But perhaps the more interesting info on that good boy Wenceslas can be gleaned from Radio Prague's virtual history website. At least this explains the grand relationship between Prague and Rome, eh?:

At the end of the ninth century in Bohemia, the Przemyslid family succeeded in laying the foundations of a Czech state. They did this by ridding themselves of all of the things that were standing in their way, like the Slavnik clan - which the Przemyslids murdered in a particularly bloody manner. You needn't feel too bad for the Slavnik clan, though, as they'd gotten rid of their rivals in the Vrsovec clan using very similar methods just a little while before. That's the real story of how the Przemyslids came to power - the legend of Libuse and Przemysl Plowman tells it differently, of course.

The Przemyslid rulers were a mixed bag, at least at the start of their reign in Bohemia. Wenceslas I, the fourth Przemyslid Czech ruler, was made a saint soon after his murder in 929 or 935. This Wenceslas (in Czech, Vaclav) is the Good King Wenceslas of the Christmas carol, and it was during his reign that the Czech lands entered into an alliance with Saxony, thereby laying the foundations for closer relations with the restored Roman Empire. He was killed by his brother, who wasn't very good - in fact he is known as "Boleslav the Cruel." Boleslav was a pagan, and he felt that Wenceslas was frittering away too much time with this new Christian fashion he'd picked up and also didn't like the alliance his brother had entered into with Saxony. Boleslav and Wenceslas' Grandmother (on their father's side) was also murdered, and also made a saint. It is said that she was either smothered to death with a pillow or choked to death by her daughter-in-law, Boleslav and Wenceslas' mother. Things didn't get much better within the Przemyslid family, and the last Przemyslid ruler, Wenceslas III, was also (probably) murdered. The Przemyslids are remembered well in the Czech Republic today, though, as most people are not aware of the family's murderous streak.

Well, the power of Bohemia under the Przemyslid dynasty increased, prompting expansionist ambitions typical of the early feudal empires. The Przemyslids gained possession of Moravia and Silesia, as well as the upper reaches of the river Vistula and parts of western Slovakia. In Moravia, they set up a system of dukedoms, and Bohemia and Moravia were regarded as hereditary lands of the Przemyslid dynasty. The expansion of the Przemyslid Dynasty's power went hand in hand with the spread of Christianity in the region.

The Przemyslid state maintained its sovereignty, though it formally recognized the feudal supremacy of the Roman-German Empire. The Czech lands ranked among the most advanced of the European feudal states, and weilded considerable influence over the surrounding territory. Evidence of its growing importance was the granting of a royal crown in the eleventh century (made hereditary in 1212 by the Golden Sicilian Bull) and the granting of the title of 'emperor' for Czech rulers.