One of the most famous novels in the world, Dracula has influenced global pop culture and spawned horror movies, TV shows, graphic novels and more. Its main character is inspired by a real-life 15th century king named Vlad the Impaler. So were there really lifelike vampires back then? Well, not exactly.
Vladimir III Dracula was the prince or “governor” of the Hungarian territory of Wallachia at the end of the 14th century. During this time, the Holy Roman Empire, led by the Pope, was at war with the Muslim Ottoman Empire. Wallachia was drawn into the conflict due to its strategic location on the southern border with Turkey.
As Vlad III. At the age of 11, he and his younger brother Radu became hostages of the Ottoman Sultan Murad II to prevent their father Vlad II from attacking Turkey. They were well treated and raised by Murad’s son, the future Emperor Mehmet II, but held captive for many years.
Vlad focused on taking back his rightful throne. He succeeded three times, despite much bloodshed and betrayal. Many leaders were in awe of Vlad III’s strict moral code and fighting skills. The Vlach admired him, especially the lower classes, as a just and honest leader. He also murdered thousands of people with brutal brutality, loved to impale his enemies, and named him Vlad the Impaler.
During his second reign, Vlad began to show his true brutal nature. He ordered the execution of thousands of Valachiboyals (nobles), impaling them on stakes and leaving them to bleed to death, a slow and gruesome death, to ensure public order. Vladimir III also invaded Transylvania in the north and raided Ottoman territories in the south, impaling thousands or burning them at home. In 1462, he surprised the invading Sultan Mehmet II, son of Murad II and a longtime childhood friend of Vlad, who encountered a field of impaled Turkish men while attacking the capital Wallachia , women and children of the forest, more than 20,000 of them surrounded the city. The Sudan quickly retreated.
Obviously, Vlad III. Is a ruler who has a deep understanding of how to rule his people. Eventually, his brother Radu, loyal to the Ottoman Empire, conquered Wallachia, and Vlad remained a Hungarian captive for 12 years. He ascended the throne of Wallachia for the third time, but died in battle shortly afterwards.
For most of his life, rumors of his brutal reputation spread throughout Europe. Stories are passed on and embellished, blurring fact and fiction about who Vlad III was. Who was Dracula and how did he live his life.
400 years later, in 1897, Bram Stoker borrowed Vlad’s name and, inspired by his bloodthirsty ways, wrote the classic vampire novel Dracula. Now Romania’s national hero, Vlad the Impaler lives in disgrace due to his fascinating life – and a literary vampire – the Impaler.
