Family History Research-Deitz Family Line
Saint Wenceslaus I, Duke of Bohemia
Almost everyone has heard the Christmas Carol titled "Good King Wenceslaus" at one time or another
Researching my family tree and delving into my Deitz ancestry the other day, I came across an ancestral 32nd great grandfather by the name of Boleslaus I of the DynastyPřemyslid in Bohemia.
My 32nd Great Grandfather Boleslaus I
My 32nd great grandfather lived from 915-972 A.D. He was the ruler of the duchy of Bohemia and ruled from Prauge (now part of the Czech Republic). His family and descendants ruled this area of Europe from about 850 until the early 1300s.
The royal line ended in 1306 with the death of King Wenceslaus III. The Bohemian throne went to the Luxembourgs, and the Polish throne returned to the Piasts.
There was a brother of this Bohemian duke who was my ancestral great grandfather, who lived from 907-935. His name was Wenceslaus.
Boleslaus and Wenceslaus were the sons of Vratislaus I of Bohemi & Drahomíra, a Hevellian princess. His father took over the rule in Prague around the time of Boleslav's birth, during which he had to deal with both the exertion of influence by the East Frankish dukes of Bavaria and Saxony and the Magyar incursions.
So lets go on to Meet my 33rd Great uncle...
The real story behind the carol Good King Wenceslaus
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| Statue of Wenceslaus in Prauge |
Good King Wenceslaus may be one of the most popular carols ever written – but the story behind it is bizarre and gruesome.
The man we know as ‘Good King Wenceslaus’ was actually Wenceslaus I, Duke of Bohemia. He was also known as Vaclac the Good, or Svatý Václav in Czech and lived from c.907 to 28 September 935.
And the reason we have his exact date of death is that he was assassinated – on the orders of his brother, appropriately named Boleslaus the Cruel.{My 32nd Great Grandfather}
Wenceslaus I (Czech: Václav [ˈvaːtslaf]; c. 907 – September 28, 929 or 935), or Wenceslas I, was duke (kníže) of Bohemia from 921 until his assassination in 935, purportedly in a plot by his own brother, Boleslav the Cruel.[1] His martyrdom, and the popularity of several biographies, quickly gave rise to a reputation for heroic goodness, resulting in his being elevated to sainthood, (the only Czech Saint celebrated in the Roman Catholic Pantheon of Saints) posthumously declared king by Pope Otto I, and seen as the patron saint of the Czech state.[1][2]
Family
Wenceslas was son of Vratislaus I, Duke of Bohemia from the Přemyslid dynasty.[1]{Vratislaus would be my 33rd Great Grandfather}
His father was raised in a Christian milieu through his own father, Bořivoj I {My 34th Gret Grndfather} of Bohemia, who was purportedly converted by Saints Cyril and Methodius. His mother Drahomíra {My 33rd Great Grandmother} was the daughter of a pagan tribal chief of Havolans and was baptized at the time of her marriage, though her devotion to paganism persisted to the point where Wenceslas reportedly sent her out of the country, following the murder of Wenceslas' grandmother.[1][2]
Wenceslas was most likely not born in Prague but in one of the other Přemyslid castles since at the time of his birth his uncle Spytihněv I{My 34th Great Uncle} ruled in Prague and non-ruling members of the family customarily lived in other castles of the territory. His birth year of 907 to 908 is estimated from the year his father became duke in 915. In the same year he had Václav's hair cut in a ritual usually reserved for 7 year old sons of the ruling elite.[3]
Wenceslas father died when he was young, and he was most influenced in his youth by his father's mother, his grandmother, St. Ludmila.[4] {My 34th Great Grandmother} She taught him Slavonic and Latin, as well as how to make the bread and wine for mass.[2] Her influence would shape his entire life.
Václav was most likely married but no details are known about his wife or possible children. According to an Old Church Slavonic legend he had a son Zbraslav with a concubine.[5]
Young 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 baptized before she was married.
When young Wenceslas’ father died there was a power vacuum: the young boy’s mother was banished and his grandmother killed by assassins – it’s said she was strangled with her own veil.
But once the dust had settled, the people of Bohemia decided they’d like Wenceslas to be their ruler. His mother ruled as regent until young Wenceslas reached the age of 18… at which point he promptly banished her.
And when he came of age he banished his mother. To try and avoid disputes, the country was split in two and half given to Wenceslas’ younger brother, Boleslaus.
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| Statue of Saint Wenceslaus in St. Vitus Cathedral, Prague. The head of the statue apparently fits the measurements of Wenceslaus's skull. |
His assassination
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 canonized, this day was made his Saint’s Day.
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| Wenceslaus flees from his brother who is wielding a sword, but the priest closes the door of the church (from Gumpold's Codex) |
After his death
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 deeds I think you know better than I could tell you; for, as is read in his Passion, no one doubts that, rising every night from his noble bed, with bare feet and only one chamberlain, he went around to God’s churches and gave alms generously to widows, orphans, those in prison and afflicted by every difficulty.”
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| Cardinal Miloslav Vlk with the skull of Saint Wenceslaus during a procession on 28 September 2006 |
The legend
There’s also a brilliant legend attached to the statue of St Wenceslas in Wenceslaus Square in Prague.
The story goes that if the Czech Republic is in danger, the statue of King Wencelaus will come to life, raise a sleeping army and reveal a legendary sword to bring peace to the land.
The carol
So there’s something to think about next time you sing Good King Wenceslas.
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 become one of the best loved carols ever written – and was even performed by The Beatles.
The lavish 1930 silent film St. Wenceslas was at the time the most expensive Czech film ever made.
Ogden Nash wrote a comic epic poem, "The Christmas that Almost Wasn't" (1957), in which a boy awakens Wenceslaus and his knights to save the kingdom of Lullapat from usurpers who have outlawed Christmas, with elements from the legend of Wenceslas.[27]
The 1994 television film, Good King Wenceslas, is a highly fictional account of his early life. The film stars Jonathan Brandis in the title role, supported by Leo McKern, Stefanie Powers, and Joan Fontaine as Ludmila.[28]
My Family Lineage to "Good King Wencelsaus
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