Saul Wahl was a wealthy and politically influential Polish Jew. According to legend, he was king of Poland

Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

 for a single day, August 18, 1587. Wahl had numerous children, including the renowned Polish rabbi, Meir Wahl

Meir Wahl

Meir Wahl or Meir Wahl Katzenellenbogen, was a Polish rabbi. He was the son of Saul Wahl, who according to legend, was king of Poland for one day....

.

Saul's father was Samuel Judah Katzenellenbogen

Samuel Judah Katzenellenbogen

Samuel Judah Katzenellenbogen was an Italian Rabbi, the son of Rabbi Meir ben Isaac Katzenellenbogen). He was distinguished even in his youth for his scholarship and his oratorical gifts. He was associated, both as rabbi and as writer, with his father, after whose death, in 1565, he was elected...

.

King of Poland for a day

The fact that Saul was king of Poland is not well-supported by historical data, but it gained a firm place in the folk beliefs of the Jewish people.

Jewish Encyclopedia

The version set forth in the Jewish Encyclopedia is as follows:

At a point in his life, Lithuanian Noble Mikołaj Krzysztof "the Orphan" Radziwiłł (1549–1616) wanted to repent for the numerous sins he committed when he was younger. He commenced a pilgrimage

Pilgrimage

A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...

 to Rome

Rome

Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...

 in order to consult the pope

Pope

The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...

 as to the best means for the propitiation

Propitiation

Propitiation is appeasing or making well disposed , especially a deity, thus incurring divine favor or avoiding Divine retribution.-Christian theology:...

 of his misdeeds. The pope advised him to dismiss all his servants and to live for a few years as a wandering beggar. When the prescribed period ended, Radziwill was penniless in the city of Padua

Padua

Padua is a city and comune in the Veneto, northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Padua and the economic and communications hub of the area. Padua's population is 212,500 . The city is sometimes included, with Venice and Treviso, in the Padua-Treviso-Venice Metropolitan Area, having...

, Italy. He pleaded for help, but his claims of being a noble fell on deaf ears.

Radziwiłł decided to appeal to Samuel Judah Katzenellenbogen

Samuel Judah Katzenellenbogen

Samuel Judah Katzenellenbogen was an Italian Rabbi, the son of Rabbi Meir ben Isaac Katzenellenbogen). He was distinguished even in his youth for his scholarship and his oratorical gifts. He was associated, both as rabbi and as writer, with his father, after whose death, in 1565, he was elected...

, the rabbi of Padua. Katzenellenbogen treated him nicely and provided him with means to return to Lithuania. To repay the favor, Katzenellenbogen requested that Radziwiłł find his son Saul, who years before had left to study in a yeshiva in Poland. When he visited Poland, he checked yeshivas until he found Saul in Brest-Litovsk (now Brest, Belarus

Brest, Belarus

Brest , formerly also Brest-on-the-Bug and Brest-Litovsk , is a city in Belarus at the border with Poland opposite the city of Terespol, where the Bug River and Mukhavets rivers meet...

).

Upon meeting and getting to know Saul, Radziwiłł was very impressed with his intellect and offered to provide Saul for boarding in his own castle where Saul can pursue his studies. Radziwill's court personal were similary impressed with Saul, and his reputation spread throughout Poland.

Stephen Báthory

Stephen Báthory

Stephen Báthory may refer to several noblemen of Hungarian descent:* Stephen III Báthory , Palatine of Hungary* Stephen V Báthory , judge of the Royal Court and Prince of Transylvania...

, who was King of Poland died in 1586, and the Poles were split between being ruled by the Zamoyski family and the Zborowskis. Under Polish law at that time, if electors could not agree upon a king, an outsider should be appointed "rex pro tempore

Pro tempore

Pro tempore , abbreviated pro tem or p.t., is a Latin phrase which best translates to "for the time being" in English. This phrase is often used to describe a person who acts as a locum tenens in the absence of a superior, such as the President pro tempore of the United States Senate.Legislative...

" (temporary king). Radziwill proposed that Saul Wahl be appointed the temporary king and Wahl was elected to this high office to shout of "Long live King Saul!"

The length of his reign range from one night to a few days. During the short reign, Wahl passed numerous laws, including laws that eased the conditions for Polish Jews

History of the Jews in Poland

The history of the Jews in Poland dates back over a millennium. For centuries, Poland was home to the largest and most significant Jewish community in the world. Poland was the centre of Jewish culture thanks to a long period of statutory religious tolerance and social autonomy. This ended with the...

. The name "Wahl" was given him from the German word Wahl (meaning "election").

Gustav Karpeles

According to historian Gustav Karpeles

Gustav Karpeles

Gustav Karpeles was a German Jewish historian of literature and editor; son of Elijah Karpeles.-Life:He studied at the University of Breslau, where he attended also the Jewish Theological Seminary...

, "an historical kernel lies hidden in the legend" and concludes that the "legend rests upon an historical substratum." He explains: Mikołaj Krzysztof "the Orphan" Radziwiłł made a famous pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Radziwiłł himself describes how in Italy, on the way back from the pilgrimage, he was attacked by robbers and was left in Ancona

Ancona

Ancona is a city and a seaport in the Marche region, in central Italy, with a population of 101,909 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona and of the region....

 without any money. Radziwiłł describes how his pleas for help were ignored by all except a Jewish merchant the only one to believe his claims of being a Polish Noble. The merchant provided him with funds to return to Poland. Karpeles concludes that this narrative by Radziwiłł is to an extent consistent with the legend narrative, that it was Samuel Judah Katzenellenbogen

Samuel Judah Katzenellenbogen

Samuel Judah Katzenellenbogen was an Italian Rabbi, the son of Rabbi Meir ben Isaac Katzenellenbogen). He was distinguished even in his youth for his scholarship and his oratorical gifts. He was associated, both as rabbi and as writer, with his father, after whose death, in 1565, he was elected...

, Saul Wahl's father, who helped Radziwiłł.