List of rulers of Taiwan

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This is a list of the highest-ranked rulers based on the island of Taiwan.

The Dutch Empire, during the period of the Dutch United Provinces and under the auspices of the Dutch East India Company (VOC), attempted to conquer Macau in 1622. Later they colonized the Pescadores Islands, where they built a fort in Makung. In 1624, the Chinese attacked, and the Dutch were driven to Taiwan (then called Formosa, meaning "beautiful island"). That year they established Fort Zeelandia on Taiwan's southwest coast. In 1637, the Dutch conquered Favorolang (also Favorlang; present day Huwei, Yunlin). The names listed here are the Dutch governors:^[1]

Dutch Formosa (Nederlands Formosa)
No.	Portrait	Name	From	Until
1		Martinus Sonck	1624	1625[2]
2		Gerard Frederikszoon de With	1625	1627
3		Pieter Nuyts	1627	1629
4		Hans Putmans	1629	1636
5		Johan van der Burg	1636	1640[2]
6		Paulus Traudenius	1640	1643
7		Maximilian le Maire	1643	1644
8		François Caron	1644	1646
9		Pieter Anthoniszoon Overtwater	1646	1649
10		Nicolas Verburg	1649	1653
11		Cornelis Caesar	1653	1656
12		Frederick Coyett	1656	1662

In response to the Dutch settlements, the Spanish settled at Keelung on the northeast coast of the island in 1626 and built Fort San Salvador. Later they built another outpost, Fort Santo Domingo, at Tamsui in the northwest. In 1629 these forts had a combined total of about 200 Spaniards and 400 Filipinos. By 1635, the Tamsui settlement was abandoned; however, the Keelung settlement remained in Spanish hands until 1642, when a Dutch force of 11 ships and 1,000 men attacked the fort of 446 people. The Spanish surrendered.

Governor of Keelung

Spanish Formosa (Isla Hermosa Española) - Keelung (Cheylam)
No.	Portrait	Name	From	Until	Governor-General of the Spanish East Indies (Term of office)	Monarch (Reign)
1		Antonio Carreño de Valdes 伐爾得斯	16 May 1626	1629	Fernándo de Silva Ad Interim (July 1624 – 29 June 1626)	Philip IV House of Habsburg (31 March 1621 – 17 September 1665)
					Juan Niño de Tabora (29 June 1626 – 22 July 1632)
2		Juan de Alcarazo 阿爾卡拉索	1629	1634
					Lorenzo de Olaza y Lecubarri Real Audiencia (22 July 1632 – 1633)
					Juan Cerezo de Salamanca Ad Interim (29 August 1633 – 25 June 1635)
3		Alonso García Romero 羅美洛	1634	1639
					Sebastián Hurtado de Corcuera (25 June 1635 – 11 August 1644)
4		Pedro Palomino 帕囉米諾	1639	1640
5		Gonzalo Portillo 波爾的里奧	1640	1642

Governor of Tamsui

Spanish Formosa (Isla Hermosa Española) - Tamsui (Tamchuy)
No.	Portrait	Name	From	Until	Governor-General of the Spanish East Indies (Term of office)	Monarch (Reign)
1		Antonio Carreño de Valdes 伐爾得斯	1627	1629	Juan Niño de Tabora (29 June 1626 – 22 July 1632)	Philip IV House of Habsburg (31 March 1621 – 17 September 1665)
2		Luis de Guzmán 格司曼	1629	1634
					Lorenzo de Olaza y Lecubarri Real Audiencia (22 July 1632 – 1633)
					Juan Cerezo de Salamanca Ad Interim (29 August 1633 – 25 June 1635)
3		Bartolomé Díaz Barrera 奧就	1634	1637
					Sebastián Hurtado de Corcuera (25 June 1635 – 11 August 1644)
4		Francisco Hernández 赫爾南勒茲	1637	1642

The Southern Ming (Ming dynasty loyalists) came to Taiwan under Koxinga, expelling the Dutch and capturing Fort Zeelandia. They established the Kingdom of Tungning.

Kingdom of Tungning 【東寧王國】
No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Title(s)	Reign (Lunar calendar)
1		Koxinga (Zheng Chenggong) 鄭成功 Zhèng Chénggōng (Mandarin) Tēⁿ Sêng-kong (Taiwanese) Chhang Sṳ̀n-kûng (Hakka) (1624–1662)	Prince of Yanping (延平王) Prince Wu of Chao (潮武王)	14 June 1661 Yongli 15-5-18	23 June 1662 Yongli 16-5-8
2		Zheng Xi 鄭襲 Zhèng Xí (Mandarin) Tēⁿ Si̍p (Taiwanese) Chhang Si̍p (Hakka) (1625–?)	Protector (護理)	23 June 1662 Yongli 16-5-8	November 1662 Yongli 17
3		Zheng Jing 鄭經 Zhèng Jīng (Mandarin) Tēⁿ Keng (Taiwanese) Chhang Kîn (Hakka) (1642–1681)	Prince of Yanping (延平王) Prince Wen of Chao (潮文王)	November 1662 Yongli 17	17 March 1681 Yongli 35-1-28
4		Zheng Kezang 鄭克臧 Zhèng Kèzāng (Mandarin) Tēⁿ Khek-chong (Taiwanese) Chhang Khiet-chong (Hakka) (1662–1681)	Prince Regent (監國)	17 March 1681 Yongli 35-1-28	19 March 1681 Yongli 35-1-30
5		Zheng Keshuang* 鄭克塽 Zhèng Kèshuǎng (Mandarin) Tēⁿ Khek-sóng (Taiwanese) Chhang Khiet-sóng (Hakka) (1670–1707)	Prince of Yanping (延平王) Duke Haicheng (海澄公)	19 March 1681 Yongli 35-1-30	5 September 1683 Yongli 37-8-13

* Regency of Feng Xifan from 1682 to 1683.

The Qing dynasty invaded Taiwan; the Ming rulers surrendered and were expelled.

Taiwan-Xiamen Circuit Commissioner (福建分巡台灣廈門道, 1687—1727)

No.	Commissioner	Start of office

Qing rule was reestablished after a month-long revolt. The Taiwan Circuit was established in 1727 with its seat in Taiwan-fu, unlike its predecessor, the Taiwan-Amoy Circuit, which was based in Xiamen. The Taiwan Circuit Commissioner had its powers checked by the Taiwan Circuit Investigating censors.

Taiwan Military Circuit Commissioner (福建分巡臺灣兵備道, 1767-1791)

No.	Commissioner	Start of office

Provincial Censor-ranked Taiwan Military Circuit Commissioner (按察使銜分巡台灣兵備道, 1791-1895)

No.	Commissioner	Start of office

Great Qing Empire 【大清】
No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Ancestry	Original Post	Term of Office (Lunar calendar)		Monarch (Reign)
1		Liu Mingchuan 劉銘傳 Liú Míngchuán (Mandarin) Lâu Bêng-thoân (Taiwanese) Liù Mèn-chhòn (Hakka) (1836–1896)	Hefei, Anhui	Governor of Fukien	12 October 1885 Guangxu 11-9-5	4 June 1891 Guangxu 17-4-28	Guangxu Emperor 光緒皇帝 (25 February 1875 – 14 November 1908)
—		Shen Yingkui[3] 沈應奎 Shěn Yìngkuí (Mandarin) Tîm Èng-khe (Taiwanese) Chhṳ̀m En-khùi (Hakka)	Pinghu, Zhejiang	Civil Affairs Minister, Fukien Province	4 June 1891 Guangxu 17-4-28	25 November 1891 Guangxu 17-10-24
2		Shao Youlian 邵友濂 Shào Yǒulián (Mandarin) Siō Iú-liâm (Taiwanese) Seu Yû-liàm (Hakka) (1840–1901)	Yuyao, Zhejiang	Governor of Hunan	9 May 1891 Guangxu 17-4-2	13 October 1894 Guangxu 20-9-15
3		Tang Jingsong 唐景崧 Táng Jǐngsōng (Mandarin) Tn̂g Kéng-siông (Taiwanese) Thòng Kín-chhiùng (Hakka) (1841–1903)	Guanyang, Guangxi	Civil Affairs Minister, Fukien-Taiwan Province	13 October 1894 Guangxu 20-9-15	20 May 1895 Guangxu 21-4-26

The Republic of Formosa was a short-lived republic that existed on the island of Taiwan in 1895 between the formal cession of Taiwan by the Qing dynasty of China to the Empire of Japan by the Treaty of Shimonoseki and its being taken over by Japanese troops. The Republic was proclaimed on 23 May 1895 and extinguished on 21 October, when the Republican capital Tainan was taken over by the Japanese.

Republic of Formosa【臺灣民主國】
No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Place of Birth	Term of Office		Days
1		Tang Ching-sung 唐景崧 Táng Jǐngsōng (Mandarin) Tn̂g Kéng-siông (Taiwanese) Thòng Kín-chhiùng (Hakka) (1841–1903) President	Guilin, Guangxi,  China	25 May 1895 Yongqing 1-5-25 Guangxu 21-5-2 Meiji 28-5-25	5 June 1895 Yongqing 1-6-5 Meiji 28-6-5	13
2		Liu Yung-fu 劉永福 Liú Yǒngfú (Mandarin) Lâu Éng-hok (Taiwanese) Liû Yún-fuk (Hakka) (1837–1917) Commander-in-chief	Qinzhou, Guangxi,  China	5 June 1895 Yongqing 1-6-5 Meiji 28-6-5	21 October 1895 Yongqing 1-10-21 Meiji 28-10-21	138

After the First Sino-Japanese War and establishing control over the island through the Treaty of Shimonoseki, the Japanese Empire used the French Empire model of an occupying force and were instrumental in the industrialization of the island; they built railroads, a sanitation system and a public school educational system, among other things. Around 1935, the Japanese began an island-wide assimilation project to bind the island more firmly to the empire.

In 1941, the Pacific War broke out when the Japanese Empire attacked the U.S. naval port of Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. By 1945, desperate plans were in place to incorporate popular representation of Taiwan into the Imperial Diet to end colonial rule of the island and transfer occupying troops to the front lines to fight the Allies. The names listed here are the Japanese governor-generals:

  Military   Rikken Seiyūkai   Kenseikai   Rikken Minseitō

Empire of Japan 「大日本帝國」
No.	Portrait	Name	Origin	Occupation	Affiliation	Term of Office		Monarch (Reign)
1		Kabayama Sukenori 樺山資紀	Kagoshima	Admiral (Imperial Japanese Navy) (Viscount)	Military	10 May 1895	2 June 1896	Emperor Meiji 明治天皇 (13 February 1867 – 30 July 1912)
2		Katsura Tarō 桂太郎	Yamaguchi	Lieutenant General (Imperial Japanese Army) (Viscount)	Military	2 June 1896	14 October 1896
3		Nogi Maresuke 乃木希典	Yamaguchi	Lieutenant General (Imperial Japanese Army) (Baron)	Military	14 October 1896	26 February 1898
4		Kodama Gentarō 兒玉源太郎	Yamaguchi	Lieutenant General (Imperial Japanese Army) (Baron)	Military	26 February 1898	11 April 1906
5		Sakuma Samata 佐久間左馬太	Yamaguchi	General (Imperial Japanese Army) (Viscount)	Military	11 April 1906	1 May 1915
								Emperor Taishō 大正天皇 (30 July 1912 – 25 December 1926)
6		Andō Teibi 安東貞美	Nagano	General (Imperial Japanese Army) (Baron)	Military	1 May 1915	6 June 1918
7		Akashi Motojiro 明石元二郎	Fukuoka	Lieutenant General (Imperial Japanese Army)	Military	6 June 1918	24 October 1919
8		Den Kenjirō 田健治郎	Hyōgo	Member of Terauchi Cabinet (Baron)	Seiyūkai	29 October 1919	6 September 1923
9		Uchida Kakichi 內田嘉吉	Tokyo	Member of House of Peers	Seiyūkai	6 September 1923	1 September 1924
10		Izawa Takio 伊澤多喜男	Nagano	Member of House of Peers	Kenseikai	1 September 1924	16 July 1926
11		Kamiyama Mitsunoshin 上山滿之進	Yamaguchi	literary figure	Kenseikai	16 July 1926	16 June 1928
								Emperor Shōwa 昭和天皇 (25 December 1926 – 7 January 1989)
12		Kawamura Takeji 川村竹治	Akita	Member of House of Peers	Seiyūkai	16 June 1928	30 July 1929
13		Ishizuka Eizō 石塚英藏	Fukushima	Member of House of Peers	Minseitō	30 July 1929	16 January 1931
14		Ōta Masahiro 太田政弘	Yamagata	Director of Kwantung Leased Territory	Minseitō	16 January 1931	2 March 1932
15		Minami Hiroshi 南弘	Toyama	Member of House of Peers	Seiyūkai	2 March 1932	26 May 1932
16		Nakagawa Kenzō 中川健蔵	Niigata	Undersecretary of Education	Minseitō	26 May 1932	2 September 1936
17		Kobayashi Seizō 小林躋造	Hiroshima	Admiral (Imperial Japanese Navy)	Military	2 September 1936	27 November 1940
18		Hasegawa Kiyoshi 長谷川清	Fukui	Admiral (Imperial Japanese Navy)	Military	27 November 1940	30 December 1944
19		Andō Rikichi 安藤利吉	Miyagi	General (Imperial Japanese Army)	Military	30 December 1944	25 October 1945

Following the end of World War II in 1945, under the terms of the Instrument of Surrender of Japan, the control of Taiwan was to be transferred to the Republic of China (ROC). ROC troops were authorized to come to Taiwan to accept the surrender of Japanese military forces and occupy Taiwan^[4] on behalf of the Allied Powers in General Order No. 1, issued by Douglas MacArthur, the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers, on 2 September 1945. ROC troops were later transported to Keelung by the U.S. Navy, and Japanese handed the control of Taiwan to the ROC on 25 October 1945, which began a period of military occupation.

Following its defeat in the Chinese Civil War in 1949, Premier Yan Xishan proclaimed the ROC Government's relocation to Taiwan (where it exists until today), thus replacing the Provincial Chairperson as the highest-ranked executive official on Taiwan. This lasted until March 1950, when Chiang Kai-shek resumed his duties as President in Taipei. However, Japan relinquished sovereignty of Taiwan and Penghu in the Treaty of San Francisco on 28 April 1952, without specifying whom the sovereignty was ceded to. Because the ROC only held Taiwan, Penghu and other nearby islands, the regime remained the internationally recognized government of China with sovereignty throughout mainland China, Tibet Area, Sinkiang and Outer Mongolia until recognition shifted to the People's Republic of China by the United Nations in 1971 and the United States in 1979. After the constitutional amendments in 1991, the president is elected by popular vote among citizens of the Republic of China in the "Free Area of the Republic of China" (area under de facto Republic of China administration), instead of by the National Assembly.

  Kuomintang   Democratic Progressive Party

Republic of China (ROC)【中華民國】
No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of Office		Political Party
Chief Executive of Taiwan Province
1		Chen Yi 陳儀 (1883-1950)	29 August 1945	22 April 1947	Kuomintang
Chairperson of the Taiwan Provincial Government
1		Wei Tao-ming 魏道明 (1899-1978)	16 May 1947	5 January 1949	Kuomintang
2		Chen Cheng 陳誠 (1897–1965)	5 January 1949	8 December 1949	Kuomintang

Republic of China (ROC)【中華民國】- Taiwan
No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office		Political party
30		Yan Xishan 閻錫山 (1883–1960)	8 December 1949	1 March 1950	Kuomintang

Republic of China (ROC)【中華民國】- Taiwan
No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office		Term	Elections (votes / percentages)	Political party	Vice President
Presidents elected by the National Assembly
1		Chiang Kai-shek 蔣中正 (1887–1975)	1 March 1950	20 May 1954	1	—	Kuomintang	Li Zongren (1950–1954)[5] Vacant (1954)
			20 May 1954	20 May 1960	2	1954 (1,507 / 96.91%)		Chen Cheng
			20 May 1960	20 May 1966	3	1960 (1,481 / 93.97%)		Chen Cheng (1960–1965)[6] Vacant (1965-1966)
			20 May 1966	20 May 1972	4	1966 (1,405 / 98.60%)		Yen Chia-kan
			20 May 1972	5 April 1975	5	1972 (1,308 / 99.39%)
2		Yen Chia-kan 嚴家淦 (1905–1993)	6 April 1975	20 May 1978		—	Kuomintang	Vacant
3		Chiang Ching-kuo 蔣經國 (1910–1988)	20 May 1978	20 May 1984	6	1978 (1,184 / 98.34%)	Kuomintang	Hsieh Tung-min
			20 May 1984	13 January 1988	7	1984 (1,012 / 95.11%)		Lee Teng-hui
4		Lee Teng-hui 李登輝 (1923–2020)	13 January 1988	20 May 1990		—	Kuomintang	Vacant
			20 May 1990	20 May 1996	8	1990 (641 / 85.24%)		Lee Yuan-tsu
Presidents elected by popular vote
4		Lee Teng-hui 李登輝 (1923–2020)	20 May 1996	20 May 2000	9	1996 (5,813,699 / 54.0%)	Kuomintang	Lien Chan
5		Chen Shui-bian 陳水扁 (born 1950)	20 May 2000	20 May 2004	10	2000 (4,977,737 / 39.3%)	Democratic Progressive	Annette Lu
			20 May 2004	20 May 2008	11	2004 (6,446,900 / 50.11%)
6		Ma Ying-jeou 馬英九 (born 1950)	20 May 2008	20 May 2012	12	2008 (7,658,724 / 58.45%)	Kuomintang	Vincent Siew
			20 May 2012	20 May 2016	13	2012 (6,891,139 / 51.60%)		Wu Den-yih
7		Tsai Ing-wen 蔡英文 (born 1956)	20 May 2016	20 May 2020	14	2016 (6,894,744 / 56.1%)	Democratic Progressive	Chen Chien-jen
			20 May 2020	20 May 2024	15	2020 (8,170,231 / 57.13%)		Lai Ching-te
8		Lai Ching-te 賴清德 (born 1959)	20 May 2024	Incumbent	16	2024 (5,586,019 / 40.05%)	Democratic Progressive	Hsiao Bi-khim

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