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The song "Good King Wenceslas" serves as a testament to the enduring legacy of Wenceslaus I, Duke of Bohemia. It encapsulates his commitment to Christian val...
Sep 28, 2023 · St. Wenceslas, Duke of Bohemia (28 September): Butler's Lives of the Saints. Sensus Fidelium. 270K subscribers. Subscribed. 0. 1 waiting Premieres Sep 28, 2023....
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Saint Wenceslaus I or Václav the Good was the duke of Bohemia from 921 until his assassination in 935. His younger brother, Boleslaus the Cruel, was complici...
- Young Wenceslas
- The Assassination of Wenceslas
- After Wenceslas’ Death
- The Legend
- Who Composed ‘Good King Wenceslas’?
- What Are The Lyrics to ‘Good King Wenceslas’?
Wenceslas didn’t come from Christian stock: his grandfather had been converted to Christianity by Saints Cyril and Methodius. And his mother was the daughter of a pagan tribal chief – though she was baptised before she was married. When young Wenceslas’ father died there was a power vacuum: the young boy’s mother was banished and his grandmother ki...
But Boleslaus wasn’t happy with the set up and in September 935 he plotted with a group of noblemen to kill his brother. The three nobles – Tira, Česta, and Hněvsa – stabbed Wenceslas – before his own brother ran him through with a lance. We even know the date: 28 September. When Wenceslas was later canonised, this day was made his Saint’s Day.
Wenceslas was regarded as a martyr and saint almost immediately after his death but he wasn’t promoted from Duke of Bohemia to King of Bohemia until Holy Roman Emperor Otto I gave him the title posthumously a few years after his death. People in Bohemia and England in particular began to venerate St Wenceslas. One 12th-century preacher said: “His d...
There’s also a brilliant legend attached to the statue of St Wenceslas in Wenceslas Square in Prague. The story goes that if the Czech Republic is in danger, the statue of King Wenceslas will come to life, raise a sleeping army and reveal a legendary sword to bring peace to the land. So there’s something to think about next time you sing ‘Good King...
The words to the carol were written in 1853 by John Mason Neale but the melody is much older – it’s a 13th-century tune called ‘Tempus adest floridum’ in praise of the spring. The carol was written for the Feast of St Stephen, better known as Boxing Day. And it celebrates the long tradition of charitable giving on the Second Day of Christmas. It’s ...
Good King Wenceslas looked out On the feast of Stephen, When the snow lay round about Deep and crisp and even; Brightly shone the moon that night Though the frost was cruel, When a poor man came in sight, Gath’ring winter fuel. ‘Hither, page, and stand by me, If thou know’st it, telling Yonder peasant, who is he? Where and what his dwelling?’ ‘Sire...
Dec 20, 2023 · The transition of Václav, the saintly duke of Bohemia, to Wenceslas, the good king of Christmas-carol fame, came about 900 years after his reign. The song’s fans can thank John Mason Neale—a 19th century Anglican priest, scholar, and hymn writer—for this addition to the holiday season.
Dec 15, 2023 · The transition of Václav, the saintly duke of Bohemia, to Wenceslas, the good king of Christmas-carol fame, came about 900 years after his reign. The song’s fans can thank John Mason Neale — a 19 th century Anglican priest, scholar and hymn writer — for this addition to the holiday season.
Apr 15, 2024 · Wenceslas I, prince of Bohemia, Christian martyr, and patron saint of the Czech Republic. He was raised by his Christian grandmother, St. Ludmila, who was murdered by order of Wenceslas’s pagan mother. Learn more about his life, death, and legacy with this article.
