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List of Ukrainian rulers

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This list encompasses all rulers and leaders of Ukraine and Ukrainian territory. These rulers contributed to the development of the Ukrainian cultural and political identity. This is not a list of sovereigns; but for Crimean Khans, since Galicia-Volhynia Ukraine have not had a sovereign ruler, Ukrainian Hetmanate was a de facto democracy.

Scythian kings

Scythian king Skilurus, relief from Scythian Neapolis, Crimea, 2nd century BC

Scythia was a loose state that originated as early as 8th century BC. Little is known of them and their rulers. Most detailed description came down to us from Herodotus.

Kings of Cimmerian Bosporus

A silver coin depicting Mithradates VI of Pontus

The shores of Crimea were settled by greeks since the 7th century BC. The kingdom was established around 480 BC. It was ruled by three consecutive dynasties: Archaeanactidae (480 BC - 438 BC), Spartocids (438 BC - 108 BC), and Pontids (108 BC - 16 BC). After Pontids the territory became a Roman client kingdom.

Pontids

Rulers of Patria Onoguria

According to Zakarius Rhetor and Priscus Rhetor, Patria Onoguria was a vulgar statelet in alliance with Byzantium established in 463 around Azov having been forced west upon the Akatziroi by the Sabirs who in turn were being attacked. Its 7th century period is commonly referred to as Old Great Bulgaria (~600–~690).

Princes of Kyiv

Rulers of Kyiv and Kyivan Rus (~860–1246)

Pagan rulers of the Rurik Dynasty

The Rurik Dynasty were descendants of Rurik, a Varangian chieftain Rørikr, and originally pagans.

Portrait Name Born-Died Ruled From Ruled Until
Askold and Dir, Haskuldr and Dyri, were rulers of Kiev (Kænugarður, Kanugard), not Kievan Rus' ?-882 860 882
Oleh of Novhorod, Varangian konung Helgi of Hólmgarður (Holmgard) ?-912 882 912
Ihor of Kyiv, Varangian konung Ingvar ?-945 912 945
Olha of Kyiv (regent), Ingvar's wife Helga of Pskov, was baptized by Emperor Constantine VII but failed to bring Christianity to Kiev ?-969 945 962
Sviatoslav I of Kyiv, the first true ruler of Rus', he united all of the Rus' principalities under the Kiev throne 942-972 962 972
File:Yaropolk svyatoslavich.jpg Yaropolk I of Kyiv, supposedly was baptised into Catholisism 958 (960?)-980 972 980

Christian rulers of the Rurik Dynasty

Christianity was officially adopted in 988 by Volodymyr the Great.

Portrait Name Born-Died Ruled From Ruled Until
Volodymyr the Great (Valdamarr), early rule is characterized by a staunch pagan reaction but in 988 he was baptized into Orthodoxy and successfully converted Kyivan Rus to Christianity 958-1015 980 1015
Sviatopolk the Accursed 980-1019 1015 1019
Yaroslav the Wise (Jarizleifr), Kyivan Rus reached the pinnacle of its' power during his reign 978-1054 1019 1054
Iziaslav I of Kyiv, first time 1024-1078 1054 1073
Vseslav of Kyiv, was a brief ruler during Iziaslav's official reign 1039-1101 1068 1069
File:Sviatoslav II first left.jpg Sviatoslav II of Kyiv (on picture, first form right) 1027-1076 1073 1076
Iziaslav I of Kyiv, second time 1024-1078 1076 1078
Vsevolod I of Kyiv 1030-1093 1078 1093
Sviatopolk II of Kyiv 1050-1113 1093 1113
Volodymyr II Monomakh, was the last ruler of the united Kyivan Rus 1053-1125 1113 1125
Mstyslav I of Kyiv, during his reign Kyivan Rus fell into recession starting a rapid decline 1076–1132 1125 1132

The decline of Kyivan Rus

During this time the territory of Ukraine was conquered by various princes of the desintegrating Kyivan Rus pricipalities and Halychyna-Volhynia.

File:Roman the Great of Galicia-Volhynia.gif
Roman the Great of Halych
File:Danylo Halyckyi.jpg
Danylo of Halych

Kings of Halychyna-Volhynia

Halychyna-Volhynia (1269–1384) is viewed as one of the successor states of Kyivan Rus.

Portrait Name Born-Died Ruled From Ruled Until
Lev I of Halych, found the city of Lviv, the first sole ruler of Halychyna-Volhynia 1228-1301 1269 1301
File:Yuriy I of Galich-Volhynia.jpg Yuriy I of Halych 1252 (1257?)—1308 1301 1308
Andriy of Halych and Lev II of Halych, joint rule, they were the last members of the Rurikid dynasty to rule Ukraine ?-1323 1308 1323
Yuriy II-Boleslav, member of the Piast of Polish szlachta family 1308–1340 1323 1340
Liubartas, member of the Gediminids family, was the last Ruthenian-Lithuanian ruler of Ukraine 1320?-1384 1340 1384

At the end of the rule of Liubartas, Ukrainian territory was brought under the Polish Crown until the emergence of the Dnieper Cossacks. Also see Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

Crimean khans

Meñli I Giray (centre) with the eldest son, future khan Mehmed I Giray (left) and Turkish sultan Bayezid II (right)
File:Islam I Giray.gif
İslâm III. Giray

Crimean Khanate (1441–1783). Crimean Tatars, although not a part of the Ukrainian ethnos, ruled a large part of modern Ukraine.

Name Date of Reign Notes
Hacı I Giray c.1427 or 1441 - 1456 first reign
Hayder 1456
Hacı I Giray 1456-1466 second reign
Nur Devlet 1466-1467 first reign
Meñli I Giray 1467 first reign
Nur Devlet 1467-1469 second reign
Meñli I Giray 1469-1475 second reign
Nur Devlet 1475-1476 third reign
vacant 1476-1478 Dynasty dismissed from power
Meñli I Giray 1478-1515 third reign
Mehmed I Giray 1515-1523
Ğazı I Giray 1523-1524
Saadet I Giray 1524-1532
İslâm I Giray 1532
Sahib I Giray 1532-1551
Devlet I Giray 1551-1577
Mehmed II Giray 1577-1584
Saadet II Giray 1584
İslâm II Giray 1584-1588
Ğazı II Giray 1588-1596 first reign
Fetih I Giray 1596
Ğazı II Giray 1596-1607 second reign
Toqtamış Giray 1607-1608
Selâmet I Giray 1608-1610
Canibek Giray 1610-1623 first reign
Mehmed III Giray 1623-1628
Canibek Giray 1628-1635 second reign
İnayet Giray 1635-1637
Bahadır I Giray 1637-1641
Mehmed IV Giray 1641-1644 first reign
İslâm III Giray 1644-1654
Mehmed IV Giray 1654-1666 second reign
Adil Giray 1666-1671
Selim I Giray 1671-1678 first reign
Murad Giray 1678-1683
Hacı II Giray 1683-1684
Selim I Giray 1684-1691 second reign
Saadet III Giray 1691
Safa Giray 1691-1692
Selim I Giray 1692-1699 third reign
Devlet II Giray 1699-1702 first reign
Selim I Giray 1702-1704 fourth reign
Ğazı III Giray 1704-1707
Qaplan I Giray 1707-1708 first reign
Devlet II Giray 1709-1713 second reign
Qaplan I Giray 1713-1715 second reign
Devlet III Giray 1716-1717
Saadet IV Giray 1717-1724
Meñli II Giray 1724-1730 first reign
Qaplan I Giray 1730-1736 third reign
Fetih II Giray 1736-1737
Meñli II Giray 1737-1740 second reign
Selamet II Giray 1740-1743
Selim II Giray 1743-1748
Arslan Giray 1748-1756 first reign
Halim Giray 1756-1758
Qırım Giray 1758-1764 first reign
Selim III Giray 1765-1767 first reign
Arslan Giray 1767 second reign
Maqsud Giray 1767-1768
Qırım Giray 1768-1769 second reign
Devlet IV Giray 1769-1770 first reign
Qaplan II Giray 1770
Selim III Giray 1770-1771 second reign
Sahib II Giray 1771-1775
Devlet IV Giray 1775-1777 second reign
Şahin Giray 1777-1782 first reign
Bahadır II Giray 1782
Şahin Giray 1782-1783 second reign
† The reigns of Canibek Giray in 1624 and of Maqsud Giray in 1771-1772 are not listed. Though these khans were formally appointed by Ottoman sultans they did not reach the throne and did not rule Crimea. In the years mentioned, the authority in the Crimean Khanate was exercised by Mehmed III Giray and Sahib II Giray correspondingly.
Note: The nominal khans Şahbaz Giray (1787-1789) and Baht Giray (1789-1792) mentioned in some works are not listed in this table as they did not rule the Crimean Khanate annexed by Russia in 1783.

Hetmans of Ukrainian Cossacks

A Hetman (1506?–1764) was a military and civil leader, democratically elected by the Cossacks.

Hetmans and commanders of Ukrainian Cossacks

Several Cossack regiments were operating in Ukraine at this time that were largely independent of each other, so some of the Hetmans' tenures overlap.

Portrait Name Born-Died Ruled From Ruled Until
Przecław Lanckoroński, was a member of the Zadora Polish szlachta family and starosta of Khmilnyk ?-1531 1506 1512
File:Dashkevych.png Ataman Ostap Dashkevych, was a commander of the Cossacks, sometimes referred to as Hetman 1495-1535 1506 1535
Dmytro Vyshnevetsky, the first to be officially and casually refferred to as Cossack Hetman ?-1553 1550 1553
Ivan Svirgovsky ? 1567 1574
Ivan Pidkova, the first Hetman to be elected by the entire Sich, thus establishing the first direct democratic rule in modern Europe[citation needed] ?-1578 1577 1578
Ivan Orishevsky ? 1579 1591
Bogdan Mikoshinsky ? 1586 1594
Kryshtof Kosynsky 1545–1593 1591 1593
Hryhory Loboda ?-1596 1593 1596
Severyn Nalyvaiko ?-1597 1596 1596
File:Petro Konashevych-Sahaidachnyi (19th century portrait).jpg Petro Konashevych-Sahaidachny 1570–1622 1614 1622
Mykhailo Doroshenko ?–1628 1623 1628
Hryhoriy Chorny, elected by Registered Cossacks ?-1630 1628 1630
Taras Fedorovych, elected by unregistered Cossacks ?-1636 1629 1630
Ivan Sulyma ?–1635 1630 1635
Dmytro Hunia ? 1638 1638

Hetmans of the Cossack state

Following the Khmelnytsky uprising a new Cossack republic, the Hetmanate, was formed.

Portrait Name Born-Died Ruled From Ruled Until
Bohdan Khmelnytsky, the first sole ruler of the Ukrainian Cossack state 1595—1657 1648 1657
Ivan Bohun, was acting hetman during the Battle of Berestechko ?-1664 June 1651 June 1651
Ivan Vyhovsky, second Hetman of the Cossack Hetmanate, co-author of the Treaty of Hadiach signed in 1658 ?-1664 October 21, 1657 October 17, 1659
Yurii Khmelnytsky, third Hetman of the Cossack Hetmanate 1641-1685 October 17, 1659 1663

Hetmans during the Ruin

The Ruin (1660–1687) was a time in Ukrainian history when the country fell into disarray and chaos. Afterwards, the Cossack state emerged as a vassal of the Russian Empire. During this period a number of hetmans stayed in power for short periods of time and often controlled only parts of the country. Moreover the Treaty of Andrusovo (1667) split the Cossack Hetmanate along the Dnieper River into Left-bank incorporated into Tsardom of Russia, and Right-bank Ukraine remained part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, temporary occupied by the Ottoman Empire (1672-1699).

Portrait Name Born-Died Ruled From Ruled Until
Pavlo Teteria, succeeded Yurii Khmelnytsky as the first ruler of Right-bank Ukraine ?—1670 1663 1665
Petro Doroshenko, united Cossack state for a short period of time until accepting Ottoman suzerainty 1627-November 19, 1698 October 10, 1665 September 19, 1676
File:Khanenko.jpg Mykhailo Khanenko, nominal Hetman ca. 1620–1680 1669 1674
Yurii Khmelnytsky, nominated by the Ottomans in 1678, and re-instaled by the Poles in 1683 1641-1685 1678
1683
1681
1685
Portrait Name Born-Died Ruled From Ruled Until
Yakym Somko, acting hetman of Left-bank Ukraine ?—September 28, 1664 1660 1663
Ivan Briukhovetsky, was a pro-Russian hetman of Left-bank Ukraine ?- 1668 1663 1668
Petro Doroshenko 1627-November 19, 1698 June 9, 1668 1669
Demian Mnohohrishny, 1630-1701 1669 1672
File:Ivan Samoylovych.png Ivan Samoylovych 1630-1690 1672 1687

Hetmans after the Ruin and reunification of Ukraine (1687-1764/75)

Portrait Name Born-Died Ruled From Ruled Until
Ivan Mazepa, was the last hetman to actively fight against the Russian domination 1639-1709 1687 1709
Pylyp Orlyk, a very brief successor of Mazepa, an author of Constitution of Pylyp Orlyk, and the only hetman in exile 1672-1742 1709
1710 in exile
1709
1742 in exile
File:Ivan Skoropadskij.jpg Ivan Skoropadsky, pro-Russian Cossack colonel who refused to join Ivan Mazepa in 1708 1646-1722 11 November 1708 14 July 1722
Pavlo Polubotok, served as Acting Hetman 1660?-1724 1722 1724
File:Danylo Apostol.jpg Danylo Apostol 1654-1734 1727 1734
Kirill Razumovsky, after his rule the territory of Ukraine came under the direct governance of the Russian Empire 1728-1803 1750 1764
Petro Kalnyshevsky, the last Koshovyi Otaman of the Zaporozhian Cossacks 1691–1803 1765 1775

In the Russian Empire and Austria-Hungary

After the dissolution of the Cossack Hetmanate, a new Malorossiyan collegium was established in 1764, and the Zaporozhian Host was disbanded in 1775. As a result of the second and third Partitions of Poland in 1793 and 1795, eastern and central parts of Ukraine had annexed into the Russian Empire. However, western parts of Ukraine were annexed into the Habsburg Monarchy earlier, in the following order: Carpathian Ruthenia (1526), Galicia (1772), and Bukovina (1775).

The Russian Empire existed until 1917, and the Dual Monarchy, Austria–Hungary, existed until 1918.

Ukrainian People's Republic

The Ukrainian People's Republic (UNR, 1917–1921) was formed after the Russian Revolution of 1917, and lasted until the Peace of Riga between Poland and Soviet Russia in March 1921. The leadership title varied and, despite a rather widespread misconception, none of them had the official title of president.

Chairmen of the Central Rada

The Central Council (Tsentral’na rada) was the representative body governing the UNR.

Portrait Name Born-Died In Office From In Office Until
Mykhailo Hrushevskyi - never holding a title, he is regarded as Ukraine's first president 1866-1934 27 March 1917 29 April 1918

Hetman of the Ukrainian State

A very short lived Hetmanate was established by Pavlo Skoropadskyi in 1918.

Portrait Name Born-Died In Office From In Office Until
Pavlo Skoropadskyi 1873-1945 29 April 1918 14 December 1918

Chairmen of the Directory

The Directorate of Ukraine was a government of the UNR formed after Skoropadskyi's Hetmanate fell apart.

Portrait Name Born-Died In Office From In Office Until
Volodymyr Vynnychenko 1880-1951 14 December 1918 11 February 1919
File:Symon petlura.jpg Symon Petliura 1879-1926 11 February 1919 7 May 1921

Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (1918/1921-1991)

Ukraine was incorporated into the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on 30 December 1922.

Secretaries of Central Committee the (Ukrainian) Communist Party

First Secretary of the Central Committee

Executive Secretary of the Central Committee

First Secretaries of the Communist Party

General Secretaries of the Central Committee

First Secretaries of the Central Committee

Ukraine (1991-present)

On 5 July 1991, the Verkhovna Rada of the Ukrainian SSR passed a law establishing the post of the President of the Ukrainian SSR. The title was changed to the President of Ukraine upon the proclamation of independence (24 August 1991). The first election of the President of Ukraine was held on 1 December 1991.

Presidents

Portrait Name Born-Died In Office From In Office Until
Leonid Makarovych Kravchuk 1934- 5 December 1991 19 July 1994
Leonid Danylovych Kuchma 1938- 19 July 1994 23 January 2005
Viktor Yushchenko 1954- 23 January 2005 Present

See also