Leszko III (or Leszek, Lestek, Lesco) was a legendary ruler of

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

, firstly mentioned by

Wincenty Kadłubek Wincenty Kadłubek ( 1150 – 8 March 1223) was a Polish Catholic prelate and professed Cistercian who served as the Bishop of Kraków from 1208 until his resignation in 1218. His episcopal mission was to reform the diocesan priests to ensure ...

. Alleged son of Leszko II, father of

Popiel I Popiel I was a legendary ruler of Poland, member of the Popielids dynasty. According to the legends reported by Wincenty Kadłubek in his '' Chronica seu originale regum et principum Poloniae'', he was the son of Leszko III. Father of Popiel II ...

and grandfather of

Popiel II Prince Popiel ІІ (or Duke Popiel) was a legendary 9th-century ruler of two proto- Polish tribes, the Goplans and West Polans. He was the last member of the Popielids, a mythical dynasty before the Piasts. According to the chroniclers Gall ...

Hypothesis

If we would like today to again review the ancient history of Lechia, we should focus on a few similarities that allow us to measure reliably and with a high statistical probability these events. Both Samon, and Leszek III from Polish medieval chronicles, had a similar number of male descendants - one had 21, the other 22. It is very likely that both chronicles describe the same ruler, because at this time and in this area there is very unlikely occurrence of two the rulers of similar character traits (cleverness, cunning) and with a similar number of sons. The key to the mystery is the 22 sons of the ruler Samo, Zamo, mentioned in the

chronicle of Fredegar The ''Chronicle of Fredegar'' is the conventional title used for a 7th-century Frankish chronicle that was probably written in Burgundy. The author is unknown and the attribution to Fredegar dates only from the 16th century. The chronicle begin ...

. This is large number of descendants that this ruler had with many concubines. The statistical probability of this happening is relatively small. Researchers have discovered quite a long time ago the puzzling coincidence of , chronicles of Fredegar. The chronicler describes these events, and compared with reports of Polish medieval chronicles, claiming the 21 or 22 of children of Leszek III. First, the most important trace is located in the chronicle of Fredegar. It is located in the section describing a Slavic prince who had 22 sons- similar reference does not appear in any other sources- except maybe from the Polish annals of the Middle Ages which reported on the ruler Leszek III having a very similar number of sons. We can try to identify the ruler in Polish historical records based on similarities in descriptions, and emphasize the high statistical probability of the correctness of that interpretation. One of his many sons- most important son of Leszek III, the son of "the right bed" - was to be Popiel I. Leszek III was the ruler of the precatholic Poland who shared his empire after his death among his sons, among others, Popiel I. Both Samon and Leszek III were characterized by similar tactics of warfare, they were- clever - and that's what the name of Leszek, or Lestek is explained in the annals by its etymology. Both rulers ruled over vast empires, they were both smart, and- they had both surprisingly large number of sons. If we will carry out calculations using probability theory, calculating how many rulers throughout history could meet these conditions, it turns out that the sum of these probabilities is surprisingly high. One can not of course say with certainty that Leszek III is the Samon of the chronicle of Fredegar, but there is a very high probability that this interpretation is correct. However, we must provide a small margin of error.

Legendary descendants

– heir to the throne * Bolesław – inherited lower

Pomerania Pomerania ( pl, Pomorze; german: Pommern; Kashubian: ''Pòmòrskô''; sv, Pommern) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The western part of Pomerania belongs to ...

* Kazimierz – inherited

Kashubia pl, Kaszuby , native_name_lang = csb, de, csb , settlement_type = Historical region , anthem = Zemia Rodnô , image_map = Kashubians in Poland.png , image_flag ...

* Władysław – inherited

Kashubia pl, Kaszuby , native_name_lang = csb, de, csb , settlement_type = Historical region , anthem = Zemia Rodnô , image_map = Kashubians in Poland.png , image_flag ...

* Wratysław – inherited Rania (today Mecklenburg-Vorpommern) * Oddon – inherited Dytywonia (today Holstein) * Barwin – inherited lower

* Przybysław – inherited Dytywonia (today Holstein) * Przemysław – inherited Zgorzelica (today Brandenburg) * Jaksa – inherited

White Serbia White Serbia ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Бела Србија, Bela Srbija; wen, Biеło Srbsko), called also Boiki ( grc, Βοΐκι, Boḯki; sr-Cyrl-Latn, link=no, Бојка, Bojka; wen, links=no, Boika), is the name applied to the assumed homeland of ...

* Semian – inherited

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hungar ...

* Siemowit – inherited Zgorzelica (today Brandenburg) * Siemomysł – inherited Zgorzelica (today Brandenburg) * Bogdal – inherited lower

* Spicygniew – inherited Bremen * Spicymir – inherited Glain (today Lüneburg) * Zbigniew – inherited Szczecin * Sobiesław – inherited the Castle of

Dalen Dalen (Dutch Low Saxon: ''Daoln'') is a village and a former municipality in the northeastern Netherlands, in the province of Drenthe. Since 1998, Dalen has been part of the municipality of Coevorden. The village was first mentioned in the 12t ...

(today Dahlenburg near Lüneburg) * Wizymir – inherited Wyszomierz (today Wismar) * Czestmir – inherited Dytywonia (today Holstein) * Wisław – inherited Międzyborze (today Magdeburg)

References

Sources

* Jerzy Strzelczyk: Mity, podania i wierzenia dawnych Słowian. Poznań: Rebis, 2007. . * Jerzy Strzelczyk: Od Prasłowian do Polaków. Kraków: Krajowa Agencja Wydawnicza, 1987. . {{Polish legendary rulers Legendary Polish monarchs