# World Leaders NOT Born in the Nation They Led **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 11, 2006, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-leaders-not-born-in-the-nation-they-led/360278 "2006-06-11T04:38:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2015, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-leaders-not-born-in-the-nation-they-led/360278/101 "2015-10-06T22:37:12Z")
Phillip II of Spain was styled King of England when he married Queen Mary, by virtue of an Act of the English Parliament: _Act for the Marriage of Queen Mary to Phillip of Spain_. However, unlike the case of William III, Phillip’s title as King did not survive Mary’s death. > **[Act for the Marriage of Queen Mary to Philip of Spain](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Act_for_the_Marriage_of_Queen_Mary_to_Philip_of_Spain)** > > The Act for the Marriage of Queen Mary to Philip of Spain (1 Mar. Sess. 3 c. 2), or Queen Mary's Marriage Act, was an Act of the Parliament of England, which was passed in April 1554, to regulate the future marriage and joint reign of Queen Mary I and Philip of Spain, son and heir apparent of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. > In reality, the Act seems to have served as a business contract between England and Spain; it specifies what Spain could expect from the union, while at the same time ass... ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2015, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-leaders-not-born-in-the-nation-they-led/360278/102 "2015-10-06T22:59:54Z")
Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley became king consort upon his marriage to Mary, Queen of Scots. Much to his displeasure his wife refused to grant him the [Crown Matrimonial](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crown_Matrimonial); which would’ve allowed him to rule in his own right if he outlived her. Queen Victoria wanted to make Prince Albert a king consort, but her government was opposed and she eventually created the title Prince Consort for him. ---
**Author:** ![Annoying\_Buzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Annoying\_Buzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annoying_Buzz)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2015, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-leaders-not-born-in-the-nation-they-led/360278/103 "2015-10-08T04:00:26Z")
> [@TokyoBayer](#): > > There were charges made that [Alberto Fujimori](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alberto_Fujimori#Birthplace) former president of Chile was born in Japan and not Chile, which would have made him ineligible for the office, and their version of the Birthers claimed his birth certificate had been forged. The rumors died out, although he was convicted of human rights violations and corruption and sentenced to prison. Nitpick: Peru, not Chile. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2015, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-leaders-not-born-in-the-nation-they-led/360278/104 "2015-10-08T04:14:56Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Well, there was William III, but that was a special case. Yes, as a grandson of Charles I and nephew of James II William was also in the line of succession, although after his wife (and first cousin) Mary. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2015, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-leaders-not-born-in-the-nation-they-led/360278/105 "2015-10-09T05:00:30Z")
> [@UDS](#): > > Taiwan is not part of the PRC, obviously, despite the PRC’s formal claims. But is it part of the geographic, cultural, ethnic, historical entity that we know as China? Yes. Are Taiwanese citizens of the RoC part of the Chinese nation? Yes. And the OP asks about people born in the _nation_ that they lead. Chiang was certainly born in the Chinese nation, which is the only nation that he ever led, albeit that he didn’t really lead it in any substantial way after 1949. He clearly meant the political concept, or else it would be impossible for one to President of the United States, [which is not a single nation](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CB4QFjAAahUKEwigj9-hzrTIAhVLGj4KHesCBvI&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.businessinsider.com%2Factually-there-are-11-americas-map-2013-11&usg=AFQjCNEF2xw2Lbsv97JAE6qBgGh0Fm20Bw&sig2=q3vimo4DqBUj79JVNul6Dw). And neither is China, BTW. They don’t share a language–that’s a communist fiction. ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2015, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-leaders-not-born-in-the-nation-they-led/360278/106 "2015-10-09T06:12:20Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > He clearly meant the political concept, or else it would be impossible for one to President of the United States, [which is not a single nation](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CB4QFjAAahUKEwigj9-hzrTIAhVLGj4KHesCBvI&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.businessinsider.com%2Factually-there-are-11-americas-map-2013-11&usg=AFQjCNEF2xw2Lbsv97JAE6qBgGh0Fm20Bw&sig2=q3vimo4DqBUj79JVNul6Dw). I think Americans consider themselves to be a nation, and I think they’re quite right. The “rival regional cultures” that the article you link to don’t look to me sufficiently integrated by culture, ethnicity, history, etc and sufficiently distinct from one another to be classed as nations. Which is not to say that they might not eventually become so, but I don’t see it happening any time soon. Yes, there are multinational states. But the US is not really one of them. Having said all that, I accept that the OP probably meant “state” when he said “nation”. But Chiang was born it (what was to become) the Republic of China, which is the state that he led. It’s just that while he was leading it it lost a good deal of its territory, including the bit that he was born in. > [@BigT](#): > > And neither is China, BTW. They don’t share a language–that’s a communist fiction. Meh. Language is just one of the factors that is a mark of nationality, and not necessarily an essential one. If there’s a sufficient cultural and ethnic similarity by reference to other factors, you can have a nation which has more than one language (like Paraguay or Canada) or a nation which has a language which it shares with other nations (like the US). In any event, the Han Chinese are a nation, and they culturally dominated both Chinese states (the PRC and the RoC). ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2015, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-leaders-not-born-in-the-nation-they-led/360278/107 "2015-10-09T07:37:21Z")
> [@hibernicus](#): > > Has this ever happened? In the Scandinavian, British and Dutch monarchies, a man who marries a crown princess does not, on her accession to the throne, become a king; even if he were given the title of king consort, he would not be head of state. “The Spains” had several cases where the heir was a woman and her husband was made co-regnant, for example Juana de Evreux and husband in Navarre, Juana I and husband in Castille. Juana I of Castille’s fights with her husband Philip I, the courts and her father Ferdinand of Aragon produced several epic moments such as that “the state, c’est moi” one when she entered a session of Parliament dressed in the flag. Other cases involved an independent county and a kingdom becoming merged through marriage, where again the man was considered not consort but (co-)regnant and, as his wife’s legal representative (there were locations where a woman pretty much had to become a widow or an abbess in order to be treated like she owned a brain), the person legally responsible for all decisions. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2015, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-leaders-not-born-in-the-nation-they-led/360278/108 "2015-10-09T11:32:39Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Yes, as a grandson of Charles I and nephew of James II William was also in the line of succession, although after his wife (and first cousin) Mary. The fact that he landed in England at the head of an army didn’t hurt, either. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2015, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-leaders-not-born-in-the-nation-they-led/360278/109 "2015-10-09T15:44:41Z")
Ireland’s deValera and Israel’s Meir both served simultaneously, both born in the USA. From 1969 to 1973, the leaders of three countries (with Nixon) were all US-born. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2015, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-leaders-not-born-in-the-nation-they-led/360278/110 "2015-10-09T15:53:30Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > And neither is China, BTW. They don’t share a language–that’s a communist fiction. Switzerland is clearly a nation, and it has four national languages. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2015, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-leaders-not-born-in-the-nation-they-led/360278/111 "2015-10-09T15:57:10Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > Ireland’s deValera and Israel’s Meir both served simultaneously, both born in the USA. From 1969 to 1973, the leaders of three countries (with Nixon) were all US-born. This happened again, from 1997 to 1999, with Lester Bird of Antigua and Janet Jagan of Guyana and Bill Clinton of the USA. ---
**Author:** ![hibernicus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hibernicus/32/2802_2.png) [@hibernicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hibernicus)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2015, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-leaders-not-born-in-the-nation-they-led/360278/112 "2015-10-09T18:42:05Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > Ireland’s deValera and Israel’s Meir both served simultaneously, both born in the USA. From 1969 to 1973, the leaders of three countries (with Nixon) were all US-born. Interesting fact, but: 1. Golda Meir was not born in the USA 2. At the time that Meir was PM, de Valera was president - were they both “the leaders” of their respective countries? ---
**Author:** ![hibernicus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hibernicus/32/2802_2.png) [@hibernicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hibernicus)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2015, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-leaders-not-born-in-the-nation-they-led/360278/113 "2015-10-09T19:02:46Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > “The Spains” had several cases where the heir was a woman and her husband was made co-regnant, for example Juana de Evreux and husband in Navarre, Juana I and husband in Castille. Thanks for the examples. As it happens, I spent two weeks in Navarre and Basse Navarre last month. It’s quite confusing because your first two examples are both Juana and Felipe, and both couples were king and queen of Navarre! ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2015, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-leaders-not-born-in-the-nation-they-led/360278/114 "2015-10-10T02:16:37Z")
> [@hibernicus](#): > > Interesting fact, but: > > 1. Golda Meir was not born in the USA > 2. At the time that Meir was PM, de Valera was president - were they both “the leaders” of their respective countries? You are right. I think earlier boigraphies of Meir stated that she was born in the USA, where she spent her childhood and had citizenship. In Ireland (and many other countries, including Canada), there is a Head of State and a Head of Government, serving simultaneously with separate functions. Ireland has a President, and a Prime Minister. De Valera was President, which was the Head of State. Michaelle Jean, who was Canada’s Governor General (Head of State, but not of Government) from 2005 to 2010 was born in Haiti. ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-leaders-not-born-in-the-nation-they-led/360278/115 "2015-10-12T00:47:04Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > In Ireland (and many other countries, including Canada), there is a Head of State and a Head of Government, serving simultaneously with separate functions. Ireland has a President, and a Prime Minister. De Valera was President, which was the Head of State. De Valera was at various times head of government (President of the Executive Council, 1932-37; Taoiseach 1937-48, 1951-54, 1957-59) and head of state(President of Ireland, 1959-73). And, at a time when the existence of the state was disputed, he was both (President of the Irish Republic, 1921-22) In any event, there is no law of God or nature that says that leadership is something that has to be exercised by one person to the exclusion of all others. You can have a collective leadership (the Swiss Federal Council, for example) or you can have various leadership functions allocated to different persons (almost any Westminister-style parliamentary democracy). I don’t see any difficulty in regarding both the Head of State and the Head of Government as national leaders. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-leaders-not-born-in-the-nation-they-led/360278/116 "2015-10-12T11:35:19Z")
If we’re counting GovGens, the majority of Canada’s GovGens since Confederation have been foreign born: 19 out of 28. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-leaders-not-born-in-the-nation-they-led/360278/117 "2015-10-14T10:21:07Z")
> [@hibernicus](#): > > Thanks for the examples. As it happens, I spent two weeks in Navarre and Basse Navarre last month. > > It’s quite confusing because your first two examples are both Juana and Felipe, and both couples were king and queen of Navarre! Not quite. Juana I of Castille inherited Navarre from her father, but at that point her husband was already dead and she in Tordesillas. Her son Carlos became her new tutor. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-leaders-not-born-in-the-nation-they-led/360278.md?page=5)