This article lists the heads of state of Poland. Currently, the president of Poland is the head of state of the country.
See: Poland in the Early Middle Ages
Most of these rulers appear for the first time in chronicles from the 13th century.
Several historians tend to believe that 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.
See also: History of Poland during the Piast dynasty.
See also: Testament of Bolesław III Wrymouth.
See also: History of Poland during the Jagiellonian dynasty.
See also: Rzeczpospolita, History of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (1569–1648), History of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (1648–1764) and History of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (1764–95).
See also: Duchy of Warsaw.
See main article: Second Polish Republic.
See main article: Chief of State.
| Portrait | width=25% | Name (Birth–Death) | width=17% | Entered office | width=17% | Left office | width=20% | Political party | width=20% | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | Józef Piłsudski (1867–1935) | 14 November 1918 | 11 December 1922 | Independent | Provisional Chief of State until 1918 | ||||||
| Portrait | width=25% | Name (Birth–Death) | width=17% | Entered office | width=17% | Left office | width=20% | Political party | width=10% | Election | width=20% | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gabriel Narutowicz (1865–1922) | 11 December 1922 | 16 December 1922 | Independent supported by Polish 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 Sejm | |||||||
| 2 | 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 | Independent supported by Nonpartisan 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. | |||||||
See main article: Polish government-in-exile. 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.
| Portrait | width=25% | Name (Birth–Death) | width=17% | Entered office | width=17% | Left office | width=20% | Political party | width=20% | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 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 | Independent | |||||||
| 4 | Edward Raczyński (1891–1993) | 8 April 1979 | 8 April 1986 | Independent | |||||||
| 5 | Kazimierz Sabbat (1913–1989) | 8 April 1986 | 19 July 1989 | Independent | |||||||
| 6 | 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. | ||||||
See main article: Polish People's Republic.
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.
| Portrait | width=25% | Name (Birth–Death) | width=17% | Entered office | width=17% | Left office | width=20% | Political party | width=20% | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bolesław Bierut (1892–1956) | 31 December 1944 | 4 February 1947 | Polish Workers' Party | |||||||
| Portrait | width=25% | Name (Birth–Death) | width=17% | Entered office | width=17% | Left office | width=20% | Political party | Election | width=20% | 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 | Marshal of the Sejm | ||||||||
| 1 | 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 | |||||||
See main article: Polish 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.
| Portrait | width=25% | Name (Birth–Death) | width=17% | Entered office | width=17% | Left office | width=20% | Political party | width=20% | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 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' 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 First Secretary of the Polish United Workers' Party | ||||||
Since 1954, the head of the party was also the Chairman of the Central Committee.
| Name (Birth–Death) | width=75px | Portrait | width=15% | Entered office | width=15% | Left office | width=30% | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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
| 29 July 1989 | 29 January 1990 |
See main article: Poland.
| Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Entered office | Left office | Political party | Election | Notes Previous 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. | |||
| Lech Wałęsa (born 1943) | 22 December 1990 | 22 December 1995 | 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 (2002-2005). Died in a plane crash | |||
| – | Bronisław Komorowski (born 1952) Acting President | 10 April 2010 | 8 July 2010 | Civic Platform | — | Marshal of the Sejm. 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. 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. 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 | Incumbent | 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. Second President of the Third Republic elected twice |