Venceslas

Declan Vick Venceslas (Czech king and count of Luxembourg) Venceslas I was the first Duke of Luxembourg. He was born in 1337 and died in 1383 at the young age of 46. His only claim to fame was his position as the first duke, as the rest of his life produced little success. A disclaimer before history is discussed: Venceslas is not the subject of the popular holiday-time carol “Good King Wenceslas.” That particular carol is about Wenceslas I, Duke of Bohemia, who lived in the 900s. Notice the ‘W’ instead of the ‘V’, it’s why they both get a ‘I’.

Venceslas I was born to John the Blind and Beatrice of Bourbon (no, not the liquor). His most famous close ancestor was his grandfather Henry VII, Holy Roman Emperor. Venceslas’ reign over Luxembourg was not a particularly notable or successful. He married Joanna, daughter of a different John, who soon inherited the territories of Brabant and Limburg. Venceslas had to essentially sign a Magna Carta-esque document to guarantee the Brabant would stay loyal. This was because his claim of the territory was somewhat disputed since it came to him through marriage. As a result of the agreement he had to fight against Louis II of Flanders, Joanna’s brother, who also wanted to have claim to Brabant. Venceslas showed his lack of military prowess when he failed to prevent the capture of Brussels. Fortunately, a Brusselaar noblemen, Everard ‘t Serclaes, rallied the citizens who ousted the Flemish from Brussels. However, Venceslas still had a lot of internal conflict to deal with. In 1371, Venceslas again showed how poorly equipped he was to lead the military when he went to war with William II, another duke, and suffered a very humiliating defeat, losing most of his army. Venceslas was then captured and lived for almost a year in captivity. That was the last major event in Venceslas’ rule, and he died in 1383 at the age of 46 from leprosy. He was buried in Belgium, and was succeeded by Wenceslas IV (note the ‘W’). Venceslas’ main claim to fame was his title as the first Duke of Luxembourg, and also the confusion with his name relating to a holiday carol. His reign was punctuated by failure, and unfortunately if Venceslas did accomplish any memorable feats of good, they were poignantly left out of the history books.