List of Lithuanian rulers

The following is a List of Lithuanian rulers, or a list of kings, dukes, grand dukes, governors and presidents of Lithuania or administrative units, that encompassed the territory of Lithuania during the periods of occupations. The part of the list, concerning the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, includes most common English names of incumbents, as well as their Lithuanian, Ruthenian (later Belarusian) and Polish names.

During the Polish-Lithuanian Union and the times of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the thrones of Crown of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania were joined by a personal union. The monarchs hovewer retained separate titles for both parts of the state, and their numbering was kept separately. Because of that, several rulers of Lithuania have different numbers as Lithuanian grand dukes and as Polish kings.

Contents

1 The (Grand) Duchy of Lithuania

1.1 Early rulers
1.2 Gediminid dynasty
1.3 Personal union with Poland

2 Lithuania as part of Imperial Russia

3 The Kingdom of Lithuania

4 Republic of Lithuania (1918 - 1940)

5 Republic of Lithuania (1941)

6 Republic of Lithuania in exile

7 Resistance

8 Early Soviet Lithuania

9 Lithuania as part of the Soviet Union

10 Present Republic of Lithuania

11 External link

The (Grand) Duchy of Lithuania

Title: Grand Prince (‘vjaliki knjazþ’ in Belarusian, ‘wielki książę’ in Polish, ‘Kunigaikštis’ or ’Didysis Kunigaikštis’ in Lithuanian)

Early rulers

Term	Incumbent	Lithuanian name	Ruthenian name	Polish name	Remarks
Semi-legendary rulers of Lithuania (????–????)
	Kiernus
	Skirmunt	Skirmantas
	Giligin
	Roman of Ruthenia	Roman
Semi-legendary Lithuanian princes (????–????) Dates approximate
1219 to 1238	Ringaudas or Steksys	Ringaudas alias Rimgaudas			Father of Mindaugas
1238	Dausprungas
First of Lithuanian Grand Dukes (1263–1291) Dates approximate
1236 to 1263	Mindaugas	Mindaugas	Mindouh	Mendog	Initially Prince, since 1253 King of Lithuania, lost the title in 1262 upon returning to paganism, but changed the title to Grand Duke; killed by his nephew Treniota
1263 to 1264	Treniota				Son of Skirmantas
1264 to 1267	Vaišvilkas	Vaišvilkas	Vojszalak		Son of Mindaugas, died heirless
1267 to 1269	Švarnas	Švarnas	Shvarno
1269 to 1281	Traidenis	Traidenis	Trajdzien	Trojden
1281 to 1285	Daumantas	Daumantas	Dowmont	Dowmont
1285 to 1291	Butegeidis	Butegeidis alias Butigeidis	Budzikid	Budzikid	Ancestor of the later Gediminid dynasty
Early Gediminaid dynasty Gediminaičių dinastija (1291 - 1316) Dates approximate
1291	Butvydas	Butvydas alias Budvydas		Budwid	Brother of Butigeidis, father of Vytenis
1295 - 1315	Vytenis	Vytenis		Witenes	Brother of Gediminas

Gediminid dynasty

Term	Incumbent	Lithuanian name	Ruthenian name	Polish name	Remarks
Gediminaid dynasty Gediminaičių dinastija (1316–1572) Some dates approximate
1316 to 1344	Gediminas	Gediminas	Giedymin	Giedymin	Son of Skalmantas, crowned as King of Lithuanians and Ruthenians in 1316, after his death the domain divided between his 7 sons
1341 to 1345	Jaunutis	Jaunutis	Jewnut	Jewnuta	Overlord and Grand Duke, deposed by his brothers Algirdas and Kęstutis
1345 to 1377	Algirdas	Algirdas	Olgierd	Olgierd	Father of Jogaila who became the king of Poland
1377 to 1381 1382 to 1392	Jogaila	Jogaila	Jahajla	Władysław II Jagiełło	Grand Duke between 1377 and 1381 and then 1382 to 1392, crowned the King of Poland in 1386; starter of the Polish Jagiellon dynasty
1381 to 1382	Kęstutis	Kęstutis	Kiejstut	Kiejstut
1392 to 1401	Skirgaila	Skirgaila	Skiryhajla	Skirgiełło	Jagiełło's governor of Lithuania, not the actual Grand Duke
1392 to 1430	Vytautas the Great	Vytautas	Witaut	Witold	Initially a factual ruler of Lithuania, Grand Duke since 1401, was to be crowned King of Lithuania in 1429, but the crown never arrived
1430 to 1432	Švitrigaila	Švitrigaila	Svidryhajla	Świdrygiełło	Deposed by followers of Zygimantas son of Kestutis
1432 to 1440	Sigismund I, son of Kestutis	Žygimantas Kęstutatis	Zygimont I Kejstutavicz	Zygmunt Kiejstutowicz

Personal union with Poland

Term	Incumbent	Lithuanian name	Ruthenian name	Polish name	Remarks
Jagiellon dynasty Jogailaičiai dinastija, direct continuation of the Gediminids (1440–1572)
1440 to 1492	Casimir IV	Kazimieras I Jogailaitis	Kazimir Jahelonczyk	Kazimierz IV Jagiellończyk	Grand Duke since 1440, crowned the king of Poland in 1444 after the death of king Władysław
1492 to 1505	Alexander I	Aleksandras II	Alaksandr	Aleksander I
1505 to 1548	Sigismund I the Old	Žygimantas II Senasis	Žygimont II Stary	Zygmunt I Stary	In 1522 ceded his ducal right to his son.
1529 to 1572	Sigismund II Augustus	Žygimantas III Augustas	Žygimont III August	Zygmunt II August	Grand Duke and King of Poland since 1529, though he did not assume the power in Poland until the death of his father in 1548; last of the Jagiellons, after his death all kings and grand dukes were elected by the parliament.
de Valois Dynasty Dynastia Walezych (1572–1573)
1573 to 1574	Henry III de Valois	Henrikas Valua	Anry Valua	Henryk Walezy	He abandoned the throne and fled to France where he was crowned as Henri III
House of Báthory (1576–1586)
1576 to 1586	Stephen Bathory	Steponas Batoras	Stiapan Batura	Stefan Batory
Vasa Dynasty Dynastia Wazów (1587–1668)
1587 to 1632	Sigismund III	Zigmantas IV Vaza	Žyhimont III Vaza	Zygmunt III Waza	Proponent of a personal union between The Republic and Sweden, King of Sweden between 1592 and 1599
1632 to 1648	Ladislaus IV Vasa	Vladislovas II Vaza	Uladzislaǔ I Vaza	Władysław IV Waza
1648 to 1668	John II Casimir Vasa	Jonas I Kazimieras Vaza	Jan Kazimier Vaza	Jan Kazimierz	Abdicated and became a monk, last of the Vasa dynasty in Poland-Lithuania
Polish szlachta families (1669–1696)
1669 to 1673	Michał Korybut Wiśniowiecki	Mykolas I Kaributas Vošnioveckis	Michał Karybut Wišniaviecki	Michał Korybut Wiśniowiecki
1674 to 1696	John III Sobieski	Jonas II Sobieskis		Jan III Sobieski
Wettin Dynasty Dynastia Wettinów (1697–1706 and 1709–1766)
1697 to 1706 1709 to 1733	Augustus II the Strong	Augustas II Saksas	Aǔhust II Mocny	August II Mocny	also Elector of Saxony as Frederick Augustus I
1733 to 1763	August III Wettin	Augustas III Saksas	August III Sas	August III Saski
War of Polish Succession (1733-1738)
1706 to 1709 1733 to 1736	Stanisław Leszczyński	Stanislovas I Leščinskis		Stanisław Leszczyński
Polish szlachta family (1764–1795)
1764 to 1795	Stanisław August Poniatowski	Stanislovas II Augustas Poniatovskis		Stanisław August Poniatowski	During his reign the merger of the Grand Duchy with the Kingdom of Poland was passed in 1791; abdicated following the Partitions of Poland; died in exile in Russia

Lithuania as part of Imperial Russia

The Kingdom of Lithuania

Title: King (‘Karalius’ in Lithuanian, ‘karolþ’ in Belarusian, ‘król’ in Polish)

Term	Incumbent	Lithuanian name	Ruthenian name	Polish name	Remarks
Württemberg Dynasty (1918)
1918	Mindaugas II	Mindaugas II	Mindouh II	Mendog II	King-elect, installed at the end of World War I by the victorious Central Powers as part of their Mitteleuropa plan, ousted after the German defeat when Lithuania became a republic, never actually assumed his powers.

Republic of Lithuania (1918 - 1940)

Title: President (Prezidentas in Lithuanian language)

Term	Officeholder	Remarks
Presidents of the Republic of Lithuania (1918 - 1940)
April 4, 1919 to June 19, 1920	Antanas Smetona
June 19, 1920 to June 7, 1926	Aleksandras Stulginskis
June 7 to December 18, 1926	Kazys Grinius	Elected by the parliament, but overthrown by a military coup d'etat
December 18 to December 19, 1926	Jonas Staugaitis	Formally, for one day, as the head of Seimas (renounced the office after the coup d'etat)
December 19, 1926	Aleksandras Stulginskis	Formally, as the new head of Seimas, only for several hours
December 19, 1926 to June 15, 1940	Antanas Smetona	2nd term, elected president after a military coup d'etat; after the Soviet ultimatum of 1940 he defected to Germany and then to the US of A
June 15 to June 17, 1940	Antanas Merkys	The Prime Minister, de facto acting president after Smetona's defection
June 17 to July 21, 1940	Justas Paleckis	Chosen unconstitutionally by leaders of Lithuanian communists under pressure from the Soviet Union, not recognized internationally nor by the Lithuanian diplomatic service