Who was king wenceslaus and when is the feast of Stephen?
“Good King Wenceslaus looked out, on the feast of Stephen.” Most people know the Christmas carol about the good king who took food and firewood to a poor peasant during the winter holidays. But they may not know the story behind the song, the story of a Bohemian duke plagued by political intrigue, family feuding, and murder. “King” Wenceslaus wasn’t really a king at all, but the Duke of Bohemia, which is now part of the present-day Czech Republic. When he was born in A.D. 903, Bohemia still struggled between Christianity and paganism. Wenceslaus’ father was a Christian and his mother, Drahomira, was a pagan. Wenceslaus chose to follow his father’s religion, while his brother, Boleslaus, chose to follow his mother’s beliefs. Wenceslaus succeeded his father as Duke of Bohemia when he was only 15. Because he was so young, his mother served as regent. One of her first acts was to prohibit Christianity. She even murdered Wenceslaus’ grandmother, because she was the one who taught her son to
