When you hear the name Dracula, what do you think about? Most people would immediately think of the blood sucking vampire from the popular Bram Stoker novel. The name Dracula stirs fear in many. Visions of thirsty bats circling, searching for life's elixir, biting, infecting, and spawning more to do the same. While many can recall scenes from their favorite horror flick, few know who inspired it all.
Vlad III Tepes (Impaler), born in 1431, was the prince of Wallachia, located in present day Romania. He had three separate reigns that were fueled by terror and cruelty. Vlad used fear to prevent uprisings. His favorite method was to impale his foes upon wooden stakes. This was a very slow and painful death, and stories passed down through Romania's oral tradition tell of instances in which he ate his meals while watching the deaths. That, and his nickname, Draculea, made him the perfect inspiration for Stoker's well-known character. While he was very harsh, he was also considered to be just. In addition, he was able to protect his realm from Ottoman invaders.
The nickname Draculea means descendant of Dracul. While the word in present day Romanian means devil, in fifteenth century Wallachia, Dracul also meant dragon. Vlad II Dracul was named a member of the Order of the Dragon by Emperor Sigismund. The motivation for the Order of the Dragon was to defend Eastern Europe and the Roman Empire against the spread of Islam and invasion by the Ottoman Empire.
While Vlad was born in Wallachia, he grew up in Transylvania as a result of his father's exile from the country. After the assassination of his father in 1447, Vlad was instilled as the puppet ruler of Wallachia. He later fled to Moldavia when Hunyadi invaded.
In 1456 the Ottomans were driven out by the Hungarians allowing Vlad the chance to regain power of Wallachia. This second reign was the longest of his three reigns. Vlad spent his time like the many rulers before him, enacting laws, making appearances, and donating money to the church, his main focus was keeping his power. He took many measures to keep his throne including elimination of the nobility, anarchists, and the princes of nearby countries who sought to overthrow his regime.
The contention between the Ottoman Empire and the Hungarian Kingdom was another threat to Vlad. When Hungary went to war with the Ottomans, Vlad sided with the Hungarians. This eventually led to the captivity of Vlad by Matthias Corvinus. He was sent to Transylvania while his brother, Radu the Handsome, garnered support from the few remaining nobles.
No one knows for certain exactly how long Vlad's imprisonment was, but the general consensus is that it was about twelve years. During this time, he slowly regained the favor of his captors, so much in fact, that he actually married a noble and produced two sons while still being confined. By the time the boys were ten, Vlad had reconquered his native Wallachia. Unfortunately, the Ottomans again attacked shortly after he reclaimed his throne. His subjects were tired of his continuous cruelties, so they refused to fight.
There are varying stories of how Vlad died. Some say he was killed by his own men. While others say he was killed by the Ottomans. Another tale says he was decapitated, and his head was impaled by one of his own stakes. We may never know exactly how Vlad met his demise, but that doesn't detract from his story. No matter how he died, Vlad Draculea Tepes will forever remain a part of our horror lexicon.
