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It is described in detail in Annales written by the Prague canon Vincent. In 1142 Vladislav II fought with rebelling nobles, and leaving Prague, charged with the task of its defense his brother Theobald “and a number of knights who were very eager to defend the town and the prince’s throne, which was a stone, still located in the middle of the town, for which not only now, but for a long time many thousands of warriors have died in battLe” (Vin-centi Pragense Annales, year 1142). The location in the middle of the town suggests that the throne stood on the Źiżi mound, to which Kosmas referred in identical words. Near the place Bofivoy founded St Mary’s church. Archaeological excavations proved that it had been situated outside the original stronghold of Prague. According to D. Trestik (1985, p. 290-291), this means that Borivoy, christened by St Methodius, erected the church before the construction of the stronghold, through which he entrusted the place of enthroning and assemblies to the power of Christian God. Then he surrounded it with the ramparts of his stronghold, founding Prague and terminating the period of tribal democracy.

The myth of the Premysl dynasty (Kosmas, I, 5-8) exposed the fact that its founder, the ploughman Premysl, had been of peasant origin. A straight analogy to the enthroning rite of Carinthian princes can be drawn here. Hence, we should also expect a stone throne in Gniezno, where Gallus Anonimus (I, 1-2) sets the similar legend about the peasant origin of the Polish Piast dynasty. Unfortunately, the only tracę of a throne in Great Poland recorded in written sources comes from Poznań. It was situated on the island in front of the Holy Virgin’s church. In 1247 Przemysł II was seated during the assembiy there and issued one of his documents “in trono ad sanctam Mariam” {Kodeks Dyplomatyczny Wielkopolski, 1877, vol. 1, no. 264, p.221; Kiirbis, 1980). The Wawel Hill in Cracow had its mound, possibly also with a throne. On the 27th of January 1229 prince Henry the Bearded adjudicated the conflict between the abbot of Tyniec and comes Żegota “in the town of Cracow, when we set as the jury with out nobles on the mound near St Michael’s church” {Kodeks dyplomatyczny klasztoru tynieckiego, 1876, vol. 1, no.7, p. 14-15). T. Wojciechowski (1951, p. 269-272) hypothesised that it was an ancient place of adjudication, going back to the pagan tradition, and it was the site of the trial and execution of bishop Stanislaus (the llthc.), who opposed the king, and in the 13thc. was cannonized and recognized as a patron saint of Poland.

On the basis of the document issued by king Premysl Ottokar in 1228, mentioning “Kralov stoi” (kings’ throne) preserved until now (Pojsl, 1979), we can also suppose that enthroning Stones existed in Moravia. Nineteenth--century legends refer to the Koningsstuhl rock in Rugen as the place where the rulers of the island were enthroned after their election by the assembiy (Haas, 1896, p. 172-173). Also the Norman rulers of Ruthenia had a throne (ibn Fadlan, 212b).

A stone throne situated on a mound was one of the most important symbols of power, but has some religious significance as well. Together with a sanctuary and a place of assembiy it marked the centre of the tribal community world (Słupecki, 1992a). The origin of stone thrones constituting the signs of power can be traced back to the epoch when the prince was first of all the leader and judge elected by the assembiy. That period pro-duced the all-Slavonic word stolica (capital), which according to Linde (1951, vol. 1, p. 459) signifies “the solemn seat of offlcials, rulers and gov-emors,” so the capital (stolica) of the country is the place where the royal throne (stolec) is situated. “The ruler who controlled the stronghold with the throne, controlled the whole country as well. Hence, the main object of fighting during great wars was the capital” (Wojcieszuk, 1965, p. 68).