Saint Wenceslaus

Life story

Wenceslaus was born around 907 into the Přemyslid dynasty that ruled Bohemia. His father, Duke Vratislaus, was Christian, and his grandmother Ludmila played a large part in his early education. After Vratislaus died, Ludmila was killed around 921 in a struggle for influence at court, and Wenceslaus's mother Drahomíra held the regency for a time.

Wenceslaus took power as a young man, probably in the mid-920s. He supported the Church, brought priests into the country, and had a church dedicated to St Vitus built at Prague Castle. Facing the military pressure of the German king Henry the Fowler, he agreed to pay tribute, a policy that kept Bohemia at peace but displeased some of the nobles.

Wenceslaus was killed around 935, although some historians prefer 929. According to traditional accounts, his younger brother Boleslaus invited him to a feast at Stará Boleslav, and the next morning, on his way to church, Wenceslaus was attacked. Boleslaus took the ducal throne.

Honour for Wenceslaus began almost at once. His remains were moved to the church of St Vitus in Prague, and within a few decades biographies of him were circulating in Latin and Old Church Slavonic. He became the central heavenly figure of the Czech lands and is patron of Bohemia. A medieval Czech hymn to him is still sung. The English Christmas carol Good King Wenceslas, written in the nineteenth century, borrows his name, but its story is not historical.

Works and witness

• Ruled Bohemia from around the mid-920s
• Had the church of St Vitus built at Prague Castle
• Kept peace by paying tribute to King Henry of Germany
• Murdered by his brother around 935
• Revered as patron of Bohemia and the Czech Republic

Patron of

Czech Republic, Bohemia

Saints from the same country

Saint John Neumann, Saint Adalbert of Prague, Saint John of Nepomuk, Saint Ludmila

References

• Martyrologium Romanum
• Legenda Christiani (Life of Saints Wenceslaus and Ludmila)
• Dicastery for the Causes of Saints – biographical profile

Written by Anawim from documented history. Some details about ancient saints rest on tradition and are marked as such.