I’d always thought King Wenceslas
–from song fame–was a story.
It turns out, he really was the Duke of Bohemia and merits attention all over Prague.
In Prague’s new town, his statue surveys the main street from the top of a horse.
He watches over a lovely promenade mobbed with tourists and shoppers.
The good King has seen a lot of history from his perch.
Including the end of World War II.
Nurtured by a saintly grandmother
Born about 907, Wenceslas grew up under the care of his grandmother Ludmila.
She and her husband, Bořivoj I, Duke of Bohemia, brought Christianity to their nation.
Following the deaths of Bořivoj I and his two sons, Ludmila assumed the regency for her eldest grandson.
She made she sure her grandson believed in God and sent him to college.
He assumed the throne about 921 at which time his pagan mother decided Ludmila had too much influence on the new king and she arranged for Ludmila’s murder!
Drahomíra then seized control of the government and ordered persecution of the Christians.
A relatively short reign for Duke Wenceslas
As soon as he reached 18, circa 925, Wenceslas deposed his mother and imported German priests to reestablish the Bohemian Catholic Church.
According to the Orthodox Church in America website:
“In spite of his youthful age, he ruled wisely and justly and concerned himself much about the Christian enlightenment of the people. The holy prince was a widely educated man, and he studied in the Latin and Greek languages.”
As a Christian, the new Duke of Bohemia sought peace and justice in his country. He split the kingdom between himself and his younger brother Boleslav to preclude conflict about the land.
Boleslav received plenty of territory, however neither Boleslav nor his mother liked the changes implemented by Wenceslas.
The new duke founded what became St. Vitus Cathedral.
His brother Boleslav plotted to murder him and succeeded in stabbing him to death at a feast in 935.
Bohemians recognized Wenceslas as a church martyr at his death and soon described him as a saint.
Relics on the Prague Castle mount
His burial site at St. Vitus Cathedral dazzles.
By Clayton Tang (Wikimedia Commons)
We saw his battle sword and a facsimile of his crown in the fascinating museum underneath the Prague Castle.
I gasped. “That’s like a relic, isn’t it?”
My husband smiled. “Could be,” and pointed to Wenceslas’ mail.
Elsewhere in the same museum, far away in a darkened corner, we saw the remains of fine cloth.
I did a double take at the explanation. “Believed to be the burial cloth of Ludmila,” Wenceslas’ grandmother.
Truly, the past seems close that day!
About that song . . .
Otto I, the Holy Roman Emperor at the time of Wenceslas’ death immediately conferred the title “King” upon him–which is how he is known in the Christmas carol “Good King Wenceslas.”
The carol extols Wenceslas’ piety on the cold night after Christmas (Feast of Stephen), visiting poor peasants and imploring his servant to walk in Wenceslas’ footsteps through the snow.
Reverend John Mason Neale and Thomas Helmore, wrote the carol in 1853, using the 13th century melody for “Tempus adest floridum.”
The Bohemians never forgot their duke/prince/King.
We appreciated seeing remembrances of him all over Prague in the spring 2018.
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