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Rh freedom and with it his authority in Bohemia; and after the death of the German king Rupert in 1410 appears to have entertained hopes of recovering his former throne. Abandoning this idea, however, he voted for the election of Sigismund in 1411, but stipulated that he should retain the title of king of the Romans. His concluding years were disturbed by the troubles which arose in Bohemia over the death of John Huss, and which the vacillating king did nothing to check until compelled by Sigismund. In the midst of these disturbances he died at Prague on the 16th of August 1419. His second wife was Sophia, daughter of John, duke of Bavaria-Munich, but he left no children. Wenceslaus was a capable and educated man, but was lacking in perseverance and industry. He neglected business for pleasure and was much addicted to drunkenness. He favoured the teaching of Huss, probably on political grounds, but exercised very little influence during the Hussite struggle.

See Th. Lindner, Geschichte des deutschen Reiches vom Ende des 14ten Jahrhunderts bis zur Reformation, part i. (Brunswick, 1875–1880), and "Die Wahl Wenzels," in the Forschungen zur deutschen Geschichte, Band xiv. (Göttingen, 1862–1886), F. M. Pelzel, Lebensgeschichte des römischen und böhmischen Königs Wenceslaus (Prague, 1788–1790); F. Palacky, Geschichte von Böhmen, Bände iii. and iv. (Prague, 1864–1874); H. Mau, König Wenzel und die rheinischen Kurfürsten (RostocK, 1887). The article by Th. Lindner in the Allgemeine deutsche Biographie, Band xli should also be consulted for a bibliography, and also the same writer's work. Das Urkundenwesen Karls IV und seiner Nachfolger (Stuttgart, 1882).

WÊN-CHOW-FU, a prefectural city in the province of Cheh-kiang, China, and one of the five ports opened by the Chifu convention to foreign trade, situated (28° 1′ N., 120° 31′ E.) on the south bank of the river Gow, about 20 m from the sea. The population is estimated at 80,000. The site is said to have been chosen by Kwo P'oh ( 276–324), a celebrated antiquary who recognized in the adjacent mountain peaks a correspondence with the stars in the constellation of the Great Bear, from which circumstance the town was first known as the Tow or Great Bear city. Subsequently the appearance in its vicinity of a white deer carrying a flower in its mouth was deemed so favourable an omen as to more than justify the change of its name to Luh or Deer city. Its present name, which signifies the "mild district," and is correctly descriptive of the climate, though not of the inhabitants, was given to it during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644). The walls, which were built in the 10th century, are about 4 m in circumference, 35 ft. in height, and 12 ft broad at the top. The streets are paved with brick and are wide, straight and clean. The gates, seven in number, were erected in 1598. Wên-chow is about 1560 m S S E by road from Peking and 600 m E S E of Hankow. The British consul and the customs outdoor staff occupy foreign-built houses on Conquest Island, which lies abreast of the city. The neighbourhood is hilly and pretty, while opposite the north-west gate Conquest Island forms a picturesque object. The island is, however, more beautiful than healthy. The port, which was opened to foreign trade in 1876, has not justified the expectations which were formed of it as a commercial centre, and in 1908 the direct foreign trade was valued at £19,000 only.

There is no foreign settlement at Wên-chow, and the foreign residents are mainly officials and missionaries. The tea trade of Wên-chow-Fu, formerly important, has declined owing to careless cultivation. A considerable native export trade in wood, charcoal, bamboo, medicines, paper umbrellas, oranges, otter skins and tobacco leaf is carried on. The imports are chiefly cotton yam and piece goods, kerosene oil, palm-leaf fans, aniline dyes, sugar and matches.

WENDEN (Lettish Tseziz), a town of western Russia, in the government of Livonia, 60 m by rail N E of Riga. Pop. (1897) 6327. Here are the well preserved ruins of a former castle of the Brethren of the Sword, afterwards (from 1237) of the grandmaster of the Teutonic Knights. In 1577 the garrison blew it up to prevent it from falling into the hands of Ivan the Terrible of Russia. It was rebuilt, but has been in ruins since a fire in 1748.

 WENDOVER, a market town in the Aylesbury parliamentary division of Buckinghamshire, England, 33 m. N.W. of London by the Metropolitan and the Great Central joint railway. Pop. (1901) 2036. It is picturesquely situated in a shallow defile of the Chiltem Hills, towards their western face. Wendover is a quiet town of no great activity. Its church of St Mary is mainly Decorated, and a few old houses remain.

Wendover (Wendovre, Wandovre, Wendoura) is on the Upper Icknield Way, which was probably an ancient British road, and various traces of a British settlement have been found in the town and neighbourhood. In 1087 the king held the manor of Wendover, and therefore it belonged to the ancient demesne of the crown. There is no trace of any incorporation of the town. Two burgesses were summoned to the parliaments of 1300, 1307 and 1309, but no further returns were made until 1625. In 1832 Wendover lost its right of separate representation. It is noteworthy that John Hampden and Edmund Burke both represented the borough. In 1464 Edward IV. confirmed to his tenants and the residents within the borough the market that they had always held every Thursday For a short period the day was changed to Tuesday, but the market was given up before 1888. Hugh de Gurnay held a fair in Wendover on the eve, feast and morrow of St John the Baptist, granted him in 1214. Another fair was granted to John de Molyns in 1347–1348 on the eve, feast and morrow of St Barnabas, but in 1464 Edward IV. granted two fairs to his tenants and residents in the borough, to be held on the vigils, feasts and morrows of St Matthew and of SS. Philip and James. These fairs have been held without interruption till the present day, their dates being October 2 and May 13.

 WENDS, the name applied by the Germans to the (q.v.) wherever they came in contact with them. It is now used for the (q.v.), for the Germanized  (q.v.) in eastern Hanover, and especially for the Lusatian Wends or  (q.v.). It is first found in Pliny (Venedae) and in English is used by Alfred.

WENDT, HANS HINRICH (1853–), German Protestant theologian, was born in Hamburg on the 18th of June 1853. After studying theology at Leipzig, Göttingen and Tübingen, he became in 1885 professor ordinarius of systematic theology at Heidelberg, and in 1893 was called to Jena. His work on the teaching of Jesus (Die Lehre Jesu, 1886–1890; Eng. trans. of second part, 1892) made him widely known. He also edited several editions (5th to 8th, 1880–1898) of the Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles in H. A. W. Meyer’s series. In May 1904 he delivered two addresses in London on "The Idea and Reality of Revelation, and Typical Forms of Christianity," as the Essex Hall Lectures (published, 1904).

WENLOCK, a municipal borough in the Ludlow and Wellington parliamentary divisions of Shropshire, England, extending on both sides of the river Severn. Pop. (1901) 15,866. It includes the market towns of, and  (q.v). The parish of Madeley includes the small towns of Ironbridge and Coalport, with part of (q.v.). The district is in part agricultural, but contains limestone quarries, some coal-mines and iron- works. The borough is under a mayor, 8 aldermen and 24 councillors. Area, 22,657 acres.

Wenlock (Weneloche) is said to be of pre-Roman origin, but owed its early importance to the nunnery founded c. 680 by St Milburg, daughter of Merewald, king of Mercia. This was destroyed by the Danes but re founded as a priory by Earl Leofric in 1017. It was again deserted after the Conquest until Roger de Montgomery founded a house of the Cluniac order on its site. The town was a borough by prescription, and its privileges began with the grants made to the priory and its tenants. It was incorporated under the name of "Bailiff, Burgesses and Commonalty" by Edward IV in 1468 at the request of Sir John Wenlock, Kt., and "in consideration of the laudable services which the men of the town performed in assisting the king to gain possession of the crown, " and the charter was confirmed in