List of rulers of Taiwan

Dutch Formosa (1624–1662)

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 conqurered Favorolang (also Favorlang; present day Huwei, Yunlin). The names listed here are the Dutch governors:

Name	Served
Marten Sonk	1624–1625
Gerard Frederikszoon de With	1625–1627
Pieter Nuyts	1627–1629
Hans Putmans	1627–1636
Johan van der Burg	1636–1640
Paulus Traudenius	1640–1643
Maximilian le Maire	1643–1644
François Caron	1644–1646
Pieter Anthoniszoon Overtwater	1646–1649
Nicolas Verburg	1649–1653
Cornelis Caesar	1653–1656
Frederick Coyett	1656–1662

Spanish Formosa (1626–1642)

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 San 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.

Kingdom of Tungning (1662–1683)

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

King	Reign
Zhèng Chénggōng (Koxinga)	1661–1662
Zheng Shixi	1662
Zheng Jing	1662–1681
Zheng Kezang	1681
Zheng Keshuang*	1681–1683

* Regency of Feng Xifan from 1682 to 1683.

Taiwan under Chinese Empire (First period, 1683–1721)

• The Qing Dynasty invaded Taiwan; the Ming rulers surrendered and were expelled.
  • Kangxi Emperor (1683–1721)

Taiwanese revolt (1721)

• Yonghe-based rebellion under Zhu Yigui.
  • Zhu Yigui (朱一貴; May 26-July 30, 1721)

Taiwan under Chinese Empire (Second period, 1721–1895)

• Qing rule was reestablished after a month-long revolt. Provincial governors were:

Provincial Governor	Served
Aisin Gioro Wudali	1722
Huang Shujing	1722–1723
Shan Jibu	1723–1724
Jing Kaoxiang	1724–1725
Wang Jijing	1725
Suolin	1725–1726
Yin Qin	1726–1727
Hesuse	1727
Xia Zhifang	1727–1729
Xideshen	1729
Li Yuanshi	1729
Gao Shan	1729–1731
Jueluobiaiyou	1731–1732
Lin Tianmu	1732–1733
Durtai	1733–1734
Yan Ruihong	1734–1735
Bai Qitu	1735–1736
Shan Tepu	1736–1737
Romubu	1737–1738
Yang Erchou	1738–1739
Shuge	1739–1740
Zhang Mei	1740–1741
Shu Shan	1741–1742
Xiong Xuepeng	1742–1743
Liu Shiqi	1743–1744
Fan Xian	1744–1745
Unknown	1745–1786
Lin Tzuang-wen (林爽文)	1786–1788
Circuit administration	1788–1862
Native Rebellion	1862–1863
Circuit administration	1863–1885
Liu Mingchuan	1885–1891
Shao Youlian	1891–1894
Tang Ching-sung	1894–1895

Republic of Formosa (1895)

Following its defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War (1894–1895), China ceded Taiwan and the Pescadores to the Empire of Japan in perpetuity, with a grace period for inhabitants wishing to remain Chinese (Qing Dynasty) subjects to sell their property and return to the mainland. The date set for the handover was June 2, 1895.

However, the Republic of Formosa was formed on May 25, 1895 by a group of Qing officials and local gentry with its capital at Tainan to resist impending Japanese rule. The republic lasted for less than six months; on October 21, 1895 Imperial Japanese Army forces entered the capital and quelled the resistance. The Republic of Taiwan had two presidents:

President	Served
Tang Ching-sung	May 25, 1895–June 5, 1895
Liu Yongfu	June 5, 1895–October 21, 1895

Taiwan under Japanese Empire (1895–1945)

After establishing control over the island, the Japanese 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 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, war broke out when the Japanese 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:

Name	Served
Motonori Kabayama	1895–1896
Katsura Taro	1896
Maresuke Nogi	1896–1898
Gentaro Kodama	1898–1906
Samata Sakuma	1906–1915
Teibi Ando	1915–1918
Motojiro Akashi	1918–1919
Kenjiro Den	1919–1923
Kakichi Uchida	1923–1924
Takio Izawa	1924–1926
Mitsunoshin Ueyama	1926–1928
Takeji Kawamura	1928–1929
Eizo Ishizuka	1929–1931
Masahiro Ota	1931–1932
Hiroshi Minami	1932
Kenzo Nakagawa	1932–1936
Seizo Kobayashi	1936–1940
Kiyoshi Hasegawa	1940–1944
Rikichi Ando	1944–1945

Taiwan under Republic of China (1945-Present)

See also: History of the Republic of China § Republic of China on Taiwan (1949-present)

Following the end of World War II in 1945, under the terms of the Instrument of Surrender of Japan, Japan provisionally accepted the Potsdam Declaration (which referenced the never-signed Cairo Declaration), under which the island was to be transferred to the Republic of China. ROC troops were authorized to come to Taiwan to accept the surrender of Japanese military forces in General Order No. 1, issued by Douglas MacArthur, the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers, on September 2, 1945. ROC troops were later transported to Keelung by the U.S. Navy, and Japanese ceded control of Taiwan to ROC on October 25, 1945. Following its defeat in the Chinese Civil War in 1949, ROC Government relocated to Taiwan where it exists today. The names listed here are the ROC governors:

Name	Served
Chen Yi	1945–1947
Wey Daw-ming	1947–1949
Chen Cheng	1949
Wu Gwo-jen (Wu Kuo-chen)	1949–1953
Yu Horng-jiun	1953–1954
Yen Chia-kan	1954–1957
Chow Chih-jou	1957–1962
Huang Chieh	1962–1969
Chen Ta-ching	1969–1972
Shien Tung-min	1972–1978
Lin Yang-kang	1978–1981
Lee Teng-hui	1981–1984
Chiu Chuang-huan	1984–1990
Lien Chan	1990–1993
James Soong	1993–1998
Chao Shou-po	1998–2000
Chang Po-ya	2000–2002
Fan Kuang-chun	2002–2003
Lin Kuang-hua	2003–2006
Vacant	2006–2007
Lin Si-yao	2007–2008
Tsai Hsun-hsiung	2008–2009
Chang Jin-fu	2009–2010
Lin Junq-tzer	2010–present

See also

• History of the Republic of China
• History of Taiwan
• Taiwan Province
• Taiwan Province, People's Republic of China

External links

• WorldStatesmen.org listing
• Regnal Chronologies listing