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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, Jan Długosz, and Marcin Kromer, as a consequence of his bad rule he was deposed, besieged by his subjects, and eaten alive by mice in a tower in Kruszwica.

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.^[1] Because of Popiel's misrule and his failure to defend the land from marauding Vikings, 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 the Wheelwright and Siemowit.

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.

References

^ 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, 1836. Chapter "Podług rękopisma Puławskiego")

External links

The Pomeranian and Kujawy Province^{[permanent dead link]}
The Old Tale: When the Sun Was God (Polish film about Prince Popiel.)
Popiel (Website summarizing information from medieval chronicles.)

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[1] 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, 1836. Chapter "Podług rękopisma Puławskiego")

[1]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{short description|Legendary Polish ruler}}
 {{other uses}}
-[[Image:PopielBis1581.jpg|thumb|Prince Popiel.]]
+[[Image:Popiel2.jpg|thumb|Prince Popiel]]
-[[Image:PL Kruszwica Mysia Wieza.JPG|thumb|The ''Mouse Tower'' in Kruszwica, constructed in 1350, incorrectly associated with Popiel.]]
+[[Image:PL Kruszwica Mysia Wieza.JPG|thumb|The Mouse Tower in Kruszwica, constructed in 1350, incorrectly associated with Popiel]]
-'''Prince Popiel ІІ''' (or Duke Popiel) was a legendary 9th century ruler of the West Slavic ("proto-[[Poland|Polish]]") tribe of [[Goplanie|Goplans]] and [[Polanie|Polans]], the last member of the pre-[[Piast dynasty]], the [[Popielids]]. According to the chroniclers [[Gallus Anonymus]], [[Jan Długosz]] and [[Marcin Kromer]], as a consequence of his bad rule he was deposed, besieged by his subjects, and eaten alive by [[mice]] in a tower in [[Kruszwica]].
+'''Prince Popiel ІІ''' (or Duke Popiel) was a legendary 9th-century ruler of two proto-[[Poland|Polish]] tribes, the [[Goplanie|Goplans]] and [[Polans (western)|West Polans]]. He was the last member of the [[Popielids]], a mythical dynasty before the [[Piast dynasty|Piasts]]. According to the chroniclers [[Gallus Anonymus]], [[Jan Długosz]], and [[Marcin Kromer]], as a consequence of his bad rule he was deposed, besieged by his subjects, and eaten alive by [[mice]] in a tower in [[Kruszwica]].
-As the legend goes, Prince Popiel ІІ 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.<ref>Popiel's wife is sometimes called Ryksa (''Hilderyka'', or ''Brunhilda''); however, her name was never specified by medieval chroniclers (see: [http://books.google.ca/books?id=o_cKAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA141&lpg=PA141&dq=zona+Popiela&source=bl&ots=MzR4-YInD6&sig=f0P5FTYVX6f4nUERvEWDqPajNaM&hl=en&ei=5cpHS4LWKYfYsQPWlc31Dw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CAgQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=zona%20Popiela&f=false ''Historya narodu polskiego''], Volumes 3-4. By [[Adam Naruszewicz]], 1836. Chapter "Podług rękopisma Puławskiego")</ref> Because of Popiel's misrule and his failure to defend the land from marauding [[Vikings]], his twelve uncles conspired to depose him; however, at his wife's instigation, he had them all poisoned during a feast (she might have done it herself). Instead of cremating their bodies, as was the custom, he had them cast into [[Gopło|Lake Gopło]].
+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.<ref>Popiel's wife is sometimes called Ryksa (''Hilderyka'', or ''Brunhilda''); however, her name was never specified by medieval chroniclers (see: [https://books.google.com/books?id=o_cKAAAAIAAJ&dq=zona+Popiela&pg=PA141 ''Historya narodu polskiego''], Volumes 3–4. By [[Adam Naruszewicz]], 1836. Chapter "Podług rękopisma Puławskiego")</ref> Because of Popiel's misrule and his failure to defend the land from marauding [[Vikings]], 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 [[Gopło|Lake Gopło]].
-When the commoners saw what Popiel ІІ 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]] and [[Siemowit]].
+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 the Wheelwright]] and [[Siemowit]].
-On the shore of [[Gopło|Lake Gopło]] stands a medieval tower, nicknamed the ''Mouse Tower''; however, it cannot be the site of the events described in the legend as it was erected some 500 years thereafter.
+On the shore of [[Gopło|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]] - a similar legend about the cruelty and demise of Hatto II (Archbishop of Mainz).
+* [[Mouse Tower]] – a similar legend about the cruelty and demise of Hatto II (Archbishop of Mainz).
-* [[An Ancient Tale (novel)]] - novel by Polish writer Kraszewski
+* ''[[An Ancient Tale (novel)|An Ancient Tale]]'' – novel by Polish writer Józef Kraszewski
 ==References==
 {{reflist}}
-*[http://www.angelfire.com/il3/fam/mouse_tower_of_kruszwica.htm The Mouse Tower of Kruszwica]
+==External links==
-*[http://poland-tourism.pl/r.asp?gc=PL04&tf=PL&ld=EN The Pomeranian and Kujawy Province]
+*[http://poland-tourism.pl/r.asp?gc=PL04&tf=PL&ld=EN The Pomeranian and Kujawy Province]{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
-*[http://www.polishfilms.org/PFF_2003/Stara_Basn_Eng.htm ''The Old Tale: When the Sun Was God''] (Polish film about Prince Popiel.)
+*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060504094528/http://www.polishfilms.org/PFF_2003/Stara_Basn_Eng.htm ''The Old Tale: When the Sun Was God''] (Polish film about Prince Popiel.)
 *[http://krolpopiel.tripod.com/english/ksiaze.htm Popiel] (Website summarizing information from medieval chronicles.)
+{{Slavic mythology}}
-{{Slavmyth}}
+{{Polish legendary rulers}}
 {{Monarchs of Poland}}
+{{Authority control}}
 [[Category:Legendary Polish monarchs]]
+[[Category:9th-century Slavs]]
+[[Category:Deaths due to animal attacks]]
+[[Category:Rodent attacks]]
+[[Category:Slavic warriors]]
 {{Poland-noble-stub}}
 {{Europe-royal-stub}}

v t e Monarchs of Poland
Legendary	Lech I Krakus I Krakus II Lech II Wanda Leszko I Leszko II Leszko III Popiel I Popiel II Chościsko Piast the Wheelwright
Proto-historic	Siemowit Lestek Siemomysł
Piast dynasty	Mieszko I Bolesław I the Brave Bezprym Mieszko II Lambert Bolesław the Forgotten Casimir I the Restorer Bolesław II the Bold Władysław I Herman Zbigniew Bolesław III Wrymouth
Fragmentation period	Senior or Supreme Princes Władysław II the Exile Bolesław IV the Curly Mieszko III the Old Casimir II the Just Leszek the White Władysław III Spindleshanks Władysław Odonic Mieszko IV Tanglefoot Konrad I Henry the Bearded Henry II the Pious Bolesław the Horned Bolesław V the Chaste Leszek II the Black Henryk IV Probus Przemysł II See also: Dukes of Silesia Dukes of Greater Poland Dukes of Little Poland Dukes of Masovia Dukes of Kuyavia Dukes of Sieradz-Łęczyca Dukes of Gdańsk Pomerania Dukes of Pomerania
Přemyslid dynasty	Wenceslaus II Wenceslaus III
Restored Piast dynasty	Władysław I Łokietek Casimir III the Great
Capet-Anjou dynasty	Louis I the Hungarian Jadwiga
Jagiellonian dynasty	Władysław II Jagiełło Władysław III of Varna Casimir IV John I Albert Alexander Sigismund I the Old Sigismund II Augustus
Elective monarchy	Henry of Valois Anna Jagiellon Stephen Báthory Sigismund III Vasa Władysław IV Vasa John II Casimir Vasa Michał Korybut Wiśniowiecki John III Sobieski Augustus II the Strong Stanisław I Augustus III Stanisław August Poniatowski
Italics indicates monarch of questioned historicity

Authority control databases
International	VIAF
National	Deutschland
Menschen	Deutsche Biographie

v t e Polish legendary rulers
Lech Krak Krak II Wizymir Lech II Wanda Leszko I Leszko II Leszko III Popiel I Popiel II Wysz Chościsko
These rulers supposedly ruled in the Early Middle Ages.