Wenceslas Assassinated by his Brother Boleslav

It seems to me that Wenceslas did nothing in particular for his people; he concentrated on his part as royal saint and martyr, and was already posing for the statues of himself and the frescoes depicting his good deeds, which later ages produced.

There was little to show for all this prince's good intentions. Pious, indeed, was Wenceslas; he spent a great part of the night in prayer when he should have been recuperating for strenuous work on the following day: there was plenty to do for a country threatened on the one hand by marauding Magyars, on the other by insidious German influence.

"He was in the habit of himself cutting off the wheat and grapes that the priests required to prepare the holy wafers and the wine for the sacrament" - I quote Count Lützow. But, his conception of political economy allowed him to pay a large tribute in exchange for German interference and the remains of a saint.

He lavished money on the Church, whereas strongholds were required in defence of Christendom, and finally he adopted the tonsure. This struck home to the family and made Boleslav's cup of bitterness overflow; he plotted more persistently than ever against Wenceslas.

Another habit of the pious Prince was that of attending Church dedication festivals and their anniversaries, in every part of his dominion. The Church feast of Cosmas and Damian, much patronized by Wenceslas at a little town called Boleslav, was due on September 28th. Wenceslas was invited to attend this function by Brother Boleslav, who resided there.

Boleslav, by this time very weary of his pious brother, sat up with a few friends of his own way of thinking, waylaid Wenceslas, and killed him. This happened in 935, and the 28th of September is still kept sacred to the memory of St. Wenceslas by those who feel inclined that way.

My sympathy with Boleslav does not blind me to the fact that he did wrong in killing his brother.

I am glad to report that Boleslav showed signs of contrition. The town of Boleslav henceforth became distasteful to him, so he quitted it and raised another of the same name.

Stara (Old) Boleslav, where Wenceslas gained his degree of martyrdom, is a sedate little town near the banks of the Labe (known as Elbe in Germany) dozing among orchards and lush meadows and overshadowed by tall elm-trees.

It is by no means a suitable setting for a sensational fratricide; I have been to see the place for myself and consider that the Wenceslas-Boleslav, drama requires a different scenario.

The newer town, Mlada Boleslav (Jung Bunzlau in German) would be much better suited: it stands up high on a rock and looks a likely habitation for an expert in assassination such as was Boleslav, brother of Wenceslas. Instead, it houses the Skoda motor factory.

Despite all Boleslav's efforts, popular opinion has it that Wenceslas is not dead, but fast asleep inside a mountain, making up for nights spent in prayer no doubt.