List of state leaders in 1879

State leaders in 1878 - Events of 1879 - State leaders in 1880 - State leaders by year

See also:

• List of religious leaders in 1879
• List of international organization leaders in 1879

Africa

• Ashanti Confederacy - Mensa Bonsu Kumaa, Asantehene (1874–1883)
• Burundi - Mwezi IV Gisabo, King of Burundi (1852–1908)
• Dahomey - Glele, King of Dahomey (1856–1889)
• Ethiopia - Yohannes IV, Emperor of Ethiopia (1871–1889)
• Liberia - Anthony William Gerdner, President of Liberia (1878–1883)
• Sokoto Caliphate
  • Caliph - Mu'adh bin Bello, Sokoto Caliph (1877–1881)
  • Grand Vizier - Abdullah bin Muhammad Fodiye, Sokoto Grand Vizier (c.1874-1886)
• Zanzibar - Barghash ibn Sa'id, Sultan of Zanzibar (1870–1888)
• Zulu - Cetshwayo kaMpande, King of the Zulu (1872–1884)

Asia

• Afghanistan -

1. Shir Ali Khan, Emir of Afghanistan (1868–1879)
2. Mohammad Ya`qub Khan, Emir of Afghanistan (1879)
3. Mohammad Jan, minister regent (1879)

• • Ghazni
    1. Declared independence on 24 December
    2. Musa Jan Khan, Emir of Ghazni (1879–1880)
• Burma - Thibaw Min, King of Burma (1878–1885)
• Cambodia - Norodom, King of Cambodia (1860–1904)
• Champasak - Kham Suk, King of Champasak (1863–1900)
• China (Qing Dynasty) - Guangxu, Emperor of China (1875–1908)
• Indian Subcontinent, current day India, Pakistan and Bangladesh - Victoria, Empress of India (1876–1901)
• Japan - Monarch - Meiji Emperor, Emperor of Japan (1867–1912)
  • Okinawa Domain - Shō Tai, King of Ryūkyū (1848-11 March 1879)
  • (Becomes fully annexed into Japan as Okinawa Prefecture; monarchy ended.)
• Korea (Joseon Dynasty) - Gojong, King of Joseon (1864–1907, Emperor after 1897)
• Luang Phrabang - Unkham, King of Luang Phrabang (1868–1895)
• Nepal - Surendra Bikram Shah Deva, King of Nepal (1847–1881)
• Oman - Turki bin Said, Sultan of Oman (1871–1888)
• Siam - Chulalongkorn (Rama V), King of Siam (1868–1910)
• Vietnam (Nguyễn Dynasty) - Tự Đức, Emperor of Vietnam (1847–1883)

Europe

• Andorra - Patrice Mac-Mahon, duc de Magenta (President of France) and Josep Caixal i Estradé (Bishop of Urgel), co-Princes (1873–1879 and 1853–1879)
• Austria-Hungary - Franz Joseph I, Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary (1848–1916)
  • Minister-President of Austria -
  1. Prince Adolf Wilhelm Daniel von Auersperg, Minister-President of Austria (1871–1879)
  2. Count Eduard von Taaffe, Minister-President of Austria (1879–1893)
  • Minister-President of Hungary - Kálmán Tisza, Minister-President of Hungary (1875–1890)
• Belgium
  • Monarch - Léopold II, King of the Belgians (1865–1909)
  • Cabinet Chief - H.-J.-W. Frère-Orban, Cabinet Chief of Belgium (1868–1870, 1878–1884)
• Bulgaria - Alexander I Joseph, King of Bulgaria (1879–1886)
• Kingdom of Denmark
  • Monarch - Christian IX (1863–1906)
  • Prime Minister - Jakob Brønnum Scavenius Estrup (1875–1894)
• France -
  • President -
    1. Patrice Mac-Mahon, duc de Magenta, President of France (1873–1879)
    2. Jules Grévy, President of France (1879–1887)
  • Prime Minister -
    1. Jules Dufaure, President of the Council (1877–1879)
    2. William Henry Waddington, President of the Council (1879)
    3. Charles de Freycinet, President of the Council (1879–1880)
• Germany -
  • Monarch - Wilhelm I, German Emperor (1871–1888)
  • Chancellor - Otto von Bismarck, Chancellor of Germany (1871–1890)
  • see List of German rulers in 1879
• Greece -
  • Monarch - George I, King of the Hellenes (1863–1913)
  • Prime Minister - Alexandros Koumoundouros, Prime Minister of Greece (1878–1880)
• Holy See - Pope Leo XIII, Pope (1878–1903)
• Italy
  • Monarch - Umberto I, King of Italy (1878–1900)
  • Prime Minister -
    1. Agostino Depretis, Prime Minister of Italy (1878–1879)
    2. Benedetto Cairoli, Prime Minister of Italy (1879–1881)
• Liechtenstein - Johann II, Prince of Liechtenstein (1858–1929)
• Luxembourg
  • Monarch - William III, King of the Netherlands (1849–1890)
  • Prime Minister - Félix de Blochausen, Prime Minister of Luxembourg (1874–1885)
• Monaco - Charles III, Prince of Monaco (1856–1889)
• Montenegro - Nicholas I, Prince of Montenegro (1860-1910/1918/1921)
• Netherlands -
  • Monarch - William III, King of the Netherlands (1849–1890)
  • Prime Minister -
    1. Jan Kappeyne van de Coppello, Chairman of the Dutch council of ministers (1877–1879)
    2. Theo van Lynden van Sandenburg, Chairman of the Dutch council of ministers (1879–1883)
• Norway - United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway - Oscar II, King of Norway (1872–1905)
• Ottoman (Turkish) Empire
  • Monarch - Abdülhamit II, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire (1876–1909)
  • Chief Minister -
    1. Tunuslu Hayreddin Pasha, Chief Minister of the Ottoman Empire (1878–1879)
    2. Arifi Pasha, Chief Minister of the Ottoman Empire (1879)
• Kingdom of Portugal - Luis I (1861–1889)
• Romania - Carol I, Prince of Romania (1866-1881/1914)
• Russia - Alexander II, Tsar of Russia (1855–1881)
• San Marino - Camillo Bonelli and Pietro Berti, Captains Regent (1878–1879)
• Principality of Serbia - Milan II (1868-1882/1889)
• Kingdom of Spain -
  • Monarch - Alfonso XII of Spain (1875–1885)
    1. Antonio Cánovas Del Castillo, Prime Minister of Spain (1874–1875, 1875–1879, 1879–1881, 1884–1885, 1890–1892, 1895–1897)
    2. Arsenio Martínez-Campos y Antón, Prime Minister of Spain (1879)
    3. Antonio Cánovas del Castillo, Prime Minister of Spain (1874–1875, 1875–1879, 1879–1881, 1884–1885, 1890–1892, 1895–1897)
• Sweden - United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway
  • Monarch - Oscar II, King of Sweden (1872–1907)
  • Prime Minister - Louis Gerhard De Geer, Prime Minister of Sweden (1876–1880)
• United Kingdom -
  • Monarch - Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom (1837–1901)
  • Prime Minister - Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1868, 1874–1880)

Middle East and North Africa

• Abu Dhabi - Zaid ibn Khalifa, Shaikh of Abu Dhabi (1855–1909)
• Egypt (Under Ottoman suzerainty)-
  • Monarch -
    1. Ismail, Khedive of Egypt (1867–1879)
    2. Tawfiq, Khedive of Egypt (1879–1892)
• Morocco - Hassan I, Sultan of Morocco (1873–1894)
• Oman - Turki ibn Sa'id, Sultan of Oman (1871–1888)
• Persia - Nasir ed-Din, Shah of Persia (1848–1896)
• Tunis (Under Ottoman suzerainty) - Muhammad as-Sadiq, Bey of Tunis (1859–1882)

North America and the Caribbean

• Canada -
  • Monarch - Victoria, Queen of Canada (1837–1901)
  • Governor General - Marquess of Lorne, Governor-General of Canada (1878–1883)
  • Prime Minister - John A. Macdonald, Prime Minister of Canada (1867–1891)
• Costa Rica - Tomás Guardia Gutiérrez, President of Costa Rica (1877–1882)
• Dominican Republic - Council of Secretaries of State (1878–1879)
• El Salvador - Rafael Zaldívar, President of El Salvador (1876–1885)
• Guatemala - Justo Rufino Barrios, President of Guatemala (1873–1885)
• Haiti -
  1. Pierre Théoma Boisrond-Canal, President of Haiti (1876–1879)
• Honduras - Marco Aurelio Soto, President of Honduras (1876–1883)
• Mexico - Porfirio Diaz, President of Mexico (1876–1880)
• Nicaragua -
  1. Pedro Joaquín Chamorro Alfaro, President of Nicaragua (1875–1879)
  2.  ???
• United States - Rutherford B. Hayes, President of the United States (1877–1881)

Oceania

• Hawaii - Kalākaua, King of Hawaiʻi (1874–1891)
• Niue - Tui-toga, King of Niue (1875–1887)
• Samoa - Malietoa Talavou Tonumaipe’a, Malietoa (1860–1880)
• Tahiti -
  1. Pomare IV, Queen of Tahiti (1827–1877)
  2. Pomare V, King of Tahiti (1877–1880)
• Tonga -
  • Monarch - George Tupou I, King of Tonga (1845–1893)
  • Prime Minister - Tevita 'Unga, Prime Minister of Tonga, (1876–1880)

South America

• Argentina - Nicolás Avellaneda, President of Argentina (1874–1880)
• Bolivia - Hilarión Daza, Provisional President of Bolivia (1876–1879)
• Brazil - Pedro II, Emperor of Brazil (1831–1889)
• Chile - Aníbal Pinto, President of Chile (1876–1881)
• Colombia - Julián Trujillo Largacha, President of Colombia (1878–1880)
• Ecuador - Ignacio de Veintemilla, Supreme Chief of Ecuador (1876-1878/1883)
• Paraguay - Cándido Bareiro, President of Paraguay (1878–1880)
• Peru -
  1. Mariano Ignacio Prado, President of Peru (1876–1879)
  2.  ???
• Uruguay -
  1. Lorenzo Latorre, President of Uruguay (1876–1879)
  2. Francisco Antonino Vidal, President of Uruguay (1879)
  3. Lorenzo Latorre, President of Uruguay (1879–1880)
• Venezuela - Jacinto Gutiérrez Martínez, acting President of Venezuela (1878–1879)