List of state leaders in the 16th century
;State leaders in the 15th century – State leaders in the 17th century – State leaders by year
This is a list of state leaders in the 16th century AD.
These polities are generally sovereign states, but excludes minor dependent territories, whose leaders can be found listed under territorial governors in the 16th century. For completeness, these lists can include colonies, protectorates, or other dependent territories that have since gained sovereignty.
Africa
Africa: Central
Angola- Kingdom of Kongo –
- Kingdom of Matamba –
- Portuguese Angola –
- Kingdom of Bamum –
- Sultanate of Bagirmi –
- Kuba Kingdom –
- Kingdom of Lunda –
- Kingdom of Loango –
- Portuguese São Tomé and Príncipe –
Africa: East
- Kingdom of Burundi –
- Kingdom of Rwanda –
- Buganda –
- Medri Bahri –
- Ethiopian Empire: Solomonic dynasty –
- Kingdom of Garo –
- Kingdom of Kaffa –
- Ennarea –
- Warsangali Sultanate –
- Merina Kingdom –
Africa: Northcentral
- Hafsid dynasty –
Africa: Northeast
- Abbasid Caliphate, Cairo –
- Funj Sultanate of Sennar –
Africa: Northwest
- Wattasid dynasty of Morocco –
- Saadi dynasty of Morocco –
Africa: South
- Portuguese Mozambique –
Africa: West
- Abomey –
- Benin Empire –
- Mossi Kingdom of Nungu –
- Portuguese Cape Verde –
- Kaabu –
- Portuguese Guinea –
- Dendi Kingdom –
- Bornu Empire –
- Oyo Empire –
- Sultanate of Kano –
- Kingdom of Nri –
in 1821.
- Jolof / Wolof Empire –
- Cayor –
- Saloum –
Asia
Asia: Central
Kazakhstan- Moghulistan, –
- Kazakh Khanate –
- Kara Del
- Great Horde –
- Yarkent Khanate, Western Moghulistan –
- Guge
- Phagmodrupa dynasty –
- Rinpungpa –
- Tsangpa –
Ismail I and Muhammad Shaybani in 1510.|288x288px
- Khanate of Khiva –
Asia: East
- Ming dynasty –
- Ashikaga shogunate of Japan
- Azuchi–Momoyama period Japan
- Ryukyu Kingdom: Second Shō Dynasty –
- Joseon –
- Northern Yuan dynasty –
Asia: Southeast
- Bruneian Empire –
- Kingdom of Cambodia: Middle Period –
- Sunda Kingdom –
- Majapahit: Rajasa dynasty –
- Tuban –
- Demak Sultanate –
- Giri –
- Kingdom of Pajang –
- Kalinyamat Sultanate –
- Duchy of Surabaya –
- Blambangan Kingdom –
- Pasuruan –
- Banten Sultanate –
- Sultanate of Cirebon –
- Bangkalan –
- Sumenep –
- Mataram Sultanate –
- Samudera Pasai Sultanate –
- Aceh Sultanate –
- Johor Sultanate –
- Sultanate of Langkat –
- Riau-Lingga Sultanate –
- Negara Daha –
- Sultanate of Banjar –
- Sultanate of Sambas –
- Sultanate of Bulungan –
- Sultanate of Gowa –
- Luwu –
- Bali Kingdom: Gelgel –
- Sultanate of Bacan –
- Sultanate of Jailolo –
- Sultanate of Tidore –
- Sultanate of Ternate –
- Lan Xang –
- Kedah Sultanate –
- Kelantan Sultanate –
- Malacca Sultanate
- Pahang Sultanate –
- Johor Sultanate –
- Perak Sultanate: Malacca dynasty –
- Sultanate of Sarawak –
- Kingdom of Ava –
- Mongyang State –
- Hanthawaddy Kingdom –
- Prome Kingdom –
- Kingdom of Mrauk U –
- Toungoo dynasty –
- Tondo –
- Rajahnate of Butuan –
- Namayan –
- Madja-as –
- Rajahnate of Maynila –
- Rajahnate of Cebu –
- Sultanate of Sulu –
- Sultanate of Maguindanao –
- Spanish East Indies, part of the Captaincy General of the Philippines –
- Lan Na –
- Ayutthaya Kingdom –
- Later Lê dynasty –
- Mạc dynasty –
- Revival Lê dynasty –
- Nguyễn lords –
- Trịnh lords –
Asia: South
- Hussain Shahi dynasty of the Bengal Sultanate –
- Muhammad Shah dynasty of the Bengal Sultanate –
- Karrani dynasty of the Bengal Sultanate –
- Bhurshut –
- Jaintia Kingdom
- Mallabhum –
- Twipra Kingdom
- Sultanate of the Maldives: Hilaaly dynasty –
- Gorkha Kingdom –
- Kingdom of Sitawaka –
- Portuguese Ceylon –
- Kingdom of Kandy –
- Kingdom of Kotte –
- Kingdom of Sitawaka –
- Jaffna Kingdom –
Asia: West
- Ottoman Empire
- Kathiri State of Seiyun –
- Yemeni Zaidi State –
Europe
Europe: British Isles
Scotland- Kingdom of Scotland –
- Leinster –
Europe: Central
- Holy Roman Empire, Kingdom of Germany
- Kingdom of Bohemia, Kingdom of Hungary /, Margraviate of Moravia –
- Duchy of Cieszyn –
- Kingdom of Poland –
- Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth: Kingdom of Poland –
- State of the Teutonic Order –
- Duchy of Prussia –
''Small central states''
- Archduchy of Austria –
- Prince-Bishopric of Brixen –
- Duchy of Carinthia –
- Prince-Bishopric of Chur –
- Principality of Heitersheim of the Knights Hospitaller –
- Duchy of Styria –
- Prince-Bishopric of Trent –
- County of Tyrol –
- Duchy of Bavaria: Bavaria-Landshut, Bavaria-Munich, Bavaria-Dachau –
- Berchtesgaden Prince-Provostry –
- Prince-Bishopric of Freising –
- Imperial County of Ortenburg –
- Pappenheim –
- Palatinate-Sulzbach –
- Prince-Bishopric of Regensburg –
- County of Burgundy –
- Duchy of Brabant –
- Duchy of Guelders –
- Duchy of Luxemburg –
- Prince-Bishopric of Utrecht –
- Prince-Bishopric of Bamberg –
- Brandenburg-Ansbach –
- Brandenburg-Kulmbach –
- County of Castell –
- Prince-Bishopric of Würzburg –
- County/ Duchy of Arenberg –
- Elector-Bishopric of Mainz –
- Nieder-Isenburg –
- Electoral Palatinate –
- Elector-Bishopric of Trier –
- Bentheim-Bentheim –
- Bentheim-Tecklenburg –
- Bentheim-Tecklenburg –
- Duchy of Cleves, County of Mark –
- Essen Abbey –
- Herford Abbey –
- Limburg-Styrum
- Styrum –
- Prince-Bishopric of Münster –
- Prince-Bishopric of Osnabrück –
- Prince-Bishopric of Paderborn –
- County of Runkel –
- County of Sayn –
- County of Wied –
- County of Wied –
- Duchy of Bar –
- Prince-Bishopric of Basel –
- Princely Abbey of Fulda –
- Landgraviate of Hesse –
- Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt –
- Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel –
- Landgraviate of Hesse-Marburg –
- Landgraviate of Hesse-Rheinfels –
- Leiningen-Westerburg –
- Westerburg-Leiningen-Westerburg –
- Westerburg-Leiningen-Leiningen –
- Leiningen-Schaumburg –
- Leiningen-Hardenburg –
- Duchy of Lorraine –
- Salm-Salm –
- Solms-Braunfels –
- Prince-Bishopric of Speyer –
- County of Waldeck-Landau, Newer Line –
- County of Waldeck-Eisenberg –
- County of Waldeck-Widlungen, Older Line –
- Prince-Bishopric of Worms –
- Duchy/ Electorate of Saxony, Albertine –
- Saxe-Lauenburg –
- Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen –
- Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel/ Principality of Wolfenbüttel –
- Principality of Calenberg –
- Principality of Grubenhagen –
- Principality of Lüneburg –
- Duchy of Gifhorn –
- Free City of Hamburg –
- Prince-Bishopric of Hildesheim –
- Holstein-Glückstadt –
- Holstein-Gottorp –
- Prince-bishopric of Lübeck –
- Free City of Lübeck –
- Prince-Archbishopric of Magdeburg and of Halberstadt –
- Electorate/ Duchy of Saxony, Ernestine –
- Saxe-Weimar –
- Saxe-Coburg-Eisenach –
- Saxe-Eisenach –
- Saxe-Coburg –
- Anhalt-Dessau –
- Anhalt-Köthen –
- Anhalt-Plötzkau –
- Anhalt-Zerbst –
- Principality of Anhalt –
- Barby-Barby –
- :de:Grafschaft Barby|Barby-Mühlingen –
- Electorate of Brandenburg –
- Brandenburg-Küstrin –
- Duchy of Pomerania, Pomerania-Wolgast, Pomerania-Barth –
- Pomerania-Stettin, Pomerania-Rügenwalde –
- Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt –
- Schwarzburg-Sondershausen –
- Stolberg-Stolberg –
- Landgraviate of Thuringia –
- Prince-Bishopric of Augsburg –
- –
- Margraviate of Baden/ –
- –
- –
- –
- Prince-Bishopric of Constance –
- Prince-Provostry of Ellwangen –
- Hohenzollern-Hechingen –
- Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen –
- Princely Abbey of Kempten –
- Weingarten Abbey –
- Barony of Westerburg –
- Duchy of Württemberg –
Europe: East
- Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth: Grand Duchy of Lithuania –
- Grand Duchy of Moscow –
- Tsardom of Russia –
Europe: Nordic
- Kalmar Union –
- Denmark–Norway –
Europe: Southcentral
- Duchy of Mantua –
- Duchy of Milan –
- Papal States –
- Duchy of Parma –
- Duchy of Savoy –
- Grand Duchy of Tuscany –
- Kingdom of Naples –
Europe: Southwest
- Kingdom of Navarre –
- County of Ribagorza –
- Kingdom of Portugal –
- Habsburg Spain
Europe: West
- Anjou –
- Auvergne –
- Duchy of Brittany –
- County of Flanders –
- County of Maine –
- Monaco –
Eurasia: Caucasus
- Kingdom of Kartli –
Americas
Americas: North
- Tenochtitlan ' —
- *Ahuitzotl, 8th Hueyi Tlatoani
- *Moctezuma II Xocoyotzin, 9th Hueyi Tlatoani
- *Cuitalahuac II, 10th Hueyi Tlatoani
- *Cuauhtémoc, 11th Hueyi Tlatoani
- *Juan Velázquez Tlacotzin, Cihuacoatl and first Tlatoani after the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire
- *Andrés de Tapia Motelchiuh, Cuauhtlato
- *Pablo Xochiquentzin, Cuauhtlato
- #Diego de Alvarado Huanitzin, Tlatoani and first governor '
- *Diego de San Francisco Tehuetzquititzin, Tlatoani and second governor of Nueva España
- Tlaxcala Confederacy
- *Tepeticpac
- *Ocotelolco
- *Maxixcatl, Tlatoani
- *Lorenzo Maxixcatl
- *Tizatlan
- *Xicotencatl I, Tlatoani ; Xicotencatl II, Tlacochcalcatl, de facto ruler
- *Quiahuiztlan
- Zapotec civilization
- *Cocijoeza, Emperoor of Zaachila
- *Cosijopii I, King of Tehuantepec
Americas: South
- Inca Empire, Sapa Inca
- Neo-Inca State