List of state leaders in 1578

1577 state leaders - Events of 1578 - 1579 state leaders - State leaders by year

Africa

• Empire of Ethiopia - Sarsa Dengel (1563–1597)
• Kingdom of Kongo - Álvaro I, Manikongo (1568–1587)
• Kingdom of Sennar - Dakin (1568–1585/6)
• Songhai Empire - Askia Daoud, Askia of the Songhai Empire (1549–1582)

Asia

• Khanate of Khiva - Abdullah Khan II (1577–1598)
• China (Ming Dynasty) - Wanli Emperor of China (1573–1620)
• Đại Việt - Lê Thế Tông (1573–1599)
  • Đàng Ngoài - Trịnh Tùng, Trịnh Lord (1570–1623)
  • Đàng Trong - Nguyễn Hoàng, Nguyễn Lord (1558–1613)
• Japan (Azuchi–Momoyama period)
  • Monarch - Emperor Ōgimachi (1557–1586)
  • de facto - Oda Nobunaga (1536–1598)
• Korea (Joseon Dynasty) - Seonjo (1567–1608)
• Mughal Empire - Akbar (1556–1605)
• Ryūkyū Kingdom - Shō Ei (1573–1586)
• Philippines (Las islas Filipinas)

• Martín Enríquez de Almanza, Viceroy of New Spain (1568-1580)
• Francisco de Sande, Governor General and Captain General of the Philippines (1575-1580)

Europe

• Kingdom of Denmark and Norway - Frederick II (1559–1588)
• Kingdom of England - Elizabeth I (1558–1603)
• Kingdom of France - Henry III (1574–1589)
• Holy Roman Empire - Rudolf II (1576–1612)
  • Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen - Henry III (1567–1585)
  • Prince-Bishopric of Osnabrück - Henry II (1574–1585)
  • Prince-Bishopric of Paderborn - Henry IV (1577–1585)
• Royal Hungary - Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor (as Rudolf I) (1576–1608)
• Kingdom of Navarre - Henry III (1572–1610)
• Ottoman (Turkish) Empire - Murat III (1574–1595)
• Papal States - Pope Gregory XIII (1572–1585)
• Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth - Anna Jagiellon and Stefan Batory, co-monarchs of Poland (1574–1586)
• Kingdom of Portugal -
  1. Sebastião I (1557–1578)
  2. Cardinal Henry (1578–1580)
• Grand Duchy of Moscow - Ivan IV the Terrible, Grand Prince of Moscow (1533–1547) then Tsar of Russia (1547–1584)
• Kingdom of Portugal -

1. Sebastian (1557–1578)
2. Henry (1578–1580)

• Kingdom of Scotland - James VI (1567–1625)
• Kingdom of Spain - Philip II (1556–1598)
• Kingdom of Sweden - John III (1568–1592)
• Union of Brussels
  • William the Silent, Prince of Orange, Leader of the resistance (1568–1584)
• Republic of Venice -
  1. Sebastiano Venier, Doge of Venice (1577–1578)
  2. Nicolò da Ponte, Doge of Venice (1578–1585)

Middle East and North Africa

• Morocco (Saadi dynasty) -
  1. Abu Marwan Abd al-Malik I (1576–1578)
  2. Ahmad I al-Mansur (1578–1603)
• Safavid Empire -
  1. Ismail II Shah of Iran (1576–1578)
  2. Mohammed Khodabanda Shah of Iran (1578–1587)