My Favorite Carol and a History Lesson (I)

  I have quite a few favorite Christmas songs, but one of my very favorites is "Good King Wenceslaus".  You know that one, right?  The King who goes out to give food, wine, and fire wood to a poor man during a snowstorm?  Yes, that's the guy.  The story of Wenceslaus isn't just something out of a song, you know. Wenceslaus was a real person, and a Saint, no-lessWell, if the words of the song don't do anything for you (and if they don't, check your soul at the door), perhaps you ought to check out the story of the real Wenceslaus, who was the King Duke of Bohemia (in the present-day Czech Republic), in the mid the tenth century.

Wenceslaus succeded to the Dukedom in about 918 A.D., at the age of 15, and was raised by his father and grandmother to be a devout Christian, even though his mother, who became Regent, was a pagan.   After Wenceslaus assumed the throne for himself, he made Christianity the state religion, and engaged in friendly relations with the various German kingdoms... which really pissed off his brother, Boleslav, who had designs on the throne for himself.

Boleslav, not being one to be done out of what he wanted, took drastic measures to usurp his brother's throne.  Conspiring with other dissenting pagans, Boleslav murdered Wenceslaus, in cold blood, while on the way to mass.

Wenceslaus was martyred and was named a Saint in very short order, and his feast day is September 28th.

The song itelf only dates back to the mid 19th century, the lyrics having been paired, in 1853, to music that dates back to the 15th century.

There, don't you feel better?