World leaders in 1878

Everyone who held a state’s top posts at some point in 1878, in the order they held them. Names are from Wikipedia’s list of state leaders and appear only where the person’s Wikidata record agrees on the post and the years. What happened in 1878 →

Major powers in 1878

United StatesUnited States history

United KingdomUnited Kingdom history

Prime minister
Benjamin Disraeli

Russian EmpireRussia history

Qing dynastyChina history

Emperor
Guangxu

French Third RepublicFrance history

President of the Council of ministers
Jules Armand Dufaure

German EmpireGermany history

Emperor
William I

Empire of JapanJapan history

Emperor
Meiji

Africa

Beylik of TunisTunisia history

Ethiopian Empire

Khedivate of EgyptEgypt history

Prime minister
Nubar Pasha

Kingdom of AshantiGhana history

Asantehene
Mensa Bonsu

Kingdom of Eswatini (Swaziland)

Kingdom of Rwanda

LiberiaLiberia history

Merina Kingdom

Prime minister
Rainilaiarivony

Morocco: Alaouite dynasty

Sultan
Hassan I

Oyo EmpireNigeria history

Sultanate of Zanzibar

Sultan
Barghash

Americas

Argentine RepublicArgentina history

CanadaCanada history

El SalvadorEl Salvador history

Empire of BrazilBrazil history

Emperor
Pedro II

HondurasHonduras history

Liberal Republic of ChileChile history

President
Aníbal Pinto

NicaraguaNicaragua history

Oriental Republic of UruguayUruguay history

Republic of BoliviaBolivia history

Republic of ParaguayParaguay history

Republic of PeruPeru history

Second Dominican RepublicDominican Republic history

Acting President
Jacinto de Castro

Second Haitian RepublicHaiti history

United StatesUnited States history

United States of ColombiaColombia history

United States of VenezuelaVenezuela history

Asia

Aceh SultanateIndonesia history

Bruneian EmpireBrunei history

Emirate of Afghanistan: Barakzai dynastyAfghanistan history

Emirate of BukharaUzbekistan history

Empire of JapanJapan history

Emperor
Meiji

Hakims of BahrainBahrain history

Joseon

King
Gojong

Kedah SultanateMalaysia history

Kingdom of ChampasakLaos history

Konbaung dynasty

King
Mindon, then Thibaw

Negeri SembilanMalaysia history

Yamtuan
Antah

Ottoman EmpireTurkey history

QatarQatar history

Qing dynastyChina history

Emperor
Guangxu

Rattanakosin Kingdom of SiamThailand history

Selangor SultanateMalaysia history

Sheikhdom of Abu DhabiUnited Arab Emirates history

Sheikhdom of AjmanUnited Arab Emirates history

Sheikhdom of DubaiUnited Arab Emirates history

Sheikhdom of KuwaitKuwait history

Sheikhdom of Ras Al KhaimahUnited Arab Emirates history

Sheikhdom of SharjahUnited Arab Emirates history

Sheikhdom of Umm Al QuwainUnited Arab Emirates history

Surakarta SunanateIndonesia history

Yogyakarta SultanateIndonesia history

Europe

Andorra

Episcopal Co-Prince
Josep Caixal i Estradé
French Co-Prince
Patrice de Mac-Mahon

Austria-Hungary: Archduchy/ Austrian Empire/ Kingdom of Hungary

Emperor and King
Franz Joseph I

BelgiumBelgium history

Bourbon Restoration of SpainSpain history

DenmarkDenmark history

French Third RepublicFrance history

President of the Council of ministers
Jules Armand Dufaure

German EmpireGermany history

Emperor
William I

Grand Duchy of Oldenburg

Grand Duke
Peter II

Kingdom of Bavaria

Kingdom of Bohemia

Kingdom of Croatia-SlavoniaCroatia history

Kingdom of Galicia and LodomeriaUkraine history

Kingdom of GreeceGreece history

Kingdom of ItalyItaly history

Kingdom of PortugalPortugal history

Kingdom of the NetherlandsNetherlands history

Liechtenstein

Prince
Johann II

LuxembourgLuxembourg history

Grand Duke
William III
Prime minister
Félix de Blochausen

Monaco

Papal States

Pope
Pius IX, then Leo XIII

Principality of SerbiaSerbia history

President of the ministry
Jovan Ristić

Principality of Waldeck and Pyrmont

Russian EmpireRussia history

San Marino

Captains Regent
Domenico Fattori

Sweden–Norway

SwitzerlandSwitzerland history

President of the Confederation
Karl Schenk

United Kingdom of Great Britain and IrelandUnited Kingdom history

Prime minister
Benjamin Disraeli

United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia/ Romanian United Principalities/ RomaniaRomania history

Domnitor
Carol I
Prime minister
Ion C. Brătianu

Oceania

Hawaiian KingdomUnited States history

Kings of Uvea (Wallis)

Malietoa dynasty

Tuʻi Kanokupolu of TongaTonga history

Prime minister
Tēvita ʻUnga