Lestek (also Leszek, Lestko) was the second duke of Polans, and son of Siemowit, born c. 870–880, mentioned in the oldest Polish chronicle, '' Gesta principum Polonorum'' by Gallus Anonymus. The dukes of Polans were the foundation of the

Piast dynasty The House of Piast was the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland. The first documented List of Polish monarchs, Polish monarch was Duke Mieszko I of Poland, Mieszko I (–992). The Poland during the Piast dynasty, Piasts' royal rule in Pol ...

, the first historical ruling

dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family, usually in the context of a monarchy, monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A dynasty may also be referred to as a "house", "family" or "clan", among others. H ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

. Initially, no-one doubted the historicity of Lestek. In the second half of the nineteenth century, however, his existence began to be questioned. The issue was basically settled thanks to an article written by Henryk Łowmiański,''Dynastia Piastów we wczesnym średniowieczu (The Piast Dynasty in the Early Middle Ages'') - see Bibliography below in which he came out in favor of the credibility of Gallus Anonymus's account, and thus in favor of the historicity of the three direct predecessors to

Mieszko I Mieszko I (; – 25 May 992) was Duchy of Poland (966–1025), Duke of Poland from 960 until his death in 992 and the founder of the first unified History of Poland, Polish state, the Civitas Schinesghe. A member of the Piast dynasty, he was t ...

. This view is dominant in the Polish historiography. The origin of his name is not known, but it can be derived from the old Polish word ''lście'' which means "crafty". It is believed this is a diminutive of the Slavic name ''Lścimir'' or ''Lścisław''. The number and existence of Lestek's wives or consorts are unknown. A theory by Stanisław Zakrzewski claims Lestek (or Lestko) could have been married to a

Moravia Moravia ( ; ) is a historical region in the eastern Czech Republic, roughly encompassing its territory within the Danube River's drainage basin. It is one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The medieval and early ...

n princess. Another theory (inferred from the descriptions of a Belgian chronicler from the 14th century) is that a Saxon princess could have been Lestek's wife and that they had a son, Ewraker, later the

bishop of Liège A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of dioceses. The role ...

. Lestko's son, Siemomysł, was the next ruler of the Polish state.

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* * * * * 9th-century Polish monarchs 10th-century Polish monarchs Piast dynasty 870s births 10th-century deaths Year of birth uncertain Year of death uncertain Dukes of Poland 9th-century Slavs Slavic pagans {{Poland-noble-stub

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Bibliography