For earlier rulers, see Grand Prince of the Hungarians

Grand Prince of the Hungarians

Grand Prince was the title used by contemporary sources to name the leader of the federation of the Hungarian tribes in the tenth century.-The title:...

, King of Hungary

King of Hungary

The King of Hungary was the head of state of the Kingdom of Hungary from 1000 to 1918.The style of title "Apostolic King" was confirmed by Pope Clement XIII in 1758 and used afterwards by all the Kings of Hungary, so after this date the kings are referred to as "Apostolic King of...

 and List of rulers of Hungary

Hungarian Revolution of 1848

Hungarian Revolution of 1848

The Hungarian Revolution of 1848 was one of many of the European Revolutions of 1848 and closely linked to other revolutions of 1848 in the Habsburg areas...

Picture	Name	From	Until	Political Party	Notes
	Lajos Kossuth Lajos Kossuth Lajos Kossuth de Udvard et Kossuthfalva was a Hungarian lawyer, journalist, politician and Regent-President of Hungary in 1849. He was widely honored during his lifetime, including in the United Kingdom and the United States, as a freedom fighter and bellwether of democracy in Europe.-Family:Lajos...	14 April 1849	11 August 1849	Opposition Party	Governor-President; appointed after the declaration of independent Hungarian state Hungarian Declaration of Independence The Hungarian Declaration of Independence declared the independence of Hungary from the Habsburg Monarchy during the Hungarian Revolution of 1848. It was presented to the National Assembly in closed session on 13 April 1849 by Lajos Kossuth, and in open session the following day, despite political... .
	Artúr Görgey Artúr Görgey ----Artúr Görgey de Görgő et Toporcz was a Hungarian military leader.He was born at Toporz in Upper Hungary of a Hungarian noble family of originally Zipser German descent who immigrated to Upper Hungary during the reign of king Géza II . During the reformation they were converted to Protestantism... acting civil and military authority	11 August 1849	13 August 1849	Military	Surrendered Surrender at Világos The Surrender at Világos took place on 13 August 1849 at Világos, and formally ended the Hungarian Revolution of 1848. After it, Julius Jacob von Haynau became the regent of Hungary and took bloody reprisals against Hungary...  Hungarian army to the Russia Russia Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects... n troops at Világos Siria Şiria is a commune in Arad County, Romania. According to the 2002 census it had 8,140 inhabitants.The administrative territory of the commune is and it lies in the contact zone of the Arad Plateau and Zărandului Mountains... ; the end of the Revolution.

Hungarian Democratic Republic

Hungarian Democratic Republic

The Hungarian People's Republic was an independent republic proclaimed after the collapse of Austria-Hungary in 1918...

 (1918–1919)

#	Picture	Name	From	Until	Political Party	Notes
1		Mihály Károlyi Mihály Károlyi Count Mihály Ádám György Miklós Károlyi de Nagykároly was briefly Hungary's leader in 1918-19 during a short-lived democracy...	16 November 1918	21 March 1919	Independence Party	President of the Republic

Hungarian Soviet Republic

Hungarian Soviet Republic

The Hungarian Soviet Republic or Soviet Republic of Hungary was a short-lived Communist state established in Hungary in the aftermath of World War I....

 (1919)

Romanian Occupation

Hungarian-Romanian War of 1919

The seeds of the Hungarian–Romanian war of 1919 were planted when the union of Transylvania with Romania was proclaimed, on December 1, 1918. In late March 1919, the Bolsheviks came to power in Hungary, at which point its army attempted to retake Transylvania, commencing the war. By its final...

 (1919–1920)

#	Picture	Name	From	Until	Political Party	Notes
4		Joseph August	6 August 1919	23 August 1919	Independent	Regent Regent A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu... ; Romania occupies Hungary.
		István Friedrich István Friedrich István Friedrich was a Hungarian politician and factory owner who served as prime minister of Hungary for three months in 1919....	23 August 1919	24 November 1919	Independent → KNEP	Acting Head of State/Prime Minister; Romanian occupation continues.
		Károly Huszár Károly Huszár Károly Huszár de Sárvár was a Hungarian politician who served as prime minister and acting Head of State of Hungary from 1919 to 1920.-Biography:...	24 November 1919	1 March 1920	KNEP	Acting Head of State/Prime Minister; Romanian occupation ends.

Kingdom of Hungary

Kingdom of Hungary (1920–1946)

The Kingdom of Hungary also known as the Regency, existed from 1920 to 1946 and was a de facto country under Regent Miklós Horthy. Horthy officially represented the abdicated Hungarian monarchy of Charles IV, Apostolic King of Hungary...

 (1920–1944)

#	Picture	Name	From	Until	Political Party	Notes
1		Miklós Horthy Miklós Horthy Miklós Horthy de Nagybánya was the Regent of the Kingdom of Hungary during the interwar years and throughout most of World War II, serving from 1 March 1920 to 15 October 1944. Horthy was styled "His Serene Highness the Regent of the Kingdom of Hungary" .Admiral Horthy was an officer of the...	1 March 1920	15 October 1944	Independent	Regent Regent A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...  of a Kingdom with no King on the throne

Government of National Unity (1944–1945)

Soviet Backed Provisional Governments

Provisional government

A provisional government is an emergency or interim government set up when a political void has been created by the collapse of a very large government. The early provisional governments were created to prepare for the return of royal rule...

 (1944–1946)

#	Picture	Name	From	Until	Political Party	Notes
		Béla Miklós Béla Miklós Knight Béla Miklós de Dálnok was a Hungarian military officer and politician who served as acting Prime Minister of Hungary, at first in opposition, and then officially, from 1944 to 1945.-Early career:... in opposition	21 December 1944	25 January 1945	Independent	Prime Minister for a Communist-dominated puppet-government in the Soviet occupied portions of the country; Hungary is occupied by the Red Army.
		High National Council High National Council High National Council was the collective head of state of the Kingdom of Hungary from 1945 until 1946.-Members of the first High National Council :... in opposition to 28 March 1945	26 January 1945	1 February 1946	Multi-party	Collective Head of State of the Kingdom of Hungary

Republic of Hungary (1946–1949)

#	Picture	Name	From	Until	Political Party	Notes
5		Zoltán Tildy Zoltán Tildy Zoltán Tildy , was an influential leader of Hungary, who served as Prime Minister from 1945–1946 and President from 1946-1948 in the post-war period before the seizure of power by Soviet-backed communists....	1 February 1946	2 August 1948	FKGP	President of the Republic
6		Árpád Szakasits Árpád Szakasits Árpád Szakasits was a Hungarian Social Democrat, then Communist political figure. He served as the President of Hungary from 2 August 1948 to 23 August 1949....	2 August 1948	23 August 1949	MKP Hungarian Communist Party The Communist Party of Hungary , renamed Hungarian Communist Party in 1945, was founded on November 24, 1918, and was in power in Hungary briefly from March to August 1919 under Béla Kun and the Hungarian Soviet Republic. The communist government was overthrown by the Romanian Army and driven...	President of the Republic

People's Republic of Hungary

People's Republic of Hungary

The People's Republic of Hungary or Hungarian People's Republic was the official state name of Hungary from 1949 to 1989 during its Communist period under the guidance of the Soviet Union. The state remained in existence until 1989 when opposition forces consolidated in forcing the regime to...

 (1949–1989)

#	Picture	Name	From	Until	Political Party	Notes
7		Árpád Szakasits Árpád Szakasits Árpád Szakasits was a Hungarian Social Democrat, then Communist political figure. He served as the President of Hungary from 2 August 1948 to 23 August 1949....	23 August 1949	26 April 1950	MDP	Chairman of the Presidential Council
8		Sándor Rónai Sándor Rónai Sándor Rónai was a Hungarian Communist political figure. He served as Chairman of the Hungarian Presidential Council between 1950 and 1952 and asSpeaker of the National Assembly of Hungary 1952-1963....	26 April 1950	14 August 1952	MDP	Chairman of the Presidential Council
9		István Dobi István Dobi István Dobi was a Hungarian politician and prime minister of Hungary from 1948 to 1952.-Early life:Dobi originated from a poor peasant family and was born in Szőny, Hungary. He finished primary school and in 1916 came into contact with the peasant movement...	14 August 1952	13 April 1967	MSZMP Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party The Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party was the ruling Marxist–Leninist party of Hungary between 1956 and 1989. It was organised from elements of the Hungarian Working People's Party during the 1956 Hungarian Revolution...	Chairman of the Presidential Council
10		Pál Losonczi Pál Losonczi Pál Losonczi was a Hungarian Communist political figure. He was Chairman of the Hungarian Presidential Council from 1967 to 1987....	13 April 1967	25 June 1987	MSZMP Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party The Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party was the ruling Marxist–Leninist party of Hungary between 1956 and 1989. It was organised from elements of the Hungarian Working People's Party during the 1956 Hungarian Revolution...	Chairman of the Presidential Council
11		Károly Németh Károly Németh Károly Németh was a Hungarian political figure born in Páka. He served as the Chairman of the Hungarian Presidential Council from 25 June 1987 to 29 June 1988.-References:...	25 June 1987	29 June 1988	MSZMP Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party The Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party was the ruling Marxist–Leninist party of Hungary between 1956 and 1989. It was organised from elements of the Hungarian Working People's Party during the 1956 Hungarian Revolution...	Chairman of the Presidential Council
12		Brunó Ferenc Straub Brunó Ferenc Straub Brunó Ferenc Straub was a biochemist. As a young scholar he was a research assistant of Albert Szent-Györgyi at the University of Szeged, and subsequently worked at the Molteno Institute, Cambridge, UK. He discovered actin. He founded the Biological Research Centre in Szeged...	29 June 1988	18 October 1989	Non-partisan	Chairman of the Presidential Council

Republic of Hungary (1989–Present)

#	Picture	Name	From	Until	Political Party	Notes
		Mátyás Szűrös Mátyás Szurös Mátyás Szűrös is a Hungarian politician. He served as provisional President of the Republic from October 18, 1989–May 2, 1990. His presidency occurred during Hungary's transition from communist to democratic government...	18 October 1989	2 May 1990	MSZMP Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party The Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party was the ruling Marxist–Leninist party of Hungary between 1956 and 1989. It was organised from elements of the Hungarian Working People's Party during the 1956 Hungarian Revolution...	Interim President
13		Árpád Göncz Árpád Göncz Árpád Göncz is a Hungarian liberal politician and former President of Hungary . Göncz played a role in the Hungarian Revolution of 1956...	2 May 1990	4 August 2000	SZDSZ Alliance of Free Democrats The Alliance of Free Democrats – Hungarian Liberal Party is a liberal party in Hungary, led since July 2010 by Viktor Szabadai . The SZDSZ is a member of the ELDR and of Liberal International...	President of the Republic
14		Ferenc Mádl Ferenc Mádl Ferenc Mádl was the second President of the third Republic of Hungary, having served from 4 August 2000 to 5 August 2005.-University studies and scientific activities:...	4 August 2000	5 August 2005	Non-partisan	President of the Republic
15		László Sólyom László Sólyom László Sólyom is a Hungarian political figure, lawyer, and librarian who was President of Hungary from 2005 to 2010. Previously he was President of the Constitutional Court of Hungary from 1990 to 1998....	5 August 2005	6 August 2010	Non-partisan	President of the Republic
16		Pál Schmitt Pál Schmitt Pál Schmitt is the current President of Hungary. He was elected President of Hungary in a 263 to 59 vote in the Parliament of Hungary and was sworn in on 2010....	6 August 2010	Incumbent	Fidesz	President of the Republic

General Secretaries of the Hungarian Communist/Socialist Workers' Party (1945–1989)

#	Picture	Name	From	Until	Political Party	Notes
1		Mátyás Rákosi Mátyás Rákosi Mátyás Rákosi was a Hungarian communist politician. He was born as Mátyás Rosenfeld, in present-day Serbia...	February 1945	18 July 1956	MDP	also Prime Minister (1952-1953)
2		Ernő Gerő Erno Gero Ernő Gerő was a Hungarian Communist Party leader in the period after World War II and briefly in 1956 the most powerful man in Hungary as first secretary of its ruling communist party.-Life and career:...	18 July 1956	25 October 1956	MDP
3		János Kádár János Kádár János Kádár was a Hungarian communist leader and the General Secretary of the Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party, presiding over the country from 1956 until his forced retirement in 1988. His thirty-two year term as General Secretary makes Kádár the longest ruler of the People's Republic of Hungary...	25 October 1956	27 May 1988	MSZMP Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party The Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party was the ruling Marxist–Leninist party of Hungary between 1956 and 1989. It was organised from elements of the Hungarian Working People's Party during the 1956 Hungarian Revolution...	also Prime Minister (1956-1958 and 1961-1965)
4		Károly Grósz Károly Grósz Károly Grósz was a Hungarian communist politician.Grósz was born in Miskolc, Hungary. He joined the Communist Party in 1945 at the age of 14. Soon the Communists had established a regime in Hungary, and Grósz rose through the party ranks, becoming an important party leader in his native region...	27 May 1988	26 June 1989	MSZMP Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party The Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party was the ruling Marxist–Leninist party of Hungary between 1956 and 1989. It was organised from elements of the Hungarian Working People's Party during the 1956 Hungarian Revolution...	Prime Minister (1987-1988)
5		Rezső Nyers Rezső Nyers Rezső Nyers is a former Hungarian politician, who served as Minister of Finance between 1960 and 1962. For a few months in 1989, he was the country's last Communist leader.-Political career:...	26 June 1989	7 October 1989	MSZMP Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party The Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party was the ruling Marxist–Leninist party of Hungary between 1956 and 1989. It was organised from elements of the Hungarian Working People's Party during the 1956 Hungarian Revolution...	chairman, not General Secretary

Living former Presidents

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