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Wenceslas I (born c. 907, Stochov, near Prague—died Sept. 28, 929, Stará Boleslav, Bohemia; feast day September 28) prince of Bohemia, martyr, and patron saint of the Czech Republic. Wencelas was raised a Christian by his grandmother St. Ludmila , but his ambitious mother, Drahomíra (Dragomir), a pagan, had her murdered and acted as regent ...
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Who Was Saint Wenceslas?
- Birth and Childhood
- When Did Wenceslas Become The Duke of Bohemia?
- Conflict with The German King Henry I The Fowler
- Why Was St. Wenceslas Killed?
- When and Where Did St Wenceslas Die?
- Patron Saint of Bohemia
- Who Succeeded Wenceslas to The Bohemian Throne?
- Patron Saint of Czech Republic
- St. Wenceslas Statue and Art
Born in present-day Prague, Wenceslas (also called Wenceslaus) was the duke of Bohemia in the 10thcentury CE. Although his mother deeply held pagan views, the Bohemian ruler remained resolute in defending Christian values and belief. Wenceslas is believed to have set up a number of churches and charitable centers all across Bohemia. This enabled hi...
Wenceslas was born in 907 CE in Stochov (present-day Czech) to parents – Vrastislaus I (Duke of Bohemia) and Drahomíra. Vrastislaus I, who hailed from the influential Přemysl dynasty, ruled Bohemia from 870 to 889 CE. It has been stated that Wenceslas picked up his Christian values from his father’s side. On the other hand, Wenceslaus’ mother Draho...
Upon reaching the age of 18, in 925, Wenceslaus inherited the dukedom of Bohemia. The young duke made sure that all his mother’s anti-Christian policies were stopped. He either fired or exiled the pagan officials in his mother’s court. Finally, he had his mother exiled to Budeč, where she spent the rest of her life. Before Wenceslaus took control o...
For quite a long time, the Magyar and Saxon and East Franks (led by king henry the Fowler) were a thorn in the flesh of the Dukedom of Bohemia. Starting around 895 CE, Bohemia dealt with such attacks by paying large amounts of tribute to the East Frankish king Arnulf of Carinthia. With such close alliances between the Bohemians and the Bavarian Duk...
After capitulating to Henry I the Fowler, a number of nobles and courtiers of Wenceslas felt aggrieved. Those nobles were outraged simply because Wenceslas did not put up a fight against the German king henry I the Fowler. The aggrieved noblemen proceeded to plot Wenceslas’ death. They were aided by Wenceslaus’ brother Boleslav (also known as Boles...
The accepted date of Wenceslas’ death is September 28. However, the year of his death has been given as either 929 or 935. The year 935 is commonly accepted by historians. The place where Wenceslas was believed to have been murdered was during the feast of Saints Cosmas and Damian in Stará Boleslav. The feast was organized by Wenceslaus’ brother Bo...
After Wenceslaus’ death, a number of unexplained, miraculous events took place in Bohemia. These events rattled the cage of Boleslav, forcing the murderer to transfer the remains of Wenceslaus to the Church of St. Vitus in Prague. In the years following Wenceslas’ death, the martyred duke came to be venerated as the patron saint of Bohemia. As time...
After the death of St. Wenceslaus, Boleslav (Boleslaus) – brother and murderer of Wenceslaus – became the duke of Bohemia.
A few decades after Wenceslas’ death, there were stories of miraculous happenings in and around Saint Vitus Cathedral at the Prague Castle. The cathedral housed the remains of Saint Wenceslaus. Starting in the late 10thcentury, the mention of Wenceslaus frequently elicited enormous reverence and admiration. Also, the Cult of Wenceslaus flourished a...
The famous Wenceslaus Square in Prague, Czech, features a life-size equestrian statue of Saint Wenceslaus. The square also has other patrons of Bohemia, such as – St. Adalbert, St. Ludmila, St. Prokop and St. Agnes of Bohemia. Over the years, the square has served as a lively spot for numerous social events, as well as a vibrant place for demonstra...
But Vladislas soon died, and Wenceslas lost Austria. After suppressing a Bohemian revolt in 1248–49, however, he finally forced the Austrian estates to accept his son Přemysl Otakar II as their duke in 1251. Bohemia prospered under Wenceslas’ reign.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Wenceslas II (born Sept. 17, 1271—died June 21, 1305) king of Bohemia from 1278 and of Poland from 1300 who ably ruled his Bohemian kingdom and spread his influence not only into Poland but also into Hungary. Succeeding to the throne at the age of seven on the death of his father, Přemysl Otakar II, in 1278, Wenceslas lived at the court of ...
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
His childhood and early adulthood. Born in 907, Wenceslas was a member of the Přemysl dynasty that would rule Bohemia from the ninth century to 1306. His father was the founder of the Přemyslids, Bořivoj I, the duke of Bohemia from 870 to 889 who installed Christian values in his son.
Feb 22, 2024 · Son of the Holy Roman emperor Charles IV, Wenceslas was crowned king of Bohemia in 1363 and king of the Romans in 1376, proving a largely incompetent ruler after his father’s death in 1378.
Good King Wenceslas, known historically as Wenceslaus I, Duke of Bohemia, was born around 907 AD in the Kingdom of Bohemia, part of the present-day Czech Republic. His early life was set against a backdrop of significant political and religious upheaval, as Christianity was beginning to take root in a region previously dominated by pagan beliefs.