Wenceslaus I Duke of Bohemia

The eldest son of Duke Vratislav I and his pagan wife Drahomira, Wenceslas became Duke in 919 under the regency of his grandmother Ludmilla. A dispute between the fervently Christian regent and her daughter-in-law drove Ludmilla to seek sanctuary at Tetin Castle near Podebrad, where she was in any case murdered in 921. Drahomira then assumed the regency and according to one source, ruled well - notably in fortifying the Czech border against foreign raiders and suppressing the rival Slavnik clan of Libice.

In 924 or 925 Wenceslas assumed government for himself and had Drahomira exiled. Wenceslas was emersed in the Catholic teachings of Ludmilla, who he arranged to be canonised as the first Czech martyr. The young Duke enthusiastically spread Christianity throughout Bohemia, and founded the Church of St. Vitus (named after a Saxon saint) at Hradcany Hill in Prague.

In 929 Wenceslas became a vassal of the German King Henry I the Fowler, although it remains unclear as to whether this was the result of a voluntary submission or forced upon Wenceslas by a German invasion. Some chroniclers place either the growing German influence, or hostility to Wenceslas' religious policies as the main reason for his death.

Whatever the case, a conspiracy evolved around Wenceslas: younger brother Boleslav and in September 929, Wenceslas was hacked to death at the door of a church in what is now the town of Stara Boleslav. Some records place this death in the year 935, but it seems more likely that Wenceslas' remains were transferred to St Vitus's Church in 932, ruling out the later date for his murder. Reports of miracles beside the tomb led to Wenceslas' canonisation and eventual prominence as the patron saint of the Czech people. The image of Wenceslas clad in armour on horseback in Prague's Vaclav Namesty (Wenceslas Square), however seems rather far-fetched in view of the Duke's lacklustre - if non-existant- military career. He is the 'good King Wenceslas' of the famous Christmas Carol.

Referenced By