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List of rulers of Taiwan

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This is a list of the highest-ranked rulers based on the island of Taiwan.

Dutch and Spanish Formosa (1624–1662)

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Dutch Formosa (1624–1662)

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The Dutch Empire, during the period of the Dutch United Provinces and under the auspices of the Dutch East India Company (VOC), attempted to conquer Macau in 1622. Later they colonized the Pescadores Islands, where they built a fort in Makung. In 1624, the Chinese attacked, and the Dutch were driven to Taiwan (then called Formosa, meaning "beautiful island"). That year they established Fort Zeelandia on Taiwan's southwest coast. In 1637, the Dutch conquered Favorolang (also Favorlang; present day Huwei, Yunlin). The names listed here are the Dutch governors:[1]

Dutch Formosa (Nederlands Formosa)
No. Portrait Name From Until
1 Martinus Sonck 1624 1625[2]
2 Gerard Frederikszoon de With 1625 1627
3 Pieter Nuyts 1627 1629
4 Hans Putmans 1629 1636
5 Johan van der Burg 1636 1640[2]
6 Paulus Traudenius 1640 1643
7 Maximilian le Maire 1643 1644
8 François Caron 1644 1646
9 Pieter Anthoniszoon Overtwater 1646 1649
10 Nicolas Verburg 1649 1653
11 Cornelis Caesar 1653 1656
12 Frederick Coyett 1656 1662

Spanish Formosa (1626–1642)

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In response to the Dutch settlements, the Spanish settled at Keelung on the northeast coast of the island in 1626 and built Fort San Salvador. Later they built another outpost, Fort Santo Domingo, at Tamsui in the northwest. In 1629 these forts had a combined total of about 200 Spaniards and 400 Filipinos. By 1635, the Tamsui settlement was abandoned; however, the Keelung settlement remained in Spanish hands until 1642, when a Dutch force of 11 ships and 1,000 men attacked the fort of 446 people. The Spanish surrendered.

Governor of Keelung
Spanish Formosa (Isla Hermosa Española) - Keelung (Cheylam)
No. Portrait Name From Until Governor-General of the Spanish East Indies
(Term of office)
Monarch
(Reign)
1 Antonio Carreño de Valdes
伐爾得斯
16 May 1626 1629 Fernándo de Silva
Ad Interim
(July 1624 – 29 June 1626)

Philip IV
House of Habsburg
(31 March 1621 – 17 September 1665)

Juan Niño de Tabora
(29 June 1626 – 22 July 1632)
2 Juan de Alcarazo
阿爾卡拉索
1629 1634
Lorenzo de Olaza y Lecubarri
Real Audiencia
(22 July 1632 – 1633)
Juan Cerezo de Salamanca
Ad Interim
(29 August 1633 – 25 June 1635)
3 Alonso García Romero
羅美洛
1634 1639

Sebastián Hurtado de Corcuera
(25 June 1635 – 11 August 1644)
4 Pedro Palomino
帕囉米諾
1639 1640
5 Gonzalo Portillo
波爾的里奧
1640 1642
Governor of Tamsui
Spanish Formosa (Isla Hermosa Española) - Tamsui (Tamchuy)
No. Portrait Name From Until Governor-General of the Spanish East Indies
(Term of office)
Monarch
(Reign)
1 Antonio Carreño de Valdes
伐爾得斯
1627 1629 Juan Niño de Tabora

(29 June 1626 – 22 July 1632)

Philip IV
House of Habsburg
(31 March 1621 – 17 September 1665)

2 Luis de Guzmán
格司曼
1629 1634
Lorenzo de Olaza y Lecubarri
Real Audiencia
(22 July 1632 – 1633)
Juan Cerezo de Salamanca
Ad Interim
(29 August 1633 – 25 June 1635)
3 Bartolomé Díaz Barrera
奧就
1634 1637

Sebastián Hurtado de Corcuera
(25 June 1635 – 11 August 1644)
4 Francisco Hernández
赫爾南勒茲
1637 1642

Kingdom of Tungning (1662–1683)

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The Southern Ming (Ming dynasty loyalists) came to Taiwan under Koxinga, expelling the Dutch and capturing Fort Zeelandia. They established the Kingdom of Tungning.

Kingdom of Tungning 【東寧王國】
No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Title(s) Reign
(Lunar calendar)
1 Koxinga
(Zheng Chenggong)

鄭成功
Zhèng Chénggōng (Mandarin)
Tēⁿ Sêng-kong (Taiwanese)
Chhang Sṳ̀n-kûng (Hakka)
(1624–1662)
Prince of Yanping (延平王)
Prince Wu of Chao (潮武王)
14 June 1661
Yongli 15-5-18
23 June 1662
Yongli 16-5-8
2 Zheng Xi
鄭襲
Zhèng Xí (Mandarin)
Tēⁿ Si̍p (Taiwanese)
Chhang Si̍p (Hakka)
(1625–?)
Protector (護理) 23 June 1662
Yongli 16-5-8
November 1662
Yongli 17
3 Zheng Jing
鄭經
Zhèng Jīng (Mandarin)
Tēⁿ Keng (Taiwanese)
Chhang Kîn (Hakka)
(1642–1681)
Prince of Yanping (延平王)
Prince Wen of Chao (潮文王)
November 1662
Yongli 17
17 March 1681
Yongli 35-1-28
4 Zheng Kezang
鄭克臧
Zhèng Kèzāng (Mandarin)
Tēⁿ Khek-chong (Taiwanese)
Chhang Khiet-chong (Hakka)
(1662–1681)
Prince Regent (監國) 17 March 1681
Yongli 35-1-28
19 March 1681
Yongli 35-1-30
5 Zheng Keshuang*
鄭克塽
Zhèng Kèshuǎng (Mandarin)
Tēⁿ Khek-sóng (Taiwanese)
Chhang Khiet-sóng (Hakka)
(1670–1707)
Prince of Yanping (延平王)
Duke Haicheng (海澄公)
19 March 1681
Yongli 35-1-30
5 September 1683
Yongli 37-8-13

* Regency of Feng Xifan from 1682 to 1683.

Taiwan under the rule of the Qing Dynasty (1683–1895)

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Taiwan-Amoy Circuit (1683–1721)

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The Qing dynasty invaded Taiwan; the Ming rulers surrendered and were expelled.

Taiwan-Xiamen Circuit Commissioner (福建分巡台灣廈門道, 1687—1727)
No. Commissioner Start of office

Taiwan Circuit (1721–1885)

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Qing rule was reestablished after a month-long revolt. The Taiwan Circuit was established in 1727 with its seat in Taiwan-fu, unlike its predecessor, the Taiwan-Amoy Circuit, which was based in Xiamen. The Taiwan Circuit Commissioner had its powers checked by the Taiwan Circuit Investigating censors.

Taiwan Military Circuit Commissioner (福建分巡臺灣兵備道, 1767-1791)
No. Commissioner Start of office
Provincial Censor-ranked Taiwan Military Circuit Commissioner (按察使銜分巡台灣兵備道, 1791-1895)
No. Commissioner Start of office

Governor of Fukien-Taiwan Province (1885–1895)

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Great Qing Empire 【大清】
No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Ancestry Original Post Term of Office
(Lunar calendar)
Monarch
(Reign)
1 Liu Mingchuan
劉銘傳
Liú Míngchuán (Mandarin)
Lâu Bêng-thoân (Taiwanese)
Liù Mèn-chhòn (Hakka)
(1836–1896)
Hefei, Anhui Governor of Fukien 12 October 1885
Guangxu 11-9-5
4 June 1891
Guangxu 17-4-28

Guangxu Emperor
光緒皇帝
(25 February 1875 – 14 November 1908)

Shen Yingkui[3]
沈應奎
Shěn Yìngkuí (Mandarin)
Tîm Èng-khe (Taiwanese)
Chhṳ̀m En-khùi (Hakka)
Pinghu, Zhejiang Civil Affairs Minister, Fukien Province 4 June 1891
Guangxu 17-4-28
25 November 1891
Guangxu 17-10-24
2 Shao Youlian
邵友濂
Shào Yǒulián (Mandarin)
Siō Iú-liâm (Taiwanese)
Seu Yû-liàm (Hakka)
(1840–1901)
Yuyao, Zhejiang Governor of Hunan 9 May 1891
Guangxu 17-4-2
13 October 1894
Guangxu 20-9-15
3 Tang Jingsong
唐景崧
Táng Jǐngsōng (Mandarin)
Tn̂g Kéng-siông (Taiwanese)
Thòng Kín-chhiùng (Hakka)
(1841–1903)
Guanyang, Guangxi Civil Affairs Minister, Fukien-Taiwan Province 13 October 1894
Guangxu 20-9-15
20 May 1895
Guangxu 21-4-26

Republic of Formosa (1895)

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The Republic of Formosa was a short-lived republic that existed on the island of Taiwan in 1895 between the formal cession of Taiwan by the Qing dynasty of China to the Empire of Japan by the Treaty of Shimonoseki and its being taken over by Japanese troops. The Republic was proclaimed on 23 May 1895 and extinguished on 21 October, when the Republican capital Tainan was taken over by the Japanese.

Republic of Formosa【臺灣民主國】
No. Portrait Name

(Birth–Death)

Place of Birth Term of Office Days
1 Tang Ching-sung

唐景崧

Táng Jǐngsōng (Mandarin)
Tn̂g Kéng-siông (Taiwanese)
Thòng Kín-chhiùng (Hakka)
(1841–1903)
President

Guilin, Guangxi,  China 25 May 1895

Yongqing 1-5-25
Guangxu 21-5-2
Meiji 28-5-25

5 June 1895

Yongqing 1-6-5
Meiji 28-6-5

13
2 Liu Yung-fu

劉永福

Liú Yǒngfú (Mandarin)
Lâu Éng-hok (Taiwanese)
Liû Yún-fuk (Hakka)
(1837–1917)
Commander-in-chief

Qinzhou, Guangxi,  China 5 June 1895

Yongqing 1-6-5
Meiji 28-6-5

21 October 1895

Yongqing 1-10-21
Meiji 28-10-21

138

Taiwan under Japanese rule (1895–1945)

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After the First Sino-Japanese War and establishing control over the island through the Treaty of Shimonoseki, the Japanese Empire used the French Empire model of an occupying force and were instrumental in the industrialization of the island; they built railroads, a sanitation system and a public school educational system, among other things. Around 1935, the Japanese began an island-wide assimilation project to bind the island more firmly to the empire.

In 1941, the Pacific War broke out when the Japanese Empire attacked the U.S. naval port of Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. By 1945, desperate plans were in place to incorporate popular representation of Taiwan into the Imperial Diet to end colonial rule of the island and transfer occupying troops to the front lines to fight the Allies. The names listed here are the Japanese governor-generals:

Governors-General of Taiwan (1895–1945)

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  Military   Rikken Seiyūkai   Kenseikai   Rikken Minseitō

Empire of Japan 「大日本帝國」
No. Portrait Name Origin Occupation Affiliation Term of Office Monarch
(Reign)
1 Kabayama Sukenori
樺山資紀
Kagoshima Admiral (Imperial Japanese Navy) (Viscount) Military 10 May 1895 2 June 1896

Emperor Meiji
明治天皇
(13 February 1867 – 30 July 1912)

2 Katsura Tarō
桂太郎
Yamaguchi Lieutenant General (Imperial Japanese Army) (Viscount) Military 2 June 1896 14 October 1896
3 Nogi Maresuke
乃木希典
Yamaguchi Lieutenant General (Imperial Japanese Army) (Baron) Military 14 October 1896 26 February 1898
4 Kodama Gentarō
兒玉源太郎
Yamaguchi Lieutenant General (Imperial Japanese Army) (Baron) Military 26 February 1898 11 April 1906
5 Sakuma Samata
佐久間左馬太
Yamaguchi General (Imperial Japanese Army) (Viscount) Military 11 April 1906 1 May 1915

Emperor Taishō
大正天皇
(30 July 1912 – 25 December 1926)

6 Andō Teibi
安東貞美
Nagano General (Imperial Japanese Army) (Baron) Military 1 May 1915 6 June 1918
7 Akashi Motojiro
明石元二郎
Fukuoka Lieutenant General (Imperial Japanese Army) Military 6 June 1918 24 October 1919
8 Den Kenjirō
田健治郎
Hyōgo Member of Terauchi Cabinet (Baron) Seiyūkai 29 October 1919 6 September 1923
9 Uchida Kakichi
內田嘉吉
Tokyo Member of House of Peers Seiyūkai 6 September 1923 1 September 1924
10 Izawa Takio
伊澤多喜男
Nagano Member of House of Peers Kenseikai 1 September 1924 16 July 1926
11 Kamiyama Mitsunoshin
上山滿之進
Yamaguchi literary figure Kenseikai 16 July 1926 16 June 1928

Emperor Shōwa
昭和天皇
(25 December 1926 – 7 January 1989)

12 Kawamura Takeji
川村竹治
Akita Member of House of Peers Seiyūkai 16 June 1928 30 July 1929
13 Ishizuka Eizō
石塚英藏
Fukushima Member of House of Peers Minseitō 30 July 1929 16 January 1931
14 Ōta Masahiro
太田政弘
Yamagata Director of Kwantung Leased Territory Minseitō 16 January 1931 2 March 1932
15 Minami Hiroshi
南弘
Toyama Member of House of Peers Seiyūkai 2 March 1932 26 May 1932
16 Nakagawa Kenzō
中川健蔵
Niigata Undersecretary of Education Minseitō 26 May 1932 2 September 1936
17 Kobayashi Seizō
小林躋造
Hiroshima Admiral (Imperial Japanese Navy) Military 2 September 1936 27 November 1940
18 Hasegawa Kiyoshi
長谷川清
Fukui Admiral (Imperial Japanese Navy) Military 27 November 1940 30 December 1944
19 Andō Rikichi
安藤利吉
Miyagi General (Imperial Japanese Army) Military 30 December 1944 25 October 1945

Taiwan under the rule of the Republic of China (1945–present)

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Following the end of World War II in 1945, under the terms of the Instrument of Surrender of Japan, the control of Taiwan was to be transferred to the Republic of China (ROC). ROC troops were authorized to come to Taiwan to accept the surrender of Japanese military forces and occupy Taiwan[4] on behalf of the Allied Powers in General Order No. 1, issued by Douglas MacArthur, the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers, on 2 September 1945. ROC troops were later transported to Keelung by the U.S. Navy, and Japanese handed the control of Taiwan to the ROC on 25 October 1945, which began a period of military occupation.

Following its defeat in the Chinese Civil War in 1949, Premier Yan Xishan proclaimed the ROC Government's relocation to Taiwan (where it exists until today), thus replacing the Provincial Chairperson as the highest-ranked executive official on Taiwan. This lasted until March 1950, when Chiang Kai-shek resumed his duties as President in Taipei. However, Japan relinquished sovereignty of Taiwan and Penghu in the Treaty of San Francisco on 28 April 1952, without specifying whom the sovereignty was ceded to. Because the ROC only held Taiwan, Penghu and other nearby islands, the regime remained the internationally recognized government of China with sovereignty throughout mainland China, Tibet Area, Sinkiang and Outer Mongolia until recognition shifted to the People's Republic of China by the United Nations in 1971 and the United States in 1979. After the constitutional amendments in 1991, the president is elected by popular vote among citizens of the Republic of China in the "Free Area of the Republic of China" (area under de facto Republic of China administration), instead of by the National Assembly.

  Kuomintang   Democratic Progressive Party

Governor of Taiwan Province (1945–1949)

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Republic of China (ROC)【中華民國】
No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Term of Office Political Party
Chief Executive of Taiwan Province
1 Chen Yi
陳儀
(1883-1950)
29 August 1945 22 April 1947 Kuomintang
Chairperson of the Taiwan Provincial Government
1 Wei Tao-ming
魏道明
(1899-1978)
16 May 1947 5 January 1949 Kuomintang
2 Chen Cheng
陳誠
(1897–1965)
5 January 1949 8 December 1949 Kuomintang

Presidents of the Executive Yuan of the Republic of China (1949–1950)

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Republic of China (ROC)【中華民國】- Taiwan
No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Term of office Political party
30 Yan Xishan
閻錫山
(1883–1960)
8 December 1949 1 March 1950 Kuomintang

Presidents of the Republic of China (1 March 1950–present)

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Republic of China (ROC)【中華民國】- Taiwan
No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Term of office Term Elections
(votes / percentages)
Political party Vice President
Presidents elected by the National Assembly
1 Chiang Kai-shek
蔣中正
(1887–1975)
1 March 1950 20 May 1954 1 Kuomintang Li Zongren (1950–1954)[5]
Vacant (1954)
20 May 1954 20 May 1960 2 1954 (1,507 / 96.91%) Chen Cheng
20 May 1960 20 May 1966 3 1960 (1,481 / 93.97%) Chen Cheng (1960–1965)[6]
Vacant (1965-1966)
20 May 1966 20 May 1972 4 1966 (1,405 / 98.60%) Yen Chia-kan
20 May 1972 5 April 1975 5 1972 (1,308 / 99.39%)
2 Yen Chia-kan
嚴家淦
(1905–1993)
6 April 1975 20 May 1978 Kuomintang Vacant
3 Chiang Ching-kuo
蔣經國
(1910–1988)
20 May 1978 20 May 1984 6 1978 (1,184 / 98.34%) Kuomintang Hsieh Tung-min
20 May 1984 13 January 1988 7 1984 (1,012 / 95.11%) Lee Teng-hui
4 Lee Teng-hui
李登輝
(1923–2020)
13 January 1988 20 May 1990 Kuomintang Vacant
20 May 1990 20 May 1996 8 1990 (641 / 85.24%) Lee Yuan-tsu
Presidents elected by popular vote
4 Lee Teng-hui
李登輝
(1923–2020)
20 May 1996 20 May 2000 9 1996 (5,813,699 / 54.0%) Kuomintang Lien Chan
5 Chen Shui-bian
陳水扁
(born 1950)
20 May 2000 20 May 2004 10 2000 (4,977,737 / 39.3%) Democratic Progressive Annette Lu
20 May 2004 20 May 2008 11 2004 (6,446,900 / 50.11%)
6 Ma Ying-jeou
馬英九
(born 1950)
20 May 2008 20 May 2012 12 2008 (7,658,724 / 58.45%) Kuomintang Vincent Siew
20 May 2012 20 May 2016 13 2012 (6,891,139 / 51.60%) Wu Den-yih
7 Tsai Ing-wen
蔡英文
(born 1956)
20 May 2016 20 May 2020 14 2016 (6,894,744 / 56.1%) Democratic Progressive Chen Chien-jen
20 May 2020 20 May 2024 15 2020 (8,170,231 / 57.13%) Lai Ching-te
8 Lai Ching-te
賴清德
(born 1959)
20 May 2024 Incumbent 16 2024 (5,586,019 / 40.05%) Democratic Progressive Hsiao Bi-khim

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Information from 郭弘斌 (2003)
  2. ^ a b Died in office.
  3. ^ As acting; Fukien-Taiwan Province Civil Affairs Minister.
  4. ^ HC Deb 04 February 1955 vol 536 c159W. "In September, 1945, the administration of Formosa was taken over from the Japanese by Chinese forces at the direction of the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers; but this was not a cession, nor did it in itself involve any change of sovereignty. The arrangements made with Chiang Kai-shek put him there on a basis of military occupation pending further arrangements, and did not of themselves constitute the territory Chinese."
  5. ^ Impeached, recalled in 1954.
  6. ^ Chen Cheng, Died on 5 March 1965.