This is a list of the highest-ranked rulers based on the island of Taiwan.
Dutch and Spanish Formosa (1624–1662) 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 conquered Favorolang (also Favorlang; present day Huwei, Yunlin). The names listed here are the Dutch governors:Information from 郭弘斌 (2003)
Dutch Formosa (Nederlands Formosa)No.PortraitNameFromUntil1Martinus Sonck16241625Died in office.2Gerard Frederikszoon de With162516273Pieter Nuyts162716294Hans Putmans162916365Johan van der Burg163616406Paulus Traudenius164016437Maximilian le Maire164316448François Caron164416469Pieter Anthoniszoon Overtwater1646164910Nicolas Verburg1649165311Cornelis Caesar1653165612Frederick Coyett16561662
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 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.PortraitNameFromUntilPresident of the Council of Indies Governor-General of the PhilippinesViceroy of New Spain Valido Monarch1Antonio Carreño de Valdes伐爾得斯16 May 16261629García de Avellaneda y Haro Ad Interim (January – August 1626)Fernándo de SilvaAd Interim(July 1624 – 29 June 1626)Rodrigo Pacheco, 3rd Marquess of Cerralvo (3 November 1624 – 16 September 1635)Count-Duke of Olivares (25 January 1622 – 23 January 1643)Philip IVHouse of Habsburg(31 March 1621 – 17 September 1665)Juan Niño de Tabora(29 June 1626 – 22 July 1632)Juan de Mendoza, Marquis de la Hinojosa (August 1626– 24 February 1628)Lorenzo de Cárdenas Valda y Zárate Ad Interim (24 February 1628 – 26 November 1632)2Juan de Alcarazo阿爾卡拉索16291634Lorenzo de OlazaReal Audiencia(22 July 1632 – 1633)García de Avellaneda y Haro (26 November 1632 – 10 November 1653)Juan Cerezo de Salamanca Ad Interim
(29 August 1633 – 25 June 1635)3Alonso García Romero羅美洛16341639Sebastián Hurtado de Corcuera(25 June 1635 – 11 August 1644)Lope Díez de Armendáriz, 1st Marquess of Cadreita (16 September 1635 – 27 August 1640)4Pedro Palomino帕囉米諾16391640Diego López Pacheco, 7th Duke of Escalona (27 August 1640 – 10 June 1642)5 Gonzalo Portillo波爾的里奧16401642Juan de Palafox y Mendoza (10 June – 23 November 1642) +Governor of Tamsui Spanish Formosa (Isla Hermosa Española) - Tamsui (Tamchuy)No.PortraitNameFromUntilPresident of the Council of Indies Governor-General of the PhilippinesViceroy of New Spain Valido Monarch1Antonio Carreño de Valdes伐爾得斯16271629Juan de Mendoza, Marquis de la Hinojosa (August 1626– 24 February 1628)Juan Niño de Tabora (29 June 1626 – 22 July 1632)Rodrigo Pacheco, 3rd Marquess of Cerralvo (3 November 1624 – 16 September 1635)Count-Duke of Olivares (25 January 1622 – 23 January 1643)Philip IVHouse of Habsburg(31 March 1621 – 17 September 1665)Lorenzo de Cárdenas Valda y Zárate Ad Interim (24 February 1628 – 26 November 1632)2Luis de Guzmán格司曼16291634Lorenzo de OlazaReal Audiencia(22 July 1632 – 1633)García de Avellaneda y Haro (26 November 1632– 10 November 1653)Juan Cerezo de SalamancaAd Interim(29 August 1633 – 25 June 1635)3Bartolomé Díaz Barrera奧就16341637Sebastián Hurtado de Corcuera(25 June 1635 – 11 August 1644)Lope Díez de Armendáriz, 1st Marquess of Cadreita (16 September 1635 – 27 August 1640)4Francisco Hernández赫爾南勒茲16371642Diego López Pacheco, 7th Duke of Escalona (27 August 1640 – 10 June 1642)Juan de Palafox y Mendoza (10 June – 23 November 1642)
Kingdom of Tungning (1661–1683)
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 Title(s)Reign1 Koxinga Prince of Yanping ()Prince Wu of Chao () 14 June 1661 23 June 16622Zheng Xi Protector () 23 June 1662 November 1662 3Zheng Jing Prince of Yanping ()Prince Wen of Chao () November 1662 17 March 16814Zheng Kezang Prince Regent () 17 March 1681 19 March 16815 Zheng Keshuang* Prince of Yanping () Duke Haicheng () 19 March 1681 5 September 1683
* Regency of Feng Xifan from 1682 to 1683.
Taiwan under the rule of the Qing Dynasty (1683–1895)
Taiwan-Amoy Circuit (1683–1721) 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) 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 Circuit Commissioner (福建分巡台灣道) No. Commissioner Start of office
Taiwan Circuit Investigating Censor (巡視台灣監察御史) Start of office Investigating Censor (Manchu-banner) No. No. Investigating Censor (Han) Start of office 1722 Aisin Gioro Wudali (PR)11 Huang Shujing 1722 1724 Shanjibu (BB)22 Ding Shiyi 17243 Jing Kaoxiang 1725 1726 Suolin (BR)34 Wang Jijing 1726 1726 Hesuse (PR)45 Yin Qin 1727 6 Xia Zhifang 1728 1730 Xideshen (PR)57 Li Yuanzhi 17308 Gao Shan 1730 1732 Jueluobiaiyou (BR)69 Lin Tianmu 1733 1734 Durtai (PY)710 Yan Ruihong 1735 1736 Bai Qitu (PB)8 1737 Romubu (PB)911 Shan Demo 173712 Yang Erchou 1739 1740 Shuge (PW)1013 Zhang Mei 1741 1742 Shu Shan (BY)1114 Xiong Xuepeng 1743 1744 Liu Shiqi (BR)1215 Fan Xian 1745 1747 Yiling'a (BB)1316 Bai Ying 1747 1749 Shuchang (PY)1417 Yang Kaiding 1749 1751 Lizhu (BB)1518 Qian Qi 1751 1756 Guanbao (PY)1619 Li Youtang 1756 1759 Shilin (PW)1720 Tang Shichang 1760 1763 Yongtai (PR)1821 Li Yiqing 1763 1767 Mingshan (BY)1922 Zhu Pilie 1767 1771 Karchongyi (BW)2023 Wang Xianzeng 1771 1777 Tusiyi (BB)2124 Meng Shao 1777 1781 Sedai (PR)2225 Lei Lun 1781
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) Great Qing Empire 【大清】No.PortraitNameAncestryOriginal PostTerm of OfficeMonarch1 Liu MingchuanHefei, AnhuiGovernor of Fukien12 October 18854 June 1891Guangxu Emperor光緒皇帝—Shen YingkuiAs acting; Fukien-Taiwan Province Civil Affairs Minister.Pinghu, ZhejiangCivil Affairs Minister, Fukien Province4 June 189125 November 18912Shao YoulianYuyao, ZhejiangGovernor of Hunan9 May 189113 October 18943Tang JingsongGuanyang, GuangxiCivil Affairs Minister, Fukien-Taiwan Province13 October 189420 May 1895
Republic of Formosa (1895)
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.PortraitNamePlace of birthTerm of OfficeDays1Tang Ching-sungGuilin, Guangxi, 25 May 18955 June 18952Liu Yung-fuQinzhou, Guangxi, 5 June 189521 October 1895
Taiwan under Japanese rule (1895–1945)
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)
Empire of Japan 「大日本帝國」 PortraitName Origin Occupation AffiliationTerm of OfficeMonarch1 Kabayama Sukenori樺山資紀KagoshimaAdmiral (Imperial Japanese Navy) (Viscount)Military10 May 18952 June 1896Emperor Meiji明治天皇2 Katsura Tarō桂太郎YamaguchiLieutenant General (Imperial Japanese Army) (Viscount)Military2 June 189614 October 18963 Nogi Maresuke乃木希典YamaguchiLieutenant General (Imperial Japanese Army) (Baron)Military14 October 189626 February 18984 Kodama Gentarō兒玉源太郎YamaguchiLieutenant General (Imperial Japanese Army) (Baron)Military26 February 189811 April 19065Sakuma Samata佐久間左馬太YamaguchiGeneral (Imperial Japanese Army) (Viscount)Military11 April 19061 May 1915Emperor Taishō大正天皇6 Andō Teibi安東貞美NaganoGeneral (Imperial Japanese Army) (Baron)Military1 May 19156 June 19187 Akashi Motojiro明石元二郎FukuokaLieutenant General (Imperial Japanese Army)Military6 June 191824 October 19198 Den Kenjirō田健治郎HyōgoMember of Terauchi Cabinet (Baron)Seiyūkai29 October 19196 September 19239 Uchida Kakichi內田嘉吉TokyoMember of House of PeersSeiyūkai 6 September 19231 September 192410 Izawa Takio伊澤多喜男NaganoMember of House of PeersKenseikai 1 September 192416 July 192611 Kamiyama Mitsunoshin上山滿之進Yamaguchiliterary figureKenseikai 16 July 192616 June 1928Emperor Shōwa昭和天皇12 Kawamura Takeji川村竹治AkitaMember of House of PeersSeiyūkai 16 June 192830 July 192913 Ishizuka Eizō石塚英藏FukushimaMember of House of PeersMinseitō 30 July 192916 January 193114 Ōta Masahiro太田政弘YamagataDirector of Kwantung Leased TerritoryMinseitō 16 January 19312 March 193215 Minami Hiroshi南弘ToyamaMember of House of PeersSeiyūkai 2 March 193226 May 193216 Nakagawa Kenzō中川健蔵NiigataUndersecretary of EducationMinseitō 26 May 19322 September 193617 Kobayashi Seizō小林躋造HiroshimaAdmiral (Imperial Japanese Navy)Military 2 September 193627 November 194018 Hasegawa Kiyoshi長谷川清FukuiAdmiral (Imperial Japanese Navy)Military 27 November 194030 December 194419 Andō Rikichi安藤利吉MiyagiGeneral (Imperial Japanese Army)Military 30 December 194425 October 1945
Taiwan under the rule of the Republic of China (1945–present)