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Signature. Vlad III, commonly known as Vlad the Impaler ( Romanian: Vlad Țepeș [ ˈ v l a d ˈ ts e p e ʃ]) or Vlad Dracula ( / ˈdrækjʊlə, - jə -/; Romanian: Vlad Drăculea [ ˈ d r ə k u l e̯a]; 1428/31 – 1476/77), was Voivode of Wallachia three times between 1448 and his death in 1476/77. He is often considered one of the most ...
Apr 16, 2024 · Vlad was the second of four brothers born into the noble family of Vlad II Dracul. His sobriquet Dracula (meaning “son of Dracul”) was derived from the Latin draco (“dragon”) after his father’s induction into the Order of the Dragon, created by Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund for the defense of Christian Europe against the Ottoman Empire .
- Richard Pallardy
- How did Vlad the Impaler become famous?Vlad was a voivode (prince) of Walachia (part of modern Romania). Surrounded by enemies that included the Hungarians, the Ottomans, his younger bro...
- What was Vlad the Impaler’s childhood like?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...
- How did Vlad the Impaler change the world?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...
- How did Vlad the Impaler die?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...
Vlad III, commonly known as Vlad the Impaler or Vlad Dracula, was Voivode of Wallachia three times between 1448 and his death in 1476/77. He is often considered one of the most important rulers in Wallachian history and a national hero of Romania.
Vlad III, who had chafed at life in the Ottoman court, returned to Walachia in 1448 and, at age 17, immediately began working to regain the voivodate (princedom) of Walachia. He exacted vengeance against the boyars who had killed his father and brother, impaling many of them. This would earn Vlad the sobriquet “Țepeș” (“the Impaler”).
Vlad was very likely born in the city of Sighişoara in Transylvania, then a part of the Kingdom of Hungary, during the winter of 1431. Sighişoara was a military fortress at that time. He was born as the second son to his father Vlad Dracul. He had an older brother, Mircea, and a younger brother, Radu the Handsome.
The Order of the Dragon ( Latin: Societas Draconistarum, literally "Society of the Dragonists") was a monarchical chivalric order only for selected higher aristocracy and monarchs, [1] founded in 1408 by Sigismund of Luxembourg, who was then King of Hungary and Croatia (r. 1387–1437) and later became Holy Roman Emperor (r. 1433–1437).
