List of state leaders in 1859

This is a list of heads of state, government leaders, and other rulers in the year 1859.

Africa

• Ashanti Confederacy – Kwaku Dua I Panyin, Asantehene (1834–1867)
• Kingdom of Buganda – Muteesa I (1856–1884)
• Bunyoro – Kyebambe IV, Omukama of Bunyoro (1852–1869)
• Kingdom of Burundi – Mwezi IV Gisabo (1852–1908)
• Kingdom of Dahomey – Glele (1856–1889)
• Ethiopian Empire – Tewodros II (1855–1868)
• Gonja - Jakpa
• Kingdom of Jimma –
  1. Abba Rebu (1855–1859)
  2. Abba Bok'a (1859–1862)
• Liberia – Stephen Allen Benson, President of Liberia (1856–1864)
• Kingdom of Rwanda – Kigeli IV (1853–1895)
• Sultanate of Zanzibar – Sayyid Majid bin Said Al-Busaid (1856–1870)
• Sokoto Caliphate
  • Caliph -
    1. Ali bin Bello I (1842–1859)
    2. Ahmad bin Atiku (1859–1866)
  • Grand Vizier -
    1. Abd al-Qadir (1842–1859)
    2. Ibrahim Khalilu (1859-c.1874)
• Wadai Empire - 'Ali ibn Muhammad (1858-1874)
• Wituland – Ahmad ibn Fumo Bakari, Sultan (1858–1885)
• Zulu – Mpande kaSenzangakhona, King of the Zulu (1840–1872)

Asia

• Emirate of Afghanistan – Dost Mohammad Khan (1843–1863)
• China
  • Qing dynasty – Xianfeng Emperor (1850–1861)
  • Taiping Heavenly Kingdom – Hong Xiuquan (1851–1864)
• Empire of Japan
  • Monarch – Kōmei (1846–1867)
  • Tokugawa shogunate – Tokugawa Iemochi (1858–1866)
  • Ryukyu Kingdom - Shō Tai (1848-11 March 1879)
• Joseon (Korea) – Cheoljong (1849–1864)
• Sultanate of Oman – Thuwaini bin Said (1856–1866)
• Đại Nam (Nguyễn dynasty) - Tự Đức, Emperor (1847–1883)

Europe

• Principality of Abkhazia – Mikhail (1822–1864)
• Kingdom of Belgium
  • Monarch – Léopold I, King of the Belgians (1831–1865)
  • Cabinet Chief - Charles Rogier (1847–1852, 1857–1868)
• Kingdom of Denmark
  • Monarch – Frederick VII (1848–1863)
  • Prime Minister -
    1. Carl Christian Hall (1857–1859)
    2. Carl Edvard Rotwitt (1859–1860)
• Second French Empire – Napoleon III, Emperor of the French (1852–1870)
• German Confederation – Franz Joseph of Austria, President (1850–1866)
  • Austrian Empire – Franz Joseph I (1848–1916)
  • Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
    • Monarch – William III of the Netherlands (1849–1890)
    • Prime Minister - Mathias Simons (1853–1860)
  • Kingdom of Prussia –
    • Monarch – Friedrich Wilhelm IV (1840–1861)
    • Regent – Prince Wilhelm (1858–1861)
    • Minister President - Karl Anton, Prince of Hohenzollern (1858–1862)
  • Kingdom of Bavaria – Maximilian II (1848–1864)
  • Kingdom of Saxony – Johann (1854–1873)
  • Kingdom of Hanover – George (1851–1866)
  • Kingdom of Württemberg – William (1816–1864)
• Kingdom of Greece –
  • Monarch – Otto (1832–1862)
  • Prime Minister - Athanasios Miaoulis (1857–1862)
• Kingdom of Hungary – Franz Joseph I of Austria (1848–1916)
• Kingdom of the Netherlands
  • Monarch – William III (1849–1890)
  • Chairman of the Dutch Council of Ministers - Jan Jacob Rochussen (1858–1860)
• Ottoman (Turkish) Empire
  • Sultan - Abdülmecid I (1839–1861)
  • Grand Vizier -
    1. Mehmed Emin Aali Pasha (1858–1859)
    2. Kıbrıslı Mehmed Emin Pasha (1859)
    3. Mehmed Rushdi Pasha (1859–1860)
• Kingdom of Portugal and the Algarves
  • Monarch – Pedro V (1853–1861)
  • President of the Council of Ministers -
    1. Marquess of Loulé (1856–1859)
    2. Duke of Terceira (1859–1860)
• United Principalities – Alexandru Ioan Cuza (1859–1866)
• Russian Empire – Alexander II (1855–1881)
• Sardinia-Piedmont- Victor Emmanuel II, King of Sardinia-Piedmont (1849–1878*) *King of Italy beginning in 1861
  • Prime Minister – Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour
  • Savoy
  • Lombardy annexed from Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia
• Kingdom of Spain – Isabella II (1833–1868)
• Kingdom of Sweden – United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway -
  1. Oscar I (1844–1859)
  2. Charles XV (1859–1872)
• Kingdom of the Two Sicilies –
  1. Ferdinand II (1830–1859)
  2. Francis II (1859–1861)
• United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
  • Monarch – Victoria (1837–1901)
  • Prime Minister -
    1. Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby (1858–1859)
    2. Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston (1859–1865)

Middle East and North Africa

• Egypt Eyalet – Sa'id, Governor of Egypt (1854–1863)
• Sultanate of Morocco –
  1. Abd al-Rahman (1822–1859)
  2. Muhammad IV (1859–1873)

North America

• Province of Canada: Sir Edmund Walker Head, Governor of the Province of Canada (1854–1861)
• Costa Rica –
  1. Juan Rafael Mora Porras, President of Costa Rica (1849–1859)
  2. José María Montealegre Fernández, President of Costa Rica (1859–1863)
• Mexico:
  1. Manuel Robles Pezuela, President of Mexico (1858–1859)
  2. Miguel Miramón, President of Mexico (1859–1860)
• United States: James Buchanan, President of the United States (1857–1861)

Oceania

• Kingdom of Hawaii – Kamehameha IV (1854–1863)
• Mangareva – Joseph Gregorio II, King of Mangareva (1857–1868)
• Maori Lands - Pōtatau Te Wherowhero, Maori king (1858–1860)
• Samoa – Malietoa Moli, Malietoa (1858–1860)
• Tonga – Tāufaʻāhau, Tu'i Kanokupolu (1845–1893)

South America

• Argentine Confederation
  1. Justo José de Urquiza, President of the Argentine Confederation (1854–1860)
  • State of Buenos Aires
    1. Valentín Alsina, Governor of Buenos Aires Province (1858–1859)
    2. Felipe Lavallol, Governor of Buenos Aires Province (1859–1860)
• Empire of Brazil –
  • Monarch – Pedro II (1831–1889)
  • Prime Minister -
    1. Antônio Paulino Limpo de Abreu, Viscount of Abaeté (1858–1859)
    2. Ângelo Moniz da Silva Ferraz, Baron of Uruguaiana (1859–1861)
• Uruguay – Gabriel Antonio Pereira, President of Uruguay (1856–1860)