Origins of The Good King Wenceslas Carol 

Because it's taught to young kids that get paid in gifts.

Speak for yourself.

In the Czech Republic it's the other way round - everyone knows Saint Wenceslas but hardly anyone knows there's an English carol about him 😀

Reading the Czech version is a challege (Czech isn't my first language, my Czech wife helped) but I noticed the similarities. They even have the part about the paige following in the footsteps of the king.

Yeah don't worry as a, sure lets say "native" Czech speaker it's hard for me to read as well.

I'm Czech and this is my favourite christmas carol.

@@MLaserHistory I walk by every day effectively and I'm a student of literature and history education, so I've got no excuses to not do that. Also the new National Museum building is the old Federal Assembly of Czechoslovakia, and its bad credit for me to say that I've never visited it :)

Here it is for download. Pardon my photo quality (link at the end), the librarian did not allow me to scan it (the book was sewed together with other non related ones quite poorly). I'll transcribe it in Czech for those who can't read the old Fraktur typeface (the foreword at the end cause many will not be interested). Also left the Václav spelling how it was, because syllables had to match on the beginning - otherwise i made it readable for todays Czech user. Svatý Václav a Podivín legenda od V. A. Svobody, c. a k. humanitního učitele na Malostranském gymnáziu výnos připadne vyhořelým obyvatelům městyse Dešného v Táborském kraji prodává se, bez obmezení dobročinnosti, za 3 kr. stř. I. Temná noc jest, hvězdy bodré Na obloze svítí modré, Zemčan denním trudem mdlý Klidně na svém loži spí. Wáceslaw jen slavný kníže, Na pobožný slib je víže, Jako denně, z lože vstal, By se na modlitbu bral. K oknu stoupí, blatí ledu Strnulá se jeho hledu Příroda ukazuje, V níž jen sever lomcuje. Vlídným okem vše obzírá; Praha tu se rozprostírá Pod hradem položená, Ledem, sněhem stížená. Vlídně tam na chýšky patří, Kdežto chudí bydlí bratří, (Na) ty na chatrče zří, (not sure anymore) Pojme jej milosrdí. "Zdali sen svou blahou slastí "Ubohých těch kojí strasti, "Ujmiž srdce ztrápená "Jako jsou obtížená? "Jakým želem svá děťátka, "Milená ta neviňátka "Hladem nýti zírají, "An ni soustka nemají! "A co v zimním trpí času, - "Kdož to pomní bez úžasu - "An životohubný mráz "Na ně vtírá ráz co ráz? "Na tom jest jim v pomoc spěti? "Nemám otcem svých být dětí? "Nač mi Bohem dána moc, "Než bych jim byl na pomoc? "Srdce láskou k bližním čilé "Jest nade vše Bohu milé. "Laskavě se k bratřím měj, "K Bohu bohuděk tak zej!" "Máš tu hody slavit se mnou, "Jež si v tiše ustrojím; "Mne provázej nocí temnou, Ať bol bratří ukojím. "Větším darem, větších díků "Jak potajmo dojdeme. "Pojdiž se mnou služebníku, "Oba s více budeme." - II "Podivíne, služebníku, "Z lože vstaň, ven půjdeme. "Jak ten havran poustenníku "Nuzným krm poneseme. "Dřívím též je zásobíme; "Drev teď víc než pokrmu "Potřebují, zavděčíme "Tím jim za těch zimních dnů. "Naneseme v noci temné, "Čeho jen si žádají: "Až pak svitne jitro jemné, "Kdo to zděl, nepoznají. "Krušno jest ti v noční době "Nespat a se namahat. "Útěchou však bude tobě, "Žes mohl bližním pomahat. "Rozkoš jest ti slzy stříti "Sklíčeným a hojit strast; "Máš jí teď účasten býti, "Se mnou dělit máš tu slast. III Za bouře noční šumot nedbajíce, An luna je a hvězdy zírají, Od domu k domu dary donášíce I Kněz i Sluha se odbírají. (Kněz = Kníže) Tu drva i co víc jim zapotřebí, Nuzáčkům oněm na práh skládají, A jejich radost, až pak na ponebí Se zora zdvihne, v duchu třímají. Podíl svůj stejný křesťan tu dostává Jak pohan, ctitel Prona šílený. (Prona = Peruna?) Za své a Boha za děti uznává Je oba Kníže zbožně nadšený. Jak semo tamo hojné dary nesou, Všech nuzných laskavě poděkují. Tu však se Podivínu oudy třesou, Tuhým uvondán mrazem jinoch mdlí. Jej Wácslaw uzřev zimou trnoucího Junoše vlídným srdcem litoval, A Boha o pomoc všemohoucího, By strvat mohl ve dobročinstvu, zval: "Nech Pane ve tvém zákonu mne státi, "Nech spásou bratrů být mne ubohých! "I sluze mému rač svou sílu sláti, "By slov mně pomahal vyplnit tvých!" "Tuší-tě, že jej vyslyšalo nebe, I ptá se: "Chřadneš, milý druhu můj? "Zotav se mužně! Pakli tebe zebe, "V mé šlaky za mnou nohy postavuj!" - (probably typing error - "šlapy") Uposlechl onen; páně do šlépěje, Jak Wácslaw káže, staví nohu svou, I aj tu teplo jemu nohy hřeje, Necítí již moc zimy drastivou. Kdo zbožně zákon lásky vykonává, Jejž lidstvu hlásal ctný Vykupitel, Zázračnou sílu jemu Božství dává: Protož buď chválen Bůh náš spasitel! The photos are downloadable here: uloz.to/!BUVXtFjE28lm/svaty-wacslav-a-podiwin-rar

The foreword is a dedication to Dešná town in Tábor region, which burned three times in a row the year before publication of this book (so in 1846). The book wa printed out by the Prague archbishoprical printing house on Archbishops funds, as a charity gift. The money it got from selling was to used for the town citizes it seems. I'll rewrite it fully just to be sure: Městys Dešný, v Táborském kraji, s chudými již i před tím obyvateli, minulého roku do dvou měsíců třikráte, totiž 26. a 29. srpna, pak 12. září ohněm náramně uchvácen, téměř celý s kostelem a s farou popelem lehl, až na nejchudší, stranou po různu ležící chatrče. Nevyslovná zajisté tam panuje bída, a ubozí vyhořelci - pro chudobu své malicherné jmění již ani ujistiti nemohouce - pomoc jen od Boha a pro Bůh od bližních laskavých mohou očekávati. V pomoc jim přispěti, ano - co v tom právě osoby a věci stavu mnohem chvalitebnější - spolu mnoha bratřím příležitosti podati žádaje, by tohoto skutku bohulibé lásky k bližnímu i skrovným své postatě přiměrným dárkem účastni býti, ním ubohých vyhořelců díky a zalíbení Páně sobě získati mohli, *Jeho Knížecí Milost náš všem velectěný Arcipastýř*, tuto Legendu, a ouplný výnos, co se pak ní strží, sám náklad tisku dobrotivě přejma, darem lásku k bližním nebohým vyhořelým Dešňanům věru lidumilným a o spásu duší pečlivému Pastýři přístojným zámyslem věnovati ráčil. Legenda sama, příkladem svatého patrona vlasti naší osvědčujíc, jak rodnělidská a přesněkřesťanská dobročinno(st), a láska k bližnímu Bohu milá jest, k tomu skutku lásky povzbuzuje. Doufáme tedy, že mnoho lidomilů všelikého stavu odbíráním jí tu šlechetnému tomu oučelu přispějí, ubohým bratřím svou slitovnou lásku činně proukáží, a zalíbení Bohu, jenž pramen svaté lásky jest, sobě tím dobudou, k čemu jeho požehnání budiž nápomocno. W. A. Swoboda The last sentence is an appeal for the readers to act in a way helpful to others, as the saint patron himself once did, by purchasing the legend themselves.

It is crazy how i felt while reading this. It really was like I knew most of what would be happening, only written in such archaic style I had more trouble with it. I absolutely agree that there must be some unrecognized 'inspiration' on Neales part - and I'd say this deserves a proper comparatory work. Say, do you plan on publishing these findings?

That archaic style - i think a majority of todays Czech users will have troubles understanding it too, so don't worry about it :D The word order is jumbled, the verbs are often in transgressives (almost dead verb form today), adjectives are detached from nouns completely (i think that's a Latin thing), the words themselves are sometimes barely recognizable... It's been about 170 years after all.

Where did you acquire this information about the history/story of King Wenceslas?

@@bobritchie4067 Hi! This part about the life and miracles of Podiwin comes from the Christianslegende / Kristiánova legenda. The author (a so called monk Christian) dedicates the whole 9th chapter to Podiwin and my comment here is basicaly the 9th chapter re-told 😊 I am not sure if you can aquire the source text in English; however, there is surely a version in German, as well as the original Latin text.

It started with a good Christmas king, and ended with a bath murder. Very dramatic.

@@allanturmaine5496 those were simpler times 😅 And btw thanks to everyone who stopped by to read this medieval thriller 😁

lol

I just liked my own comment so there you go Google love actually good king wenclas we rock this shit we turned it into the Beatles Christmas thing

Yeah it's great, thank you :) Now if my add revenue was half of what everyone else is I might actually be able to do this full time someday.

Yeah, I find that out later thanks to Military History Visualized.

LoL thank you but no need for such actions. It was something, definitely didn't know how far I'll have to go to actually find out the truth when I started and ones I was on the path I already spent way too much time on the video so I might as well finish it. However there was genuinely a part of the script for a while which ended with me not finding the original, because I truly thought I wont be able to find it.

Well for our collective enjoyment, and your own curiosity, I am glad you eventually succeeded! Will definitely put more to your Patreon when I have the spare cash!!

@Scientific Humanist Not by the author of the video, but by the guy who popularized the english version

@Scientific Humanist I agree with you. I meant it as more of a joke :)

I mean sure, could be a possibility but I doubt it. The original poem made by Vaclav was made to raise money for an area of Prague that got destroyed during a fire. He even mentions this at the start of the poem. I find it kind of hard to believe that the poem he made to raise money for charity would be just a copy of a previous poem. It may have been a written down version of a past down oral story but that would constitute a different thing than just completely copying an older work. Also considering that there are multiple works pointing to the fact that the English poem is a copy of the Czech one but no other writing mentions the Czech one is a copy of an even earlier work means it would be unlikely.

www.patreon.com/file?h=23406174&i=3015576 Read the description next time.

"the music was composed by the Czech musician Jaromír Vejvoda in 1927" text was made by Vašek Zeman in 1934. Well it was on wikipedia :D. As a czech i am actualy really suprised that it is so worldwide, i didn't know.

Anglickou verzi složil také pan Vejvoda.

"Cool idea bro" but these are not my "beliefs", I have access (through the Bodleian) to all of the libraries databases I have mentioned in the video. I am also allowed to show them and use them in my research, that's literally the point of the library database. Plus all of the books you can look at on "google books" or any other library database are scanned pictures of the books, they are literally the books. Everything I have presented in this video is 100% accurate and can be found online as well as in a physical form in the library. If you don't believe me one of my fans actually went to the Prague Library and took pictures of the original poem which was exactly the same as the one I showed. Being cynical of sources is fine but completely dismissing them is unhelpful to anyone trying to progress the understanding of history. (link to the pictures- www.patreon.com/posts/czech-version-of-23824282)

@@MLaserHistory - I have no issue with what you specifically presented in your video. I think it is exceptional that someone has broken the web, so to speak, and come up with something that looks so credible despite it being so hard to find any original sources on the web. You've done a fantastic job and it somewhat puts to shame those who refer to this carol as simply a traditional carol. I was simply echoing your own frustrations during your search for the origin of the carol.

He was posthumously crowned as a king.

@@MLaserHistory i don't mean it in a mean way but what arw your sources on this. Wherever you search for him, he is always listed as dux not rex

​@@zdendaf3216 If you read any book about him it mentions it, even Wikipedia mentions it. It's a very well known fact that "Otto I posthumously conferred onto him the regal title". If you want a source in a book than here you go, but as stated, it's pretty much written everywhere. Antonín, Robert, and Sean Mark. Miller. The Ideal Ruler in Medieval Bohemia. East Central and Eastern Europe in the Middle Ages, 450-1450 44. Leiden ; Boston, 2017. p. 73.

I mean it's an English version of a Czech name Vaclav so technically it's all wrong. But yeah it's Wence ... Slaus, it's just my accent got in the way.

@@MLaserHistory I might be thinking of the way it is sung as opposed to the way it's spoken.