List of state leaders in 1572

This is a list of heads of state, heads of governments, and other rulers in the year 1572.

Africa

• Bornu Empire – Idris Alooma (1571–1603)
• Ethiopian Empire – Sarsa Dengel (1563–1597)
• Kingdom of Kongo – Álvaro I, Manikongo (1568–1587)
• Sennar Sultanate – Dakin (1568–1585/6)
• Songhai Empire – Askia Daoud, Askia of the Songhai Empire (1549–1582)

Asia

• Ahmadnagar Sultanate – Murtaza Nizam Shah I (1565–1588)
• Arakkal kingdom – Ali Raja Ali, Raja of Arakkal (1545–1591)
• China (Ming dynasty) - Longqing Emperor (1567–1572)
• Japan (Sengoku period)
  • Monarch – Emperor Ōgimachi (1557–1586)
  • Ashikaga shogunate - Ashikaga Yoshiaki (1568–1573)
  • de facto - Oda Nobunaga (1536–1598)
• Korea (Joseon dynasty) – Seonjo (1567–1608)
• Mughal Empire – Akbar (1556–1605)
• Ryukyu Kingdom – Shō Gen (1556–1572)
• Philippines (Las islas Filipinas)

• Martín Enríquez de Almanza, Viceroy of New Spain (1568–1580)
• El Adelantado Miguel López de Legazpi, Governor General and Captain General of the Philippines (1565–1572)
• Rajah Sulaiman III, ruled over Namayan, Kingdom of Tondo and Sabag, a conglomerated kingdom on Luzon

• Vijayanagara Empire –
  1. Tirumala Deva Raya (1565–1572)
  2. Sriranga Deva Raya (1572–1586)

Europe

• Kingdom of Denmark and Norway – Frederick II (1559–1588)
• Kingdom of England – Elizabeth I (1558–1603)
• Kingdom of France – Charles IX (1560–1574)
• Holland and Zeeland –
  • William the Silent, Prince of Orange, Leader of the resistance (1568–1584)
  • Grand Pensionary of Holland - Paulus Buys (1572–1585)
• Holy Roman Empire – Maximilian II (1564–1576)
  • Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen – Henry III (1567–1585)
• Royal Hungary – Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor as Maximilian I (1564–1576)
• Moldavia –
  1. Bogdan IV, Voivode of Moldavia (1568–1572)
  2. Ioan Voda cel Viteaz, Voivode of Moldavia (1572–1574)
• Kingdom of Navarre –
  1. Jeanne d'Albret (1555–1572)
  2. Henry III (1572–1610)
• Ottoman (Turkish) Empire – Selim II (1566–1574)
• Papal States –
  1. Pope Pius V (1566–1572)
  2. Pope Gregory XIII (1572–1585)
• Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth –
  1. Sigismund II Augustus (1548–1572)
  2. Henry III Valois (1572–1573)
• Kingdom of Portugal – Sebastian I (1557–1578)
• Grand Duchy of Moscow – Ivan IV, the Terrible, Grand Prince of Moscow (1533–1547) then Tsar of Russia (1547–1584)
• Kingdom of Scotland – James VI (1567–1625)
• Kingdom of Spain – Philip II (1556–1598)
• Kingdom of Sweden – John III (1568–1592)
• Republic of Venice – Alvise I Mocenigo, Doge of Venice (1570–1577)
• Wallachia – Alexander II Mircea, Voivode of Wallachia (1568–1574)

Middle East and North Africa

• Morocco (Saadi dynasty) - Abdallah al-Ghalib (1557–1574)
• Safavid Empire – Tahmasp I, Shah of Iran (1524–1576)