6.2.1228 - Wenceslas I was crowned King of Bohemia.

Wenceslas I was the twenty-eighth Premyslid to the throne. His father Přemysl Otakar I initiated him into the duties of ruler from his childhood. He was aware that the future King of Bohemia was a gifted young man, but at the same time a profligate indulger. The coronation took place on 6 February 1228.

Wenceslas was then twenty-eight years old. The coronation took place while Přemysl Otakar I was still alive. On the one hand, he was very attached to his mother and siblings. He even took advice on how to rule from his mother and sister Agnes, who was declared a saint in 1989. But at the same time, he often ran away from home and felt best in the woods during hunting. On one such adventure, he lost an eye. He probably gouged it out when a branch snapped at him. From then on, they called him Wenceslas I. One-Eyed.

In history books, he is also described as an oddball who changed moods quickly. Apparently, he was neurotic. He also hated the ringing of bells and had terrible headaches and convulsive fits. It's quite possible he had epilepsy. Wherever he went, you weren't allowed to ring the bells. Like a good knight, he could also recite poems and fight in tournaments. He promoted the Gothic style, which made the Bohemian kingdom more widely known in Europe.

His wife was Kunhuta of Stauff, daughter of the Roman-German king Philip of Swabia and the Byzantine princess Irene. "She did not meddle much in the reign. She was more of a homebody, taking care of her children, of whom she had five. One daughter died, her daughter unknown. There were sons Vladislav and Přemysl Otakar, daughters Božena or Beatrix and Agnes. Kunhuta was five years older than her husband, but they got along well. They got engaged when Kunhuta was seven and Václav was only two," he writes in his book entitled Czech Monarchs Were Only Human Too.

Václav I did not take the reigns until 1230, after his father's death, and remained at the helm of the Czech kingdom for 23 years. He had to deal with conflicts with Austria, where he clashed with the controversial Duke of Babenberg. He helped Emperor Frederick II, who imposed an imperial curse on the Austrian nobleman. Vienna then welcomed the Bohemian monarch because he rid her of the hated rapist. Wenceslas I also accepted the call for a joint defence against his Mongol adversaries. He defeated the Tatars in Kladsko, where he fought them and prevented their advance on Vienna. It was then that the legend of the Czech king who saved Europe was born.

However, he neglected his duties at home, which angered the Bohemian nobility and his son Přemysl, who was crowned young king against his father's wishes. Wenceslas sought support in Austria and Germany. Eventually he forced his son to reconcile. Václav died at the age of 48 and is buried in the Agnes Monastery in Prague, František, alongside his sister Agnes.

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