36  Appendix 7: Political Leaders in 1873

36.1 Of the Americas:

Nation / Power Status (1873) Independence Year Head of State (in 1873) Title
United States Independent 1776 Ulysses S. Grant President
Haiti Independent 1804 Michel Domingue President
Paraguay Independent 1811 Salvador Jovellanos President
Venezuela Independent 1811 Antonio Guzmán Blanco President
Argentina Independent 1816 Domingo Faustino Sarmiento President
Chile Independent 1818 Federico Errázuriz Zañartu President
Colombia Independent 1819 Manuel Murillo Toro President
Mexico Independent 1821 Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada President
Peru Independent 1821 Manuel Pardo y Lavalle President
Guatemala Independent 1821 Justo Rufino Barrios President
El Salvador Independent 1821 Santiago González President
Honduras Independent 1821 Carlos Céleo Arias President
Nicaragua Independent 1821 José Diriangén Dávila President
Costa Rica Independent 1821 Tomás Guardia Gutiérrez President
Brazil Independent 1822 Pedro II Emperor
Ecuador Independent 1822 Gabriel García Moreno President
Bolivia Independent 1825 Adolfo Ballivián President
Uruguay Independent 1825 Tomás Gomensoro Interim President
Dominican Republic Independent 1844 Ignacio González President
United Kingdom Colonial Power N/A Queen Victoria Queen
Spain Colonial Power N/A Emilio Castelar President1
Netherlands Colonial Power N/A William III King
France Colonial Power N/A Patrice de MacMahon President2
Denmark Colonial Power N/A Christian IX King

36.2 Of Europe:

Nation Status (1873) Head of State (in 1873) Title
German Empire Empire Wilhelm I Emperor (Kaiser)
Austria-Hungary Dual Monarchy Franz Joseph I Emperor-King
United Kingdom Monarchy Queen Victoria Queen
Russian Empire Empire Alexander II Emperor (Tsar)
French Republic Republic Patrice de MacMahon President
Ottoman Empire Empire Sultan Abdülaziz Sultan/Padishah
Kingdom of Italy Monarchy Victor Emmanuel II King
Spain Republic* Emilio Castelar President*
Kingdom of Portugal Monarchy Luís I King
Kingdom of Sweden Monarchy Oscar II King
Kingdom of Greece Monarchy George I King
Kingdom of Belgium Monarchy Leopold II King
Kingdom of the Netherlands Monarchy William III King

36.3 Of Africa:

Nation / State Political Status (1873) Head of State (in 1873) Title
Ethiopian Empire Independent Empire Yohannes IV Emperor (Nəgusä Nägäst)
Republic of Liberia Independent Republic Joseph Jenkins Roberts President
Egypt (Khedivate) Autonomous State (under Ottoman suzerainty) Isma’il Pasha Khedive
Sultanate of Morocco Independent Sultanate Hassan I Sultan
Tunis (Beylik) Autonomous State (under Ottoman suzerainty) Muhammad III as-Sadiq Bey
Oman & Zanzibar Sultanate Independent (split from Oman in 1861) Sayyid Barghash bin Said Sultan
Asante Empire Independent Empire Kofi Karikari Asantehene
Merina Kingdom (Madagascar) Independent Kingdom Ranavalona II Queen

36.4 Of Asia:

Nation / State Political Status (1873) Head of State (in 1873) Title
Qing Dynasty (China) Empire Tongzhi Emperor Emperor
Meiji Japan Empire Emperor Meiji (Mutsuhito) Emperor
Persia (Qajar Dynasty) Empire Nasser al-Din Shah Qajar Shah (King of Kings)
Siam (Thailand) Kingdom Chulalongkorn (Rama V) King
Afghanistan Emirate Sher Ali Khan Amir
Vietnam (Nguyễn Dynasty) Empire (under increasing French pressure) Tự Đức Emperor
British India Colonial (Crown Rule established 1858) Queen Victoria Empress of India (declared 1876, but ruling via Viceroy)
Dutch East Indies (Indonesia) Colony William III (King of Netherlands) King/Sovereign Power
Korean Empire (Joseon) Kingdom (Chinese vassal, but effectively independent) Gojong King
Khivan Khanate Khanate (Conquered by Russia in 1873) Muhammad Rahim Khan II Khan

  1. The Spanish political situation was highly unstable in 1873. King Amadeo I abdicated in February, and the First Spanish Republic was proclaimed. Therefore, Spain’s head of state in the latter half of 1873 (ruling Cuba and Puerto Rico) was the President of the Executive Power, Emilio Castelar (who was serving at the end of the year).↩︎

  2. France was under the Third Republic in 1873. It was not ruled by a monarch, but by a President, Patrice de MacMahon, who governed the French colonies in the Americas (e.g., French Guiana, Martinique).↩︎