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Wenceslaus IV (also Wenceslas; Czech: Václav; German: Wenzel, nicknamed "the Idle"; [1] 26 February 1361 – 16 August 1419), also known as Wenceslaus of Luxembourg, was King of Bohemia from 1378 until his death and King of Germany from 1376 until he was deposed in 1400.
Wenceslas was a German king and, as Wenceslas IV, king of Bohemia. His weak and tempestuous, though eventful, reign was continually plagued by wars and princely rivalries that he was unable to control, plunging his territories into a state of virtual anarchy until he was stripped of his powers.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Even though most people know his name from the famous Christmas carol, Good King Wenceslas remains a rather unknown historical figure. But, while this Bohemian king, who reigned in the 10th century, became a symbol of benevolence and Christian virtue, his true story is far more complex and intriguing.
He was elected king of the Romans in 1376, and after his father's death in 1378, German king. Despite Charles's attempt to prepare him for his royal duties, Wenceslaus further complicated the social, political, and religious problems of Bohemia by his unstable and violent temper.
Dec 8, 2022 · Was Wenceslas a king? The first thing to say about the real Wenceslas is that he was not actually a king, but Duke of Bohemia. The Holy Roman Emperor Otto I bestowed the more prestigious title on him posthumously, as well as being made patron saint of the Czech nation.
Dec 7, 2023 · (1361–1419) Wenceslaus (also Wenceslas; Czech: Václav; German: Wenzel) was King of Bohemia from 1363 and German King from 1376.
found: Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages, 2002, viewed online 18 November 2013 (Wenceslas IV of Bohemia (1361-1419); eldest son of the Emperor Charles IV, crowned as king of the Romans (1376-1400) in his father's lifetime and sovereign at his [father's] death in 1378; brother of King Sigismund of Hungary; deposition as emperor, 20 Aug 1400; King ...
