Wenceslaus I, Duke of Bohemia

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Statue of Saint Wenceslaus in Olomouc (Czech Republic).
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Statue of Saint Wenceslaus in Olomouc (Czech Republic).

Wenceslaus or Wenceslas (Czech: Václav; German: Wenzel), styled Wenceslaus I, Duke of Bohemia (b. 907, d. September 28, 935 or 929 – see death controversy below) was the son of Vratislav I, Duke of Bohemia. His father was raised in a Christian milieu through his father, Borivoj's, who was converted by Saint Cyril and Saint Methodius, the "apostles to the Slavs". His mother Drahomíra, however, was the daughter of a pagan tribal chief who held on to the pagan belief system, as did many Czech nobles at the time, fearing that the arrival of Christian bishops would threaten their authority. Wenceslaus himself is venerated as Saint Wenceslaus (see below).

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Childhood

When Wenceslaus was thirteen his father was killed in battle 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 Tetin Castle near Beroun. Drahomíra, who was trying to garner support from the pagan nobility, was furious at her son's conversion and arranged to have Ludmila strangled at Tetin on September 15, 921.

Drahomíra then assumed the regency and, according to one source, ruled well - notably in fortifying the Czech border against foreign raiders and suppressing the rival Slavnik clan of Libice. Having regained control of her son, Drahomíra set out to convert him to the old pagan religion. Wenceslaus, however, continued to practice Christianity in secrecy.

Career

In 924 or 925 Wenceslaus assumed government for himself and had Drahomíra exiled. After gaining the throne at the age of eighteen, he promoted the spread of Christianity throughout Bohemia. This was accomplished not only by building churches and cathedrals, such as St Vitus Cathedral (named after a Saxon saint) at Hradcany Hill in Prague, but also by his acquiescence to the influence of the Holy Roman Empire. Wenceslaus was immersed in the Catholic teachings of Ludmila, whom he arranged to be canonised as the first Czech martyr. As such, the pagan nobility of Bohemia saw Wenceslaus and his faith as not only a threat to their pagan tradition, but also to their very sovereignty.

Early in 929 Wenceslaus became a vassal of the German King Henry I the Fowler, although it remains unclear as to whether this was the result of a voluntary submission or forced upon Wenceslaus by a German invasion. Some chroniclers place either the growing German influence, or hostility to Wenceslaus' religious policies as the main reason for his death.

Death and controversy

In September of 935 (or 929), a group of these nobles allied with Wenceslaus' younger brother, Boleslaus (Boleslav_I_of_Bohemia), in a plot to kill the prince. In addition to having been raised in the pagan tradition by Drahomira, Boleslaus had the added incentive of being Wenceslaus' successor to the throne. After inviting his brother to the feast of Saints Cosmas and Damian, he murdered him on his way to church and thus succeeded him as the Prince of Bohemia. (Note the title Prince, indicating independence from the Catholic Holy Roman Empire, as opposed to Duke, the title granted by the Empire to Wenceslaus.) The actual murder was purported as being hacked to death at the door of the church in the town now called Stara Boleslav.

There are discrepancies in the records regarding the date of Wenceslaus' death. It has been argued that Wenceslaus' 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 a date of his murder.

Canonisation and other memorials

Saint Wenceslaus
Martyr
Born 907, Prague, Bohemia
Died 935 (or 929), Stara Boleslav, Bohemia
Venerated in Roman Catholic and Orthodox Church
Canonised ?
Major shrine St Vitus Cathedral, Prague
Feast September 28
Attributes Crown, dagger, eagle on a banner
Patronage Bohemia, Czech Republic, Prague

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). A parody of this statue, created by David Cerný, hangs in a building that faces the square.

Various "King in the mountain" legends have been told about Wenceslaus. He is best known outside the Czech Republic as the subject of the Christmas carol "Good King Wenceslas".

Wenceslas in fiction

There is a 1994 television film entitled Good King Wenceslas 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.


Preceded by:
Vratislav I
Duke of Bohemia
921-c. 935
Succeeded by:
Boleslav I
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