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Learn about Vlad III, a 15th-century ruler of Wallachia who was known for his cruelty and impalement of enemies. Find out how he became a historical and literary figure, and the origin of his name Dracula.
Jul 29, 2024 · Vlad the Impaler (born 1431, Sighișoara, Transylvania [now in Romania]—died 1476, north of present-day Bucharest, Romania) was a voivode (military governor, or prince) of Walachia (1448; 1456–1462; 1476) whose cruel methods of punishing his enemies gained notoriety in 15th-century Europe.
- Richard Pallardy
- Vlad was a voivode (prince) of Walachia (part of modern Romania). Surrounded by enemies that included the Hungarians, the Ottomans, his younger bro...
- Vlad was the second son of Vlad II Dracul. When he was 11 years old, Vlad was sent to the court of the Ottoman sultan Murad II as a hostage. His fa...
- Vlad was a minor player during the early period of Ottoman domination of what is today Romania. He likely would have remained a historical curiosit...
- In 1476 Vlad was ambushed by an Ottoman patrol and killed. He was reportedly decapitated, and his head was sent to the sultan in Constantinople as...
- The Son of The Dragon Is Born
- How Vlad The Impaler Took Power and Embraced Brutality
- The Real Dracula’s Reign of Terror
- The Origins of Bram Stoker’s Dracula
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Because the historical record is often spotty when it comes to the story of Vlad the Impaler (otherwise as known as Vlad III), we know only that he was born between 1428 and 1431 during a time of unrest in Wallachia. His mother, the queen, came from a Moldavian royal family and his father was Vlad II Dracul. The surname translates to “dragon” and w...
In 1448, Vlad returned to Wallachia to take back the throne from Vladislav II, the man who had taken his father’s place. He succeeded, but after just a few months, the deposed Vladislav returned and took back the throne. But in 1456, Vlad returned with an army and support from Hungary and was able to take the throne from Vladislav for a second time...
Vlad the Impaler was an undeniably brutal ruler. Nevertheless, much of Christian Europe supported his strong, if macabre, defense of Wallachia from various incursions from Muslim Ottoman forces. In fact, even Pope Pius II expressed admiration for the notoriously violent ruler’s military feats. A threat to Europe was deemed a threat to Christendom a...
Though Vlad the Impaler’s atrocities are undoubtedly terrifying, how exactly might the “real Dracula” have helped inspire Bram Stoker‘s fictional vampire? The answer might lie with the gory tales of the bloodthirsty monarch’s exploits. According to one legend, Vlad Dracula enjoyed dipping his bread in the blood of his victims, but the authenticity ...
Learn about the brutal and bloody reign of Vlad III, the prince of Wallachia who earned his nickname for impaling his enemies. Discover how his story influenced Bram Stoker's novel Dracula and how he is remembered in Romania today.
- Natasha Ishak
- His family name means “dragon” The name Dracul was given to Vlad’s father Vlad II by his fellow knights who belonged to a Christian crusading order known as the Order of the Dragon.
- He was born in Wallachia, present-day Romania. Vlad III was born in 1431 in the state of Wallachia, now the southern portion of present-day Romania. It was one of the three principalities that made up Romania at the time, along with Transylvania and Moldova.
- He was held hostage for 5 years. In 1442, Vlad accompanied his father and his 7-year-old brother Radu on a diplomatic mission in the heart of the Ottoman Empire.
- His father and brother were both killed. Upon his return, Vlad II was overthrown in a coup orchestrated by local war lords known as the boyar. He was killed in the marshes behind his house while his oldest son, Mircea II, was tortured, blinded and buried alive.
May 15, 2019 · Learn about the 15th-century ruler of Wallachia who inspired the vampire legend of Dracula. Discover his brutal tactics, his conflicts with the Ottomans and Hungarians, and his mysterious death.
Jan 17, 2022 · Learn about the life, legacy, and myths of Vlad III, the ruler of Wallachia who inspired Bram Stoker's Dracula. Discover how he became known as Dracula and The Impaler, and how he fought against the Ottoman Empire.
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Dec 15, 2021 · Vlad the Impaler, also known as Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia, was a 15th-century warlord, in what today is Romania, in south-eastern Europe. Stoker used elements of Vlad's real story for the...