Everything about St Wenceslas totally explained
Wenceslaus or
Wenceslas (
Czech:
Václav, , former
Věnceslav) (c.
907 –
September 28,
935) was duke (
kníže) of
Bohemia from
921 until his death. Wenceslas is best known in the English-speaking world as the subject of the
Christmas carol "
Good King Wenceslas".
He was the son of
Vratislav I, Duke of Bohemia from the
Přemyslid dynasty. His father was raised in a Christian milieu through his father,
Bořivoj, who was converted by
Saint Cyril and
Saint Methodius, the "apostles to the Slavs". His mother
Drahomíra was the daughter of a
pagan tribal chief of
Havolans and was baptized at the time of her marriage. Wenceslaus himself is venerated as
Saint Wenceslaus and is the main patron saint of the
Czech state.
Childhood
In 921, when Wenceslaus was thirteen, his father died and he was brought up by his grandmother,
Saint Ludmila, who raised him as a Christian. A dispute between the fervently Christian regent and her daughter-in-law drove Ludmila to seek sanctuary at
Tetín Castle near
Beroun.
Drahomíra, who was trying to garner support from the nobility, was furious about losing influence on her son and arranged to have Ludmila strangled at Tetín on
September 15,
921.
According to some legends, having regained control of her son, Drahomíra set out to convert him to the old pagan religion. According to other legends she was herself a Christian. Very little is known about her rule.
Career
In 924 or 925 Wenceslaus assumed government for himself and had Drahomíra exiled. After gaining the throne at the age of eighteen, he defeated rebellious duke of
Kouřim named Radslav. He also founded a rotunda consecrated to
St Vitus at
Prague Castle in
Prague, present day
St Vitus Cathedral.
Early in 929 the joint forces of
Arnulf of Bavaria and
Henry I the Fowler reached
Prague in a sudden attack, which forced Wenceslaus to pledge allegiance to the latter. This was materialized in resuming the payment of a traditional tribute which was first imposed already in 806. One of the possible reasons for the attack was the formation of the anti-Saxon alliance between
Bohemia,
Polabian Slavs and
Magyars.
Death
In September of 935 (in older sources 929), a group of nobles allied with Wenceslaus's younger brother, Boleslaus (
Boleslav I of Bohemia), in a plot to kill the prince. After inviting his brother to the feast of
Saints Cosmas and Damian in
Stará Boleslav, three of Boleslaus' companions, Tira, Čsta and Hněvsa murdered him on his way to church. Boleslaus thus succeeded him as the Duke/Prince (
kníže) of Bohemia.
According to Cosmas's chronicle, one of Boleslav's sons was born on the day of Wenceslaus's death, and because of the ominous circumstance of his birth the infant was named
Strachkvas, which means "a dreadful feast".
There are discrepancies in the records regarding the date of Wenceslaus's death. It has been argued that Wenceslaus's remains were transferred to St Vitus's Church in 932, ruling out the later date; however, the year 935 is now favoured by historians as the date of his murder (note: a St. Joseph Catholic Missal, c.1962, gives the date of death in 938).
There is a tradition which states that Saint Wenceslaus's loyal servant,
Podevin, avenged his death by killing one of the chief conspirators. Podevin was executed by Boleslav.
Canonization and other memorials
After his death, Wenceslaus was canonised as a saint due to his martyr's death, as well as several purported miracles that occurred after his death. Wenceslaus is the patron saint of the
Czech people and the
Czech Republic. His feast day is
September 28. Since the year 2000, this day is a
public holiday in the Czech Republic, celebrated as
Czech Statehood Day. In his honour, a statue of Wenceslaus clad in armour on horseback stands in Prague's Václavské náměstí (
Wenceslaus Square). The sculptor was
Josef Václav Myslbek. A memorable
parody of this statue, created by
David Černý, hangs in a Lucerna Palace gallery near the square. He is also the
patron saint of one of
Chicago's most architecturally significant
churches,
St. Wenceslaus.
Wenceslaus in fiction
There are many legends about King Wenceslaus. An old legend says that a huge army of knights sleep inside
Blaník, a mountain in the
Czech Republic. The knights will wake and under the command of St. Wenceslaus will help the Motherland when it's in ultimate danger. (See also
King in the mountain legends)
There is a similar legend in
Prague, which says that when the Motherland is in danger or in its darkest times and close to ruin, the equestrian statue of King Wenceslaus in Wenceclaus Square will come to life, raise the army sleeping in Blaník, and upon crossing the
Charles Bridge his horse will stumble and trip over a stone that will reveal the legendary sword of Bruncvík. With this sword, King Wenceslaus will slay all the enemies of the Czechs, bringing peace and prosperity to the land.
He is the subject of the popular
Boxing Day and Christmas Carol "
Good King Wenceslas".
There is a 1994 television film entitled
Good King Wenceslaus which is a highly fictional account of his early life. The film stars
Jonathan Brandis in the title role, supported by
Leo McKern,
Stefanie Powers, and
Joan Fontaine as Ludmila.
Wenceslaus is a major character in
Ogden Nash's comic epic poem "The Christmas that Almost Wasn't," in which a boy awakens Wenceslaus and his knights to save a kingdom from usurpers who have outlawed Christmas.
Further Information
Get more info on 'St Wenceslas'.
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