Siemowit
Encyclopedia
Gallus Anonymus
Gallus Anonymus is the name traditionally given to the anonymous author of Gesta principum Polonorum , composed in Latin about 1115....
, the son of Piast the Wheelwright
Piast the Wheelwright
Piast Kołodziej was a semi-legendary figure in prehistoric Poland , the founder of the Piast dynasty that would rule the future Kingdom of Poland.- Legend and aftermath :...
and Rzepicha
Rzepicha
Rzepicha was the wife of the semi-legendary Piast the Wheelwright and the mother of Siemowit. She is mentioned in Gallus Anonymus' Polish Chronicle , where her name is explicitly referred to twice.According to Gallus Anonymus, she lived in the 9th century. Her ancestors are unknown...
. He was considered one of the four legend
Legend
A legend is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude...
ary Piast prince
Prince
Prince is a general term for a ruler, monarch or member of a monarch's or former monarch's family, and is a hereditary title in the nobility of some European states. The feminine equivalent is a princess...
s, but is now considered as a ruler who existed as a historical person.
He became the duke of the Polans in the 9th century after his father, son of Chościsko
Choscisko
Chościsko is a legendary figure in a Polish prehistory, father of Piast the Wheelwright, the founder of the Piast dynasty. His name occurs in the first Polish chronicle, Cronicae et gesta ducum sive principum Polonorum by Gallus Anonymus, where the author refers three times to Piast as the son of...
, refused to take the place of legendary Duke Popiel
Popiel
Prince Popiel was a legendary 9th century ruler of the West Slavic tribe of Goplans and Polans, the last member of the pre-Piast dynasty, the Popielids...
. Siemowit was elected as new duke by the wiec
WIEC
WIEC-LP is a radio station licensed to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, USA. The station is currently owned by The Eau Claire Broadcasting Association....
. According to a popular legend, Popiel was then eaten by mice in his tower on the Gopło lake.
The only mention of Siemowit, along with his son Lestko
Lestko
Lestko is the second legendary duke of Poland, and son of Siemowit, born ca. 870-880. Though proof of his actual existence is unclear, if he did exist, he must have been an influential person, because the tribes that lived in what is now Poland were known as "Lestkowici".- Bibliography :*...
and grandson Siemomysł, comes in the mediæval chronicle of Gallus Anonymus.
Siemowit's grandson Mieszko I
Mieszko I of Poland
Mieszko I , was a Duke of the Polans from about 960 until his death. A member of the Piast dynasty, he was son of Siemomysł; grandchild of Lestek; father of Bolesław I the Brave, the first crowned King of Poland; likely father of Świętosława , a Nordic Queen; and grandfather of her son, Cnut the...
of the Piast dynasty
Piast dynasty
The Piast dynasty was the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland. It began with the semi-legendary Piast Kołodziej . The first historical ruler was Duke Mieszko I . The Piasts' royal rule in Poland ended in 1370 with the death of king Casimir the Great...
is considered the first ruler of Poland to be baptized
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
, though evidence of Arian
Arianism
Arianism is the theological teaching attributed to Arius , a Christian presbyter from Alexandria, Egypt, concerning the relationship of the entities of the Trinity and the precise nature of the Son of God as being a subordinate entity to God the Father...
Christians predating his reign was discovered in south Poland.
See also
- Prehistory of Poland (until 966)Prehistory of Poland (until 966)The prehistory and protohistory of Poland is the period from the first appearance of Homo species on the territory of modern-day Poland, to the establishment of the Polish state in the 10th century AD—a span of roughly 800,000 years....
- Ziemowit (given name)Ziemowit (given name)Ziemowit - is a Polish male given name of Slavic origin, a corrupted version of name Siemowit which is derived from words: "Siemo" - family and "wit" - ruler, to rule. The name may mean: "The head of the family"...