Wenceslas, St
Wenceslas, St (c.907–29). Bohemian prince and martyr. The son of Duke Wratislaw and Drahomira, he was brought up a Christian by his grandmother, St Ludmilla. After his father's death, he took over the government from his mother in c.922. In pursuit of the religious and cultural improvement of his people he formed friendly links with Germany. This, and pagan opposition to him, led to his murder by his brother Boleslav. He was soon venerated as a martyr, and by the end of the century had come to be regarded as the patron saint of Bohemia. The connection with the carol is one of imagination, not fact.
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Wenceslas, St
