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
Gallus Anonymus
''Gallus Anonymus'' ( Polonized variant: ''Gall '') is the name traditionally given to the anonymous author of ''Gesta principum Polonorum'' (Deeds of the Princes of the Poles), composed in Latin between 1112 and 1118.
''Gallus'' is generally rega ...
,
Jan Długosz
Jan Długosz (; 1 December 1415 – 19 May 1480), also known in Latin as Johannes Longinus, was a Polish priest, chronicler, diplomat, soldier, and secretary to Bishop Zbigniew Oleśnicki of Kraków. He is considered Poland's first histo ...
, and
Marcin Kromer
Marcin Kromer (Latin: ''Martinus Cromerus''; 11 November 1512 – 23 March 1589) was Prince-Bishop of Warmia (Ermland), a Polish cartographer, diplomat and historian in the Kingdom of Poland and later in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. He wa ...
, as a consequence of his bad rule he was deposed, besieged by his subjects, and eaten alive by
mice
A mouse ( : mice) is a small rodent. Characteristically, mice are known to have a pointed snout, small rounded ears, a body-length scaly tail, and a high breeding rate. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse (''Mus musculus'' ...
in a tower in
Kruszwica
Kruszwica (german: Kruschwitz) is a town in central Poland and is situated in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship (since 1999), previously in Bydgoszcz Voivodeship (1975–1998). It has a population of 9,412 (2004). Initially founded in the 6th ...
.
As the legend goes, Prince Popiel was a cruel and corrupt ruler who cared only for wine, women, and song. He was greatly influenced by his wife, a beautiful but power-hungry German princess.
[Popiel's wife is sometimes called Ryksa (''Hilderyka'', or ''Brunhilda''); however, her name was never specified by medieval chroniclers (see]
''Historya narodu polskiego''
Volumes 3–4. By Adam Naruszewicz
Adam Stanisław Naruszewicz ( lt, Adomas Naruševičius; 20 October 1733 – 8 July 1796) was a Polish-Lithuanian nobleman, poet, historian, dramatist, translator, publicist, Jesuit and Roman Catholic bishop.
Born in a szlachta family, he wen ...
, 1836. Chapter "Podług rękopisma Puławskiego") Because of Popiel's misrule and his failure to defend the land from marauding
Vikings
Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden),
who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...
, his twelve uncles conspired to depose him; however, at his wife's instigation, he had them all poisoned during a feast (some believe that she committed the act herself). Instead of cremating their bodies as was the custom, he had the corpses cast into
Lake Gopło.
When the commoners saw what Popiel and his wife had done, they rebelled. The couple took refuge in a tower near the lake. As the story goes, a throng of mice and rats (which had been feeding on the unburnt bodies of Popiel's uncles) rushed into the tower, chewed through the walls, and devoured Popiel and his wife alive. Prince Popiel was succeeded by
Piast Kołodziej
Piast the Wheelwright ( 740/741? – 861 AD; Latin: ''Past Ckosisconis'', ''Pazt filius Chosisconisu''; Polish: ''Piast Chościskowic'', ''Piast Kołodziej'' , ''Piast Oracz'' or ''Piast'') was a semi-legendary figure in medieval Poland (9th cent ...
and
Siemowit
Siemowit (Polish pronunciation: ɛˈmɔvit also Ziemowit ɛˈmɔvit was, according to the chronicles of Gallus Anonymus, the son of Piast the Wheelwright and Rzepicha. He is considered to be the first ruler of the Piast dynasty.K. Jasiński, ...
.
On the shore of
Lake Gopło stands a medieval tower, nicknamed the Mouse Tower; however, it bears no relation to the site of the events described in the legend as it was erected some 500 years thereafter.
See also
*
Mouse Tower
The Mouse Tower (Mäuseturm) is a stone tower on a small island in the Rhine, outside Bingen am Rhein, Germany.
History
The Romans were the first to build a structure on this site. It later became part of Franconia, and it fell and had to be re ...
– a similar legend about the cruelty and demise of Hatto II (Archbishop of Mainz).
* ''
An Ancient Tale'' – novel by Polish writer Józef Kraszewski
References
External links
The Pomeranian and Kujawy Province
(Polish film about Prince Popiel.)
(Website summarizing information from medieval chronicles.)
Legendary Polish monarchs
9th-century Slavs
Deaths due to animal attacks
Rodent attacks
Slavic warriors
{{Europe-myth-stub