# Piast the Wheelwright founds a dynasty (860)

URL: https://poland-history.com/timeline/860-piast-the-wheelwright-founds-a-dynasty
Location: Gniezno

According to Gallus Anonymus, a humble wheelwright named Piast hosted two mysterious guests, and his son Siemowit became ruler, founding the Piast dynasty. 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 (860), the governing authority was Piast the Wheelwright (Legendary founder of the Piast dynasty). Semi-legendary peasant wheelwright of Gniezno whom tradition makes the founder of the Piast dynasty. This ruler is known only from legend or from a later chronicle tradition, so the dating is approximate. Piast the Wheelwright founds a dynasty mattered because dynastic ties determined who ruled Poland and which alliances it could rely on. 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
Piast the Wheelwright founds a dynasty mattered because dynastic ties determined who ruled Poland and which alliances it could rely on.

Ruler at the time: [Piast the Wheelwright](https://poland-history.com/rulers/piast-the-wheelwright)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Piast the Wheelwright](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piast_the_Wheelwright)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Piast the Wheelwright founds a dynasty](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Piast+the+Wheelwright+founds+a+dynasty)
- [Wikipedia — Polish tribes (period overview)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_tribes)