Kings and Princes of Poland

Before 1320 the Polish rulers were with a few exceptions not kings. They had instead the title "ksiaze", which can be translated to either prince or duke. In 1138 was Poland divided between different branches of the ruling dynasty into several autonomous principalities. But the principality of Krakow would always belong to the senior member of each generation, who had supremacy over all other principalities. This arrangement disintegrated in the period of 1180-1227 and the principality of Krakow became thereafter hereditary, although its prince still retained nominal supremacy over the other princes.

Poland and Lithuania were 1569 united in a union with weak central power, its name (Rzeczpospolita) can be translated to either "the republic" or "the commonwealth". This state could not defend itself when it was partitioned between Russia, Austria and Prussia 1772-1795. A Polish state was restored during the Napoleonic wars but it was transformed to Congress Poland 1815, which was in reality an autonomous part of the Russian empire. It was only after the First World War a really independent Polish state was created.

c. 960-992 992-1025 1025-1031 c. 1031 1032 1032-1034 1034-1058 1058-1079 1079-1102 1102-1107 1102-1138	House of Piast Mieszko I Boleslaw I Chobry (the Brave) Mieszko II Lambert	= 1025 = 1025
	Bezprym Dytryk Otton Kazimierz I Odnowiciel (the Restaurator)
	Boleslaw II Smialy (the Bold) Wladyslaw I Herman Zbigniew Boleslaw III Krzywousty (Wry mouth)		= 1076
Principality of Krakow (Senior princes with formal supremacy over the rest of Poland)
1138-1146 1146-1173 1173-1202 1177-1194 1194-1227 1202 1210-1211	Wladyslaw II Wygnaniec (the Exiled) Boleslaw IV Kedzierzawy (the Curly) Mieszko III Stary (the Old) Kazimierz II Sprawiedliwy (the Just) Leszek I Bialy (the White) Wladyslaw III Laskonogi Mieszko IV Platonogi
1228	Wladyslaw III Laskonogi (restored)
1229-1232 1232-1238 1238-1241 1241-1243 1243-1279 1279-1288 1288-1290	Konrad I Henryk I Brodaty (the Bearded) Henryk II Pobozny (the Pious) Konrad I (restored) Boleslaw V Wstydliwy (the Chaste) Leszek II Czarny (the Black) Henryk IV Probus
1290-1291	Przemysl II ( of Great Poland 1295-96)
1291-1305 1305-1306	House of Přemysl Waclaw I ( = 1300) Waclaw II
Kingdom of Poland
(1306)-1333 1333-1370	House of Piast Wladyslaw I Lokietek (the Short, = 1320) Kazimierz III Wielki (the Great)
1370-1382 1384-1386	House of Anjou Ludwik Wielki (the Great) Jadwiga (Hedvig)
1386-1434 1434-1444 1444-1447 1447-1492 1492-1501 1501-1506 1506-1548 1548-1572	House of Jagiello Wladyslaw II (Jagiello) Wladyslaw III Warnenczyk Interregnum Kazimierz IV Jagiellonczyk Jan I Olbracht Aleksander Zygmunt I Stary (the Old) Zygmunt II August
Rzeczpospolita (union with )
1573-1574 1576-1586 1587-1632 1632-1648 1648-1668 1669-1673 1674-1696 1697-1704 1705-1709 1709-1733 1733-1736 1733-1763 1764-1795	Henryk III Walezy (Valois)* Stefan Batory Zygmunt III Waza (Vasa) Wladyslaw IV Waza (Vasa)* Jan III Kazimierz (Vasa) Michal Korybut Wisniowiecki Jan Sobieski August II Mocny (the Strong) Stanislaw I Leszczynski August II (restored) Stanislaw I Leszczynski (restored) August III Stanislaw August II Poniatowski
Poland is dissolved as a state after its third partition 1795 Grand Duchy of Warszaw
1807-1813	Fryderyk August I
Kingdom of Poland (Congress Poland)
1815-1825 1825-1855 1855-1874	Aleksander II Mikolaj I Aleksander III
The last remnants of Poland's autonomy disappear and the country is transformed into a Russian province 1874.
1916-1918 1918-1939 1939-1945 1945-	Kingdom of Poland (German-Austrian protectorate) Republic of Poland General Government of Poland (German occupation) Republic of Poland