Wenceslas I was the inspiration for the Christmas carol “Good King Wenceslas,” first published in 1853 by English hymnwriter John Mason Neale. Although the real Wenceslas was a 10th-century duke rather than a king, Holy Roman Emperor Otto conferred on him the royal title of “king” posthumously because of his legendary heroic virtues. Like the “good king” of the carol, Wenceslas was hailed as a righteous ruler and was known for his generosity in giving alms to widows, orphans, prisoners, and the poor, which earned him the title “father of all the wretched.”