Polish heads of state
The Polish heads of state | ||
Piasts | ||
Mieszko I. | around 960-992 | |
Bolesław I. Chrobry (“The Brave”) | 992-1025 | |
Mieszko II. Lambert | 1025-1034 | |
Kazimierz (Casimir) I. Odnowiciel (“the innovator”) | 1034 / 39-1058 | |
Bolesław II. Śmiały (“the bold”) or Szczodry (“the generous”) | 1058-1079 / 81 | |
Wladyslaw I. Herman | 1079-1102 | |
Zbigniew and Bolesław III. Krzywousty (»crooked mouth«) | 1102-1107 | |
Bolesław III. Krzywousty | 1107-1138 | |
Ruling princes of Cracow (senior citizens) during the time of the partial principalities | ||
Władysław II. Wyganiec (“the expellee”) | 1138-1146 | |
Bolesław IV. Kędzierzawy (“Frizzy Hair”) | 1146-1173 | |
Mieszko III. Stary (“the old one”) | 1173-1177 | |
Kazimierz (Casimir) II. Sprawiedliwy (“the righteous”) | 1177-1194 | |
Mieszko III. Stary | 1198-1202 | |
Władysław Laskonogi (»Stiff Bone«) | 1202 | |
Leszek Biały (“the white one”) | 1202-1210 | |
Mieszko Plątonogi (»dangling leg«) | 1210-1211 | |
Leszek Biały | 1211-1227 | |
Wladyslaw Laskonogi | 1227-1229 | |
Conrad I of Mazovia | 1229-1232 | |
Henryk (Heinrich) I. Brodaty (“the bearded one”) | 1232-1238 | |
Henryk (Heinrich) Pobożny (»the pious«) | 1238-1241 | |
Conrad I of Mazovia | 1241-1243 | |
Bolesław V. Wstydliwy (»the Chaste«) | 1243-1279 | |
Leszek Czarny (“the black one”) | 1279-1288 | |
Henryk (Heinrich) Probus | 1288-1290 | |
Przemysł II (1295/96 Polish King) | 1290-1291 | |
Wenceslas II of Bohemia (from the Přemyslid dynasty, Polish king from 1300) | 1291-1305 | |
Wenceslaus III of Bohemia | 1305-1306 | |
United Kingdom of Poland | ||
Władysław I. Łokietek (“Ellenlang”) (King from 1320) | 1306-1333 | |
Kazimierz (Casimir) III. Wielki (“the big one”) | 1333-1370 | |
Anjou | ||
Ludwig I Wielki (“the great”) | 1370-1382 | |
Jadwiga (Hedwig) | 1382-1386 / 99 | |
Jagiellonian | ||
Wladyslaw II (Jagiello) | 1386-1434 | |
Wladyslaw III | 1434-1444 | |
Kazimierz (Casimir) IV. Andrew | 1447-1492 | |
Jan I. Olbracht (Johann I. Albrecht) | 1492-1501 | |
Alexander | 1501-1506 | |
Zygmunt I. Stary (Sigismund I, the Old or the Great) | 1506-1548 | |
Zygmunt (Sigismund) August II | 1548-1572 | |
Electoral Kings | ||
Henry III. (from France) | 1573-1574 / 75 | |
Stephan IV. Báthory | 1575 / 76-1586 | |
Zygmunt (Sigismund) III. Wasa | 1587-1632 | |
Władysław IV. Wasa | 1632-1648 | |
Jan II. Kazimierz (Johann Casimir) Wasa | 1648-1668 | |
Michael Korybut Wiśniowiecki | 1669-1673 | |
Jan (Johann) III. Sobieski | 1674-1696 | |
August II, the strong | 1697-1706 | |
Stanisław (Stanislaus) I. Leszczyński | 1704 / 06-1709 | |
August II, the strong | 1709-1733 | |
Stanisław (Stanislaus) I. Leszczyński | 1733-1736 | |
August III | 1733-1763 | |
Stanisław (Stanislaus) II August Poniatowski | 1764-1795 | |
President of the Republic of Poland | ||
J. Piłsudski (“Head of State”) | 1918-1922 | |
G. Narutowicz | 1922 | |
S. Wojciechowski | 1922-1926 | |
I. Mościcki | 1926-1939 | |
W. Raczkiewicz (in exile) | 1939-1947 | |
Chairman of the State National Council | ||
B. Bierut | 1944-1947 | |
President of the (People’s Democratic) Republic of Poland | ||
B. Bierut | 1947-1952 | |
Chairwoman of the State Council of the People’s Republic of Poland | ||
A. Zawadzki | 1952-1964 | |
E. Ochab | 1964-1968 | |
M. Spychalski | 1968-1970 | |
J. Cyrankiewicz | 1970-1972 | |
H. Jabłonski | 1972-1985 | |
W. Jaruzelski | 1985-1989 | |
President of the Republic of Poland | ||
W. Jaruzelski | 1989-1990 | |
L. Wałęsa | 1990-1995 | |
A. Kwaśniewski | 1995-2005 | |
L. Kaczyński | 2005-2010 | |
B. Komorowski | 2010-2015 | |
A. Duda | since 2015 |
Foreign and Security Policy (since 1990)
Poland’s new foreign and security policy orientation since 1990 was reflected in particular in European policy, regional policy with the seven immediate neighbors and in relation to the USA. The main goal of Polish foreign policy was full integration into the Western political and security community, v. a. to NATO and EG / EU. A fundamental change occurred in Polish-German relations (1990 Foreign Minister K. Skubiszewski : »German-Polish community of interests in Europe«). The German-Polish border treaty signed in November 1990 (Establishing the Oder-Neisse line as the final German-Polish border) a neighborhood treaty with Germany followed in June 1991. Since 2002 at the latest, the positive development of German-Polish relations has been partially impaired by different attitudes on issues of international security policy (Iraq crisis and Iraq war), European policy (European constitution) and past politics (center against expulsions).
The endeavor to establish an active neighborhood policy led, inter alia, to 1991 on the participation of Poland in the Visegrád initiative. In November 1991, according to franciscogardening, Poland became a full member of the Council of Europe, and in December 1991 it concluded an association agreement with the EC (this »Europe Treaty« entered into force on 1.2.1994). In addition to the primary goal of integration with the West, Poland endeavored to improve its relations with Russia, whose last troops still stationed in Poland left the country on September 17, 1993, and also with Ukraine (1997 “Declaration on Understanding and Reconciliation”). On April 8th, 1994 the Polish government applied for the admission of their country to the EU; Official membership negotiations began on March 31, 1998.
After the Sejm approved membership on February 17, 1999, Poland became a member of NATO on March 12, 1999. In the Iraq conflict, in which Poland supported American politics, in 2003 the country participated with a small contingent in the intervention troops led by the USA.
The EU summit in Copenhagen (12/13 December 2002; conclusion of the accession negotiations) paved the way for Poland’s admission to the Community. On April 16, 2003, Poland signed the accession treaties together with the other EU candidate countries; in a referendum on 7./8. 6. In 2003, almost 77.5% of Polish voters (with a turnout of 59%) voted for their country’s accession to the EU, which took place on May 1, 2004. In 2009 President L. Kaczyński signed the Lisbon Treaty.
Relations with Russia have been strained since 2007 by plans by the USA to station a missile defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic, as well as by the Polish partisanship for Georgia in the Caucasus conflict in 2008.
On May 8, 2010, the Russian President D. Medvedev presented Poland with files on Katyn. The high point of the reconciliation was the Duma apology for the Katyn crimes on November 26th, 2010 and a state visit by Medvedev on December 6th and 7th, 2010.
In 2013/14, the Ukraine crisis became the focus of Polish foreign and security policy. In the course of this crisis, relations with Russia were again strained, while Poland sought to strengthen security cooperation with the USA. In April 2014, an agreement on “Solidarity and Partnership” was signed in Washington. At its July 2016 summit in Warsaw, NATO decided to station up to 1,000 soldiers each in Poland and the three Baltic states from 2017. In October 2016, Russia’s relocation of nuclear-capable short-range missiles to Kaliningrad in Poland raised concerns.
Against the background of the refugee and migration crisis in Europe that escalated in 2015/16, Poland was not prepared to accept any significant number of refugees. On the occasion of the World Youth Day of the Roman Catholic Church in Krakow in July 2016, Pope Francis appealed to the Polish government to allow more refugees into the country.