–Death)Entered officeLeft officePolitical partyNotes1 Bolesław Bierut(1892–1956) 31 December 1944 4 February 1947 Polish Workers' Party
President of the Republic PortraitName(Birth–Death)Entered officeLeft officePolitical partyElectionNotes– Franciszek Trąbalski(1870–1964)Acting4 February 1947 Polish Socialist Party —– Władysław Kowalski(1894–1958)Acting 4 February 1947 5 February 1947 Polish Workers' Party Marshal of the Sejm1 Bolesław Bierut(1892–1956) 5 February 1947 20 November 1952 Polish Workers' Party/Polish United Workers' Party 1947 From December 1948, also Secretary General of the Polish United Workers' Party
Chairman of the Council of State
In 1952, the July Constitution abolished the office of president and made the Council of State the collective head of state, chairmen of which are listed below. Real power rested with the Polish United Workers' Party (PZPR), its Central Committee, and the secretary general/first secretary.
PortraitName(Birth–Death)Entered officeLeft officePolitical partyNotes1 Aleksander Zawadzki(1899–1964) 20 November 1952 7 August 1964 Polish United Workers' Party Died in office (cancer) In accordance with the constitution, the vice presidents of the Council of State, Edward Ochab, Stanisław Kulczyński, Oskar R. Lange, and Bolesław Podedworny, became collegially acting heads of state.2 Edward Ochab(1906–1989) 12 August 1964 10 April 1968 Polish United Workers' Party3 Marian Spychalski(1906–1980) 10 April 1968 23 December 1970 Polish United Workers' Party4 Józef Cyrankiewicz(1911–1989) 23 December 1970 28 March 1972 Polish United Workers' Party5 Henryk Jabłoński(1909–2003) 28 March 1972 6 November 1985 Polish United Workers' Party6 Wojciech Jaruzelski(1923–2014) 6 November 1985 19 July 1989 Polish United Workers' Party Also the First Secretary of the Polish United Workers' Party
First Secretaries of the Polish Workers' Party (PPR)/Polish United Workers' Party (PZPR) Since 1954, the head of the party was also the Chairman of the Central Committee.
Name(Birth–Death)PortraitEntered officeLeft officePosition Władysław Gomułka(1905–1982) 23 November 1943 10 August 1948 First Secretary of PPR Bolesław Bierut(1892–1956) 10 August 1948 12 March 1956 First Secretary of PPR to 16 December 1948; First Secretary of PZPR from 22 December 1948 Edward Ochab(1906–1989) 20 March 1956 21 October 1956 First Secretary of PZPR Władysław Gomułka(1905–1982) 21 October 1956 20 December 1970 Edward Gierek(1913–2001) 20 December 1970 6 September 1980 Stanisław Kania(1927–2020) 6 September 1980 18 October 1981 Wojciech Jaruzelski(1923–2014) 18 October 1981 29 July 1989 Mieczysław Rakowski*(1926–2008) 29 July 1989 29 January 1990 By the second half of 1989, the office of First Secretary, occupied at the time by Mieczysław Rakowski, ceased to hold any real power.
Republic of Poland (1989–present)
President of the Republic Portrait Name(Birth–Death) Entered office Left office Political party ElectionNotesPrevious office Wojciech Jaruzelski(1923–2014) 19 July 1989 22 December 1990 Polish United Workers' Party 1989 Following the Polish Round Table Agreement between the Polish United Workers' Party and Solidarity, the Council of State was abolished. Its chairman was elected President of the People's Republic by the Parliament.2 Lech Wałęsa(born 1943) 22 December 1990 22 December 1995 Independent(Solidarity Citizens' Committee) 1990 First president elected by popular vote. Aleksander Kwaśniewski(born 1954) 23 December 1995 23 December 2005 Democratic Left Alliance 19952000 Member of the Sejm (1991–95). First President of the Third Republic elected twice. Lech Kaczyński(1949–2010) 23 December 2005 10 April 2010 Law and Justice 2005 Senator (1989–91); Member of the Sejm (1991–93 and 2001–02); Mayor of Warsaw (2002-05). Died in a plane crash.– Bronisław Komorowski(born 1952)Acting President 10 April 2010 8 July 2010 Civic Platform — Marshal of the Sejm (2007–10). Resigned as Marshal of the Sejm, and thus as Acting President, after being confirmed as the winner of the 2010 presidential election.– Bogdan Borusewicz(born 1949)Acting President 8 July 2010 8 July 2010 Civic Platform Marshal of the Senate (2005–15). Acting president for less than a day, between Komorowski's resignation as the Marshal of the Sejm and Grzegorz Schetyna being sworn in.– Grzegorz Schetyna(born 1963)Acting President 8 July 2010 6 August 2010 Civic Platform Marshal of the Sejm (2010–11). Served as Acting President until Komorowski was sworn in as president as the result of the 2010 presidential election. Bronisław Komorowski(born 1952) 6 August 2010 6 August 2015 Civic Platform 2010 Member of the Sejm (1991–2010); Marshal of the Sejm (2007–10); Acting President (2010). Andrzej Duda(born 1972) 6 August 2015 6 August 2025 Law and Justice 20152020 Member of the Sejm (2011–14); Member of the European Parliament (2014–15); Duda was the Law and Justice candidate in the 2015 election, but resigned his membership on 26 May 2015.7 Karol Nawrocki(born 1983) 6 August 2025 Incumbent Independent(Law and Justice) 2025 Director of the Museum of the Second World War (2017–21); President of the Institute of National Remembrance (2021–25).
Timeline since 1918
See also List of Polish monarchs Prime Minister of Poland List of prime ministers of Poland
References