# Legend of Lech and the white eagle (650)

URL: https://poland-history.com/timeline/650-legend-of-lech-and-the-white-eagle
Location: Gniezno

Medieval tradition tells of three brothers, Lech, Czech and Rus, and of Lech founding Gniezno where he saw a white eagle nesting, an image later adopted as Poland's emblem. Within the broader Slavic Tribes period: Slavic tribes settled the region from the sixth century, building fortified gords and tribal territories. Legends of Lech, Krakus and Piast preserve memories of this age, which ended with the rise of the Polans around Gniezno. At this point in the timeline (650), the governing authority was Lech (Legendary founder of the Poles). Legendary forefather of the Poles who, according to medieval tradition, founded Gniezno at the spot where he saw a white eagle nesting. This ruler is known only from legend or from a later chronicle tradition, so the dating is approximate. Legend of Lech and the white eagle mattered because cultural achievements helped preserve and define Polish identity and influence beyond its borders. The event is placed here so readers can follow it alongside changes in government, warfare, society, religion and culture across Polish history.

## Why it matters
Legend of Lech and the white eagle mattered because cultural achievements helped preserve and define Polish identity and influence beyond its borders.

Ruler at the time: [Lech](https://poland-history.com/rulers/lech)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Lech, Czech, and Rus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lech,_Czech,_and_Rus)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Legend of Lech and the white eagle](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Legend+of+Lech+and+the+white+eagle)
- [Wikipedia — Polish tribes (period overview)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_tribes)