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We’ve all heard “Good King Wenceslas,” a classic Christmas song about the famous Bohemian “king,” Wenceslas, who gave alms to a peasant on the Feast of St. Stephen (12/26). Now let’s talk about the story of St. Wenceslas: a thread 
In his lifetime, St. Wenceslas (Svatý Václav, Václav the Good) was the duke (kníže) of Bohemia from 921 to 935, the year that he was assassinated, traditionally believed to have been by the hand of his brother, Boleslas I the Cruel (Boleslav I Ukrutný). 1/
Wenceslas was the son of the Duke of Bohemia Vratislas I and Drahomíra, the baptized daughter of a pagan tribal chief. Wenceslas’s grandfather, Bořivoj of Bohemia, was converted to Christianity but Sts. Cyril and Methodius, the “Apostles to the Slavs.” His grandmother was 2/
St. Ludmilla of Bohemia, who was a pioneer in the Christianization of Bohemia. She was entrusted with the care of Wenceslas. She raised him as a Christian & ensured his education included religion and Old Church Slavonic. In 921, Wenceslas (age 13) became the Duke following 3/
his father’s death. Given his age, Ludmilla became regent. Jealous of Ludmilla’s influence over Wenceslas, his mother Drahomíra had Ludmilla assassinated in 921. It is said that the assassins strangled her with her own veil. She was venerated as a martyr shortly 3/
after her death. Originally buried at Tetin, Ludmilla’s remains were translated to the Church of St. George in Prague, most likely by Wenceslas. Drahomíra then assumed the role of regent & implemented measures against Christians. When Wenceslas was 18, an uprising 4/
of Christian nobles took Drahomíra off of the Bohemian throne, and Wenceslas assumed control. The country was divided between Wenceslas and his younger brother, Boleslav, to avoid disputes. Wenceslas was a pious duke, zealous in his desire to Christianize Bohemia. He favored 5/
the Latin Rite over the Slavonic, took a vow of virginity, attempted to reduce the oppression of peasants by the nobility, and his reign was marked by unification efforts within Bohemia, support for the Church, and peace-making efforts with Germany, which made him unpopular 6/
with the anti-Christian opposition. Wenceslas also formed a controversial alliance with Germany, particularly Henry I (Fowler). Eager to form alliances with the West and the rest of Christian Europe, Wenceslas put the Duchy within German protection. 7/
This unpopular move & Wenceslas’s zealous Christianity ultimately lead to a group of noblemen allied with his brother Boleslav plotting his death. On his way to Mass on September 28, he was struck by Boleslav and then stabbed by Boleslav’s friends. His last words were 8/
“May God forgive you, brother.” Boleslav became Duke, and did repent. After he repented, Boleslav had Wenceslas’s remains translated to St. Vitus (first pic my own!). Wenceslas was almost immediately considered a martyr and a saint, and a cult began forming in the 10th century 9/
in both Bohemia and England. Within 30 years, Holy Roman Emperor Otto I awarded Wenceslas the title of King posthumously. Wenceslas was also considered to be the Patron Saint of Bohemia shortly thereafter, and St. Vitus became a place of pilgrimage to see the duke/king/saint. 10/
St. Wenceslas also became the patron saint of Prague, Bohemia, and the Czech Republic. One of the earliest known Czech songs is the hymn “Svatý Václave,” and is still one of the most popular religious songs. During the founding of the modern Czechoslovak state in 1918,
the hymn was considered for the national anthem. During the Nazi occupation in the 1940s, the song was played along with the Czech anthem. St. Wenceslas quickly became a symbol of Czech national unity & independence. He was also the subject of a 1930 silent film, 12/
“Svatý Václav,” which holds the record for the most expensive Czech film to date. The silent movie included over 5,000 extras! One of the most significant examples of Wenceslas’s legacy is something I’ve covered before: the use of St. Wenceslas Square & the equestrian 13/
statue of him in aforementioned square during anti-communist Czech independence movements of the second half of the 20th century. In 1948, a coup d’état allowed the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia to seize power with Soviet support. Czechoslovakia became a Soviet 14/
satellite state. In 1968, First Secretary Alexander Dubček was elected & attempted to pass reforms that would grant citizens additional rights & decentralization of authority. This caused the Soviets to send 500k soldiers & tanks to Prague to occupy the country. 15/
The “Prague Spring” spurned several protests, and the statue of St. Wenceslas took center stage. Here, protestors painted “SOLDIERS GO HOME” on the statue in Russian. The Prague Spring also inspired music & literature, including the work of Vaclav Havel, the last President 16/
of Czechoslovakia. Wenceslas Square also was the site for several demonstrations during the Velvet Revolution of 1989, a violent transfer of power that resulted in the collapse of the communist regime after 41 years of one party rule. Wenceslas was a symbol of independence 17/
and nationalism once again. As the patron saint of the Czech Republic, Wenceslas was incredibly significant in independence movements. Medieval history (& medieval religious history) has HUGE significance & ramifications on modern history, and Wenceslas is a great example!
