Few names have cast more fear into the human heart than Count Dracula. Created by author Bram Stoker in his 1897 novel of the same name, the legendary vampire Vlad the Impaler has inspired countless horror films, television shows, and other gory tales about vampires.
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Although Dracula is a purely fictional creation, Stoker called him the infamous character of a real person who had a taste for blood: Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia, or, as he is better known, Vlad the Impaler. The morbid nickname is evidence of the Wallachian Prince's favorite way of leaving his enemies.
According to historians who have studied the connection between Stoker's vampires and Vlad III, there is nothing to do with Dracula.
Count Dracula: the real story
By and large, Vlad the Impaler (Vlad III) was born in 1431 in what is now Transylvania, the central region of modern Romania. However, the connection between Vlad the Impaler and Transylvania is unwavering, according to Florin Kerta, a professor of medieval history and archeology at the University of Florida.
"[Stoker's] Dracula is associated with Transylvania, but the real historical Dracula - Vlad III - never owned anything in Transylvania," Kerta said in Live Science. She added that Bran Castle, a modern tourist attraction in Transylvania often referred to as Dracula's castle, was never the residence of a Wallachian prince.
“Because the castle is in the mountains in this foggy area and it looks intimidating, this is what you would expect from Dracula’s castle,” Kerta said. “But he [Vlad III] didn’t live there, he didn’t even set foot there.”
Vlad III's father, Vlad II, had a residence in Sighisoara, Transylvania, but it is not certain that Vlad III was born there, according to Kerta. It is also possible, she said, that Vlad the Impaler was born in Targovishte, which at the time was the royal seat of the Principality of Wallachia, where his father was "voivode" or ruler.
Tourists can visit one castle where Vlad III certainly spent time. At around age 12, Vlad III and his brother were imprisoned in Turkey. In 2014, archaeologists discovered the likely location of the dungeon, according to Smithsonian magazine. Tokat Castle is located in northern Turkey. It is an eerie place with secret tunnels and dungeons currently under restoration and open to the public.
In this painting, "Vlad the Impaler and the Turkish Envoys" by Theodor Aman (1831-1891) allegedly depicts a scene in which Vlad III Order of the Dragon
In 1431 King Sigismund of Hungary, who later became Holy Roman Emperor, inducted the elder Vlad into a knightly order, the Order of the Dragon. This designation brought Vlad a new surname: Dracul. The name comes from the old Romanian word for dragon, "draco". His son, Vlad III, would later be known as "son of Dracula" or, in old Romanian, Draculea, hence Dracula. In modern Romanian, the word "drak" refers to another fearsome creature, the devil, Kerta said.
According to Elizabeth Miller's Dracula: Feeling and Nonsense, in 1890 Stoker read a book about Wallachia. Although he did not mention Vlad III, Stoker was struck by the word "Dracula". He wrote in his notes: "In the Wallachian language means the Devil." Therefore, it is likely that Stoker chose to name his hero Dracula for the word's diabolical associations.
The theory that Vlad III and Dracula were the same person was developed and popularized by historians Radu Florescu and Raymond T. McNally in their 1972 book In Search of Dracula. Although not accepted by all historians, the thesis has captured the public imagination, according to The New York Times.
The Order of the Dragon was dedicated to a single task: the defeat of the Turkish or Ottoman Empire. Situated between Christian Europe and the Muslim lands of the Ottoman Empire, Vlad II's (and later Vlad III's) princely principality of Wallachia was often the site of bloody battles as Ottoman forces pushed west into Europe and Christian forces repelled the invaders.
years of captivity
When Vlad II was summoned to a diplomatic meeting in 1442 with the Ottoman sultan Murad II, he brought his young sons Vlad III and Radu with him. But the meeting was actually a trap: all three were arrested and held hostage. The elder Vlad was released on the condition that he leave his sons.
“The Sultan held Vlad and his brother as hostages for their father, Vlad II, to commit his forces to the ongoing war between Turkey and Hungary,” said Miller, research historian and professor emeritus at Memorial University of Newfoundland in Canada.
Under the Ottomans, Vlad and his younger brother were trained in science, philosophy, and the arts. Vlad also became a skilled horseman and warrior, according to Radu Florescu and Raymond McNally, former history professors at Boston College who wrote several books about Vlad III, as well as his alleged connection to Stoker's Dracula, in the 1970s and 1980s.
“They were treated fairly well by the current standards of the day,” Miller said. However, [the capture] annoyed Vlad, while his brother seemed to agree and went over to the Turkish side. But Vlad kept the enmity, and I think that was one of his motivating factors for fighting the Turks for keeping him prisoner."
Count Vlad Tepes
While Count Vlad Tepes and Radu Tepes were in Ottoman hands, Vlad's father fought to keep his place as voivode of Wallachia, a fight he would eventually lose. In 1447, Vlad II was forced out as the ruler of Wallachia by local nobles (boyars) and was killed in the swamps near Balteni, halfway between Targovishte and Bucharest in modern Romania. Vlad's older half-brother, Mircea, was killed along with his father.
Shortly after these harrowing events, in 1448, Count Vlad undertook a campaign to regain his father's place from the new ruler, Vladislav II. According to Kerta, his first attempt at the throne relied on the military support of the Ottoman rulers of the cities along the Danube River in northern Bulgaria. Vlad also took advantage of Vladislav's absence at the time by going to the Balkans to fight the Ottomans for the Hungarian governor at the time, John Hunyadi.
Vlad won back his father's place, but his time as the ruler of Wallachia was short-lived. According to Kerta, he was deposed after only two months when Vladislav II returned and took the throne of Wallachia with the help of Hunyadi.
Little is known about the whereabouts of Vlad III between 1448 and 1456. But it is known that he went over to the side of the Ottoman-Hungarian conflict, renouncing his ties with the Ottoman rulers of the cities of the Danube and receiving military support from the King of Hungary Vadislav V, who did not like Vlad's rival - Vladislav II of Wallachia - according to Kerta.
The political and military policy of Vlad III really came to the fore during the fall of Constantinople in 1453. After autumn, the Ottomans were able to invade all of Europe. Vlad, who had already strengthened his anti-Ottoman position, was proclaimed governor of Wallachia in 1456. One of his first acts in his new role was to end the annual tribute to the Ottoman sultan, a measure that had previously secured peace between Wallachia and the Ottomans.
Woodcut from a 1499 pamphlet depicts Vlad III dining among the pierced corpses of his victims
To consolidate his power as a ruler, Vlad the Impaler had to quell the ongoing conflicts that had historically taken place between the boyars of Wallachia. According to the legends that circulated after his death, Vlad invited hundreds of these boyars to a banquet and, knowing that they would challenge his authority, had the guests stab them, and the still-twitching bodies were pierced by thorns.
This is just one of many horrific developments that Vlad the Impaler earned with his posthumous nickname Dracula. According to Miller, this story - and others like it - have been captured in printed materials since the reign of Vlad III.
“In the 1460s and 1470s, right after the invention of the printing press, many of these stories about Vlad circulated orally, and then they were collected by different people in pamphlets and printed,” Miller said.
Miller added that these stories are not entirely true or significantly embellished. After all, many of those who printed the pamphlets were hostile to Vlad III. But some of the pamphlets of the time tell almost the same terrible news about Vlad, leading Miller to believe that the tales are at least partially historically accurate. Some of these legends were also collected and published in the book "The Tale of Dracula" in 1490 by a monk who presented Vlad III as a cruel but just ruler.
Vlad the Impaler's victory over the Ottoman invaders was celebrated throughout Wallachia, Transylvania and the rest of Europe - even Pope Pius II was impressed.
“The reason he is a positive character in Romania is because he is considered to have been a just, albeit very harsh, ruler,” Kerta said.
Death of Vlad
Shortly after the release of the Ottoman prisoners of war in August 1462, Vlad was forced to flee to Hungary after failing to defeat his much more powerful adversary, Mehmet II. Vlad was imprisoned for a number of years during his exile, although during this time he married and had two children.
Vlad's younger brother, Radu, who had sided with the Ottomans in the ongoing military campaigns, took over the administration of Wallachia after his brother's imprisonment. But after the death of Radu in 1475, local boyars, as well as the rulers of several nearby principalities, spoke in favor of Vlad's return to power.
In 1476, with the support of the governor of Moldavia, Stephen III the Great (1457-1504), Vlad made a final effort to regain his place as ruler of Wallachia. He successfully stole the throne, but his triumph was short-lived. Later that year, after going through another battle with the Ottomans, Vlad and a small vanguard of soldiers were in an ambush and Vlad was killed.
There is a lot of controversy over the location of the tomb of Vlad III. It is said that he was buried in the monastery church in Snagov, on the northern edge of the modern city of Bucharest, in accordance with the traditions of his time. But more recently, historians have questioned whether Vlad could actually be buried at the Comana Monastery, between Bucharest and the Danube, which is close to the supposed location of the battle in which Vlad was killed, according to Kerta.
One thing is certain: unlike Count Dracula Stoker, Vlad III is definitely dead. Only harrowing tales of his years as ruler of Wallachia continue to haunt the modern world.
The figure of the most famous vampire in the world for several centuries has been overgrown with a layer of various myths, true and not so, and our task today is to understand the mysterious appearance of the sinister prince. He is associated with a national hero who fought for justice, a cruel and bloody ruler who did not know mercy, and a well-known image from books and films draws in the imagination of the legendary bloodsucker seized by passions. For many who followed the popular film adaptations, the blood ran cold from the atmosphere conveying horror, and the vampire theme, shrouded in a veil of mystery and romance, becomes one of the main ones in cinema and literature.
The birth of a tyrant and a murderer
So, the story of Vlad Dracula began at the end of 1431 in Transylvania, when a son was born to the heroic governor Basarab the Great, who famously fought with the Turks. I must say that this was far from the most beautiful baby, and it is with his repulsive appearance that some historians associate the pathological manifestation of cruelty. A boy with incredible physical strength with a protruding lower lip and cold, bulging eyes revealed unique properties: it was believed that he saw people through.
The young biography of which was full of such terrible stories, after which he even lost his mind, was considered an unbalanced person with many strange ideas. From childhood, his father taught little Vlad to wield weapons, and his fame as a cavalryman literally thundered throughout the country. He swam perfectly, because in those days there were no bridges, and therefore he constantly had to swim across the water.
Order of the Dragon
Vlad II Dracul, who belonged to the elite Dragon with strict military and monastic orders, wore a medallion on his chest, like all his other members, in the form of a sign of his belonging to society. But he decided not to stop there. With his submission, images of a mythical fire-breathing animal appear on the walls of all churches and on coins that circulated in the country. The nickname Dracul, who converts the infidels to Christianity, the prince received in the order. It means "dragon" in Romanian.
Compromise solutions
The ruler of Wallachia - a small state located between the Ottoman Empire and Transylvania - was always ready for attacks from the Turks, but tried to compromise with the Sultan. So, in order to maintain the state status of his country, Vlad's father paid a huge tribute in timber and silver. At the same time, all the princes had duties - to send their sons as hostages to the Turks, and if uprisings broke out against the dominance of the conquerors, then inevitable death awaited the children. It is known that Vlad II Dracul sent two sons to the Sultan, where for more than 4 years they were held in voluntary captivity, which means a pledge of a fragile peace, so necessary for a small state.
They say that the fact of a long stay away from the family and the terrible executions witnessed by the future tyrant left a special emotional imprint on him, which was reflected in the already shattered psyche. Living at the Sultan's court, the boy saw a manifestation of cruelty towards everyone who is obstinate and opposed to power.
It is in captivity that Vlad III Tepes learns about the murder of his father and older brother, after which he receives freedom and the throne, but after several months he flees to Moldova, fearing for his life.
Violence from childhood
Historical chronicles know an incident when a rebellion was raised in one principality, and in retaliation for this, the offspring of the ruler, who were held hostage, were blinded. For theft of products, the Turks ripped open their stomachs, and for the slightest offense they put them on a stake. Young Vlad, who was repeatedly forced to renounce Christianity under the threat of reprisal, watched such terrible spectacles for 4 years. It is possible that the daily rivers of blood affected the young man's unstable psyche. It is believed that life in captivity became the very impetus that contributed to the appearance of bestial cruelty to all disobedient.
Nicknames Vlad
Born into the dynasty from which Bessarabia (ancient Romania) was later named, Vlad the Impaler is referred to in documents as Basarab.
But where he came from the nickname Dracula - opinions differ. There are 2 versions that explain where the son of the sovereign got this name from. The first says that the young heir had the same name as his father, but he began to add the letter “a” at the end to the inherited nickname.
The second version says that the word "dracul" is translated not only as "dragon", but also as "devil". And this is how Vlad, known for his incredible cruelty, was called by his enemies and intimidated locals. Over time, the letter “a” was added to the nickname Dracul for ease of pronunciation at the end of the word. A few decades after his death, the ruthless killer Vlad III receives another nickname - Tepes, which was translated from Romanian as "spear" (Vlad Tepes).
The reign of the merciless Tepes
1456 is the beginning of not only the short reign of Dracula in Wallachia, but also very difficult times for the country as a whole. Vlad, who was especially ruthless, was cruel to his enemies and punished his subjects for any disobedience. All the guilty died a terrible death - they were put on a stake, which differed in length and size: low murder weapons were chosen for commoners, and the executed boyars were visible from afar.
As ancient legends say, the prince of Wallachia had a special love for the groans of the agonizing and even arranged feasts in places where the unfortunate suffered from incredible torment. And the appetite of the ruler only increased from the smell of decaying bodies and the cries of the dying.
He was never a vampire and did not drink the blood of his victims, but the fact that he was an obvious sadist, with pleasure watching the suffering of those who did not obey his rules, is known for certain. Often the executions were political in nature, with the slightest disrespect followed by retaliatory measures, leading to death. For example, those of other faiths who did not take off their turbans and arrived at the prince's court were killed in a very unusual way - by driving nails into their heads.
Gospodar, who did a lot to unite the country
Although, as some historians say, the death of only 10 boyars was documented, as a result of the conspiracy of which Dracula's father and his older brother were killed. But legends call a huge number of his victims - about 100 thousand.
If the legendary ruler is viewed from the point of view of a statesman whose good intentions to liberate his native country from Turkish invaders were fully supported, then we can confidently say that he acted in accordance with the principles of honor and national duty. Refusing to pay the traditional tribute, Vlad III Basarab creates from among the peasants who forces the Turkish soldiers to retreat, who have arrived to deal with the disobedient ruler and his country. And all the prisoners were executed during the city holiday.
Violent religious fanatic
Being an extremely religious person, Tepes fanatically helped the monasteries, giving them land as a gift. Having gained reliable support in the person of the clergy, the bloody ruler acted very far-sighted: the people were silent and obeyed, because in fact all his deeds were sanctified by the church. It is even difficult to imagine how many prayers for lost souls were offered up to the Lord every day, but grief did not result in a fierce struggle against the bloody tyrant.
And what is surprising - so great his piety was combined with incredible ferocity. Wanting to build a fortress for himself, the cruel executioner gathered all the pilgrims who came to celebrate the great Easter holiday, and forced them to work for several years until their clothes decayed.
The policy of cleansing the country from anti-social elements
In a short time, he eradicates crime, and historical chronicles tell that gold coins left on the street continued to remain in the very place where they were thrown. Not a single beggar or vagabond, of whom there were very many in those troubled times, dared even touch the wealth.
Consistent in all his undertakings, the ruler of Wallachia begins to implement his plan to cleanse the country of all thieves. Such a policy, as a result of which everyone who dared to steal was awaited by a speedy trial and a painful death, bore fruit. After thousands of deaths at the stake or block, there were no people willing to take someone else's, and the unprecedented honesty of the population in the middle of the 15th century became a phenomenon that knows no analogues in the entire history of the world.
Order in the country through cruel methods
Mass executions, which have already become commonplace, are the surest way to gain fame and remain in the memory of posterity. It is known that Vlad III Tepes did not like gypsies, famous horse thieves and loafers, and until now it is in the camps that he is called a mass murderer who exterminated a huge number of nomadic people.
It should be noted that everyone who incurred the wrath of the ruler died a terrible death, regardless of their position in society or nationality. When Tepes learned that some merchants, despite the strictest ban, had established trade relations with the Turks, as a warning to everyone else, he impaled them on a huge market square. After that, there were no people who wanted to improve their financial situation at the expense of the enemies of the Christian faith.
War with Transylvania
But not only the Turkish sultan was dissatisfied with the ambitious ruler, the power of Dracula, who did not suffer defeat, was threatened by the merchants of Transylvania. The rich did not want to see such an unbridled and unpredictable prince on the throne. They wanted to put their favorite on the throne - the Hungarian king, who would not provoke the Turks, exposing all neighboring lands to danger. No one needed the prolonged massacre of Wallachia with the troops of the Sultan, and Transylvania did not want to enter into an unnecessary duel, which would have been inevitable in the event of hostilities.
Vlad Dracula, having learned about the plans of a neighboring country, and even trading with the Turks, which was prohibited on its territory, became extremely angry and dealt an unexpected blow. The army of the bloody ruler burned the Transylvanian lands, and the local residents who had public weight were impaled.
12-year imprisonment of Tepes
This story ended in tears for the tyrant himself. Outraged by the cruelty, the surviving merchants turned to the last resort - an appeal to overthrow Tepes with the help of the printed word. Anonymous authors wrote a pamphlet describing the ruthlessness of the ruler, and added a little from themselves about the plans of the bloody conqueror.
Not expecting a new attack, Count Vlad Dracula is taken by surprise by Turkish troops in the very castle that the unfortunate pilgrims built for him. By chance, he flees from the fortress, leaving his young wife and all his subjects to certain death. Outraged by the atrocities of the ruler, the European elite was just waiting for this moment, and the fugitive is taken into custody by the Hungarian king, who claims to his throne.
The death of the bloody prince
Tepes spends a long 12 years in prison and even becomes a Catholic for his political reasons. Taking the forced obedience of the tyrant for obedience, the king frees him and even tries to help him ascend to his former throne. 20 years after the start of his reign, Vlad returns to Wallachia, where angry residents are already waiting for him. accompanying the prince, was defeated, and the king, not going to fight with his neighbors, decides to extradite the tyrant to the state that suffered from his atrocities. Upon learning of this decision, Dracula runs again, hoping for a lucky chance.
However, fortune turned away from him completely, and the tyrant accepts death in battle, only the circumstances of his death are not known. The boyars, in a fit of anger, chopped the body of the hated ruler into pieces, and sent his head to the Turkish sultan. The monks who remember the good, who supported the bloody tyrant in everything, quietly bury his remains.
When, several centuries later, archaeologists became interested in the figure of Dracula, they decided to open his grave. To everyone's horror, it turned out to be empty, with traces of debris. But nearby they find a strange burial of bones with a missing skull, which is considered to be the last refuge of Tepes. To prevent the pilgrimage of modern tourists, the authorities moved the bones to one of the islands guarded by the monks.
The Birth of the Legend of the Vampire Seeking New Victims
After the death of the Wallachian sovereign, a legend was born about a vampire who did not find shelter in either heaven or hell. Locals believe that the spirit of the prince has taken on a new, no less terrible appearance and now prowls at night in search of human blood.
In 1897, the world saw the mystical novel by Bram Stoker, describing the risen from the dead Dracula, after which the bloodthirsty ruler began to be associated with a vampire. The writer used Vlad's real letters, preserved in the chronicles, but a large amount of material was nevertheless invented. Dracula appears no less merciless than his prototype, but aristocratic manners and a certain nobility make a real hero out of the Gothic character, whose popularity is only growing.
The book is seen as a symbiosis of science fiction and horror novel, in which ancient mystical forces and modern realities are closely intertwined. According to the researchers, the conductor's memorable appearance served as inspiration for creating the image of the main character, and many details were borrowed from Mephistopheles. Stoker clearly indicates that Count Dracula receives his magical power from the devil himself. Vlad the Impaler, turned into a monster, does not die and rise from the coffin, as described in early vampire novels. The author makes his character a unique hero, crawling along vertical walls and turning into a bat, which always symbolizes evil spirits. Later, this little animal will be called a vampire, although he does not drink any blood.
Confidence effect
The writer, who carefully studied Romanian folklore and historical evidence, creates a unique material in which there is no author's narration. The book is only a documentary chronicle, consisting of diaries, transcripts of the main characters, which only enhances the depth of the story. With a touch of authentic reality, Bram Stoker's Dracula soon becomes the unofficial vampire bible, detailing the rules of an alien world. And carefully traced images of the characters appear alive and emotional. The book is considered to be ground-breaking art done in the original format.
Screen adaptations
Soon the book will be filmed, and the writer's friend becomes the first actor to play Dracula. His Vlad the Impaler is a vampire with noble manners and an attractive appearance, although Stoker described an obnoxious old man. Since then, the romantic image of a handsome young man has been exploited, against whom the heroes unite in a single impulse to save the world from universal evil.
In 1992, director Coppola filmed the book, inviting famous actors to play the main roles, and Dracula himself played superbly. Before filming, the director forced everyone to read Stoker's book for 2 days to maximize immersion in the images. Coppola used various techniques to make the film, like the book, as realistic as possible. He even filmed footage of the appearance of Dracula on a black-and-white camera, which looked very authentic and frightening. Critics felt that the vampire played by Oldman was as close as possible to Vlad the Impaler, even his makeup resembled a real prototype.
Dracula's castle for sale
A year ago, the public was shocked by the news that Romania's most popular tourist attraction was up for sale. Bran, in which Tepes allegedly spent the night during his military campaigns, is being sold by her new owner for fabulous money. Dracula's castle once wanted to be bought by the local authorities, and now the world-famous place, which brings fabulous profits, is waiting for a new owner.
According to researchers, Dracula never stopped in this place, which is considered a cult place for all fans of vampire works, although the locals will vied with each other to tell chilling legends about the life of the legendary ruler in this fortress.
The castle, described in the smallest detail by Stoker, only became the setting for a horror novel that has nothing to do with ancient Romanian history. The current owner of the castle refers to his advanced age, which does not allow him to conduct business. He believes that all costs will pay off in full, because the castle is visited by about 500 thousand tourists.
Real gold mine
Modern Romania makes full use of the image of Dracula, attracting numerous tourist flows. Here they will tell about the ancient castles in which Vlad III Tepes did bloody atrocities, even despite the fact that they were built much later than his death. A highly lucrative business based on a relentless interest in the enigmatic figure of the ruler of Wallachia, provides an influx of members of the sects, for which Dracula is the spiritual leader. Thousands of his fans make a pilgrimage to the places where he was born to breathe the same air.
Few people know the true story of Tepes, taking on faith the image of a vampire created by Stoker and numerous directors. But the story of the bloody ruler, who does not disdain anything to achieve his goal, begins to be forgotten over time. And with the name of Dracula, only a bloodthirsty ghoul comes to mind, which is very sad, because the fantastic image has nothing to do with a real tragic person and those terrible crimes that Tepes committed.
Incredible Facts
Dracula is one of the most powerful and colorful images in the history of world literature. Without a doubt, this is an ambiguous character.
Dracula is an example of a classic vampire: on the one hand, he is elegant and thinking, on the other hand, he is bloodthirsty and constantly in anticipation of a new victim. Human blood for him is a source of food, and the goal to which he strives with his whole being.
However, even despite the huge number of seduced women who were killed by Dracula cinema, his crimes cannot be compared with the atrocities that the real Count Dracula committed in his time. Vlad III, or Vlad the Impaler, Prince of Wallachia (now Romania) became famous thanks to the following qualities and deeds:
Vampire Dracula
1 Dracula Dipped Bread In A Bowl Of Blood Before Eating It
The real Count Dracula may not have directly sucked blood from the necks of his victims, however, he still ate it: the blood of the people he killed flowed into a bowl into which he dipped pieces of bread and other food.
Fifteenth-century manuscripts mention one horrifying incident in the life of a bloodthirsty count. Vlad Tepes invited several guests to his castle and impaled everyone right at the dinner table.
Then he slowly finished his meal and dipped the pieces of bread in the blood that flowed from the bodies of the murdered guests. This kind of "dessert" Dracula enjoyed quite often.
2. He avenged his father by killing hundreds of innocent people
He did not just kill people, he tortured them, slowly piercing their stomachs with a blunt instrument of torture. It is known that Vlad Tepes spent most of his life in a Turkish prison, and when he was released, he learned that as a result of betrayal by his own people, his father was buried alive by Hungarian soldiers.
Vlad found out that many of the nobles who served his father were involved in a conspiracy against his father, however, he did not know who exactly was the traitor. He came up with the idea to invite everyone to his castle and deal with them. In total, about five hundred people gathered for the feast.
When the holiday was over, and the guests went to rest in their rooms, Dracula's soldiers burst into each one and pierced the nobles, among whom were most of the people innocent of the death of the old count.
Dracula continued to use this tactic countless times. Playing a hospitable host, he lured people to his home for various holidays, and then killed them. Ultimately, people knew what it meant to be invited to one of Dracula's holidays, and what threatened them there.
However, in any case, they accepted his offer, because in case of refusal, they risked being killed immediately. For many, this was a hopeless situation. In any case, a terrible and painful death awaited people.
Dragon and Dracula
3. Dracula means "son of the dragon"
The name Dracula was not invented by Bram Stoker. The real Vlad Tepes really preferred to be called that way. The bloodthirsty count's father, Vlad II, was a member of a secret society known as the Order of the Dragon.
He was so proud of his membership in this society that he even changed his name to "Dracula", which means "Dragon" in Romanian.
As a child, Vlad Tepes Jr. was also involved in a secret Order. This prompted him to change his own name to the name Dracula, which means "son of the Dragon". Nowadays, the name of the count is increasingly translated as "Son of the Devil."
In any case, such a frightening name was quite compatible with the things that the young Dracula did. Absolutely deservedly Vlad Tepes got a reputation as a bloodthirsty and terrible monster.
4. Dracula had a great sense of humor
This is indeed true. During his life, the bloodthirsty count not only killed and tortured his victims. According to those who knew Vlad well enough, he very often joked quite sharply on one or another occasion. His sense of humor was to be envied. He made especially sharp jokes about the unfortunate victims.
For example, one of the eyewitnesses of those terrible meals in Dracula's castle later wrote in his memoirs, like a count, watching how the unfortunate victims give up their breath, as if by chance remarked: what grace my victims have, how interestingly they move when you plant them On stake. He compared the convulsions of the dying to the movements of a frog.
One day, another guest of the count came to the castle filled with corpses. And since the smell of decomposing bodies hung in the air, the host politely inquired if the stench was disturbing his guest.
To which the unfortunate replied that yes, it interferes. Then the count pierced him and hung him from the ceiling, arguing that the smell under the ceiling was not so bad, and the stench would no longer bother the careless guest.
School of Dracula
5. The only punishment was impalement
It's easiest to think that Dracula was a lonely and unhappy lunatic who killed people for no reason. However, this is not the case. The Count was administering justice, no matter how terrible it sounded.
In those days, there was only one punishment, no matter what crime a person committed. Both murderers and petty thieves were impaled, who, in order not to die of hunger, dragged bread from pastry shops.
However, there is at least one known exception to the rule, where Dracula used a different type of punishment. Once, crossing the territory that belonged to the bloody count, one gypsy stole something. Dracula was ruthless this time too. He cooked the unfortunate thief, after which he forced other gypsies from the camp to eat him.
6. He got rid of all the sick and poor by burning them at the stake
Thus, the count tried to restore order on the streets of the city of Targovishte, which at that time was the capital of Wallachia.
Once Tepes invited all the sick, vagabonds and beggars to one of his houses, under the pretext of a holiday. After the poor fellows ate their fill, Dracula politely excused himself and left his "guests".
On his orders, the house was boarded up on the outside so that no one could escape. Then the house was set on fire with everyone inside.
It is reliably known that not a single person survived in that terrible conflagration that the bloodthirsty count set up. Subsequently, Dracula repeatedly did this, burning entire villages inhabited by poor and sick people. In such an inhuman way, he "cleansed" cities and villages from all those whom he considered superfluous in this world.
7. The golden bowl is a symbol of unlimited power
Vlad Tepes controlled his people very tightly, suppressing any kind of crime. To prove how powerful his power was and how much people were afraid of him, he ordered a huge bowl cast of pure gold to be placed in the center of Targovishte.
For a long time, the bowl was located in the very center of the capital of Wallachia. However, none of the 60,000 people who lived in the city at that time even dared to touch her. Any resident knew what he would face if the bowl was stolen.
During the entire reign of the count, no one even touched this symbol of Dracula's power, although the bowl was in full view of thousands of people living in complete poverty. Such fear was instilled in people by the mere name of Vlad Tepes.
8. To poison the Turkish invaders, the count filled his own wells and wells with poison
In the 1400s, Wallachia was at war with its neighbors, the Turks. Vlad III, who did not like to lose, sent his army to push the enemies out of his land.
But, in the end, as a result of a stubborn struggle, the Turks forced Vlad to retreat. However, even retreating, Dracula did not give up. He burned all the villages located on the path of the Turkish army. He did this with the expectation that the opponents would have nowhere to rest.
Dracula went so far as to poison his own water wells. Together with the Turks, thousands of villagers were also poisoned. Feelings of compassion and pity were not familiar to Tepes. In war, all means are good, even if innocent people die.
Dracula Tepes
9 Dracula Killed Over 100,000 People In Total
Historians claim that up to 100,000 people could become victims of the bloodthirsty count.
There were no gender, age or status restrictions for Tepes. He could kill an old man, or he could impale an innocent baby. At the same time, without disdaining anything, he calmly finished his meal.
Eyewitnesses said that while they were looking at everything that was happening with a shudder, the count was only joking and quietly eating lunch or dinner.
During the war with the Turks, about 20,000 soldiers of the enemy army were impaled.
Vlad Dracula
10 Dracula's Body Disappeared
The count, who was feared and hated by his own people, died on the battlefield during the war with the Turks. His bloodthirstiness played a cruel joke on him. Dracula's army was several times larger than the army of the enemy army in terms of numbers.
However, despite such an obvious advantage, most of the soldiers decided to go over to the side of the enemy. Indeed, in the camp of the enemy there were no such harsh punishments as Dracula had. People, fed up with the cruelty of their ruler, without hesitation, went to betrayal.
Death of Dracula
Dracula's head was cut off by his own soldiers, and then sent to the Turkish Sultan. He, in turn, pierced her with a spear, put her on a stake outside his palace, so that every passerby could see the head of the defeated tyrant.
Some historians claim that Dracula's body was then interred in a cemetery at the Snagov Monastery, which is outside of Bucharest.
But there are also conflicting reports that his body was never found, while others say that possible remains were indeed discovered but then disappeared. There is a version that the body of Dracula was buried with all its riches.
Thus, the grave of the tyrant became a good target for the robbers, who, along with the treasures, smashed the remains of Tepes to pieces. Well, the most mystical version is that Dracula's body disappeared by itself, because he was a real dragon.
Vlad Tepes, Count of Wallachia, was a non-standard villain: thinking, suffering, unhappy and lonely in his own way. Thousands of people became its victims. His whole life was shrouded in mystery. This mysticism did not leave the image of Dracula even after death.
The most famous vampire of all time can, without exaggeration, be considered the legendary Count Vlad Tepes (Tepes) Dracula.
Vlad Tepes was born in 1431 in Transylvania, in the tiny town of Sighisoara. His father was a member of the Order of the Dragon, which is why he received the nickname Dracula. The history of Count Dracula's family is rather tragic. His older brother was captured by the Turks and burned alive by them, and the younger Tepes went over to the side of the enemy and fought against his relatives.
Whether Vlad Tepes was actually a vampire is impossible to establish, but according to the story of Dracula, he turned into one of the most terrible and bloody rulers.
Castle of Vlad the Impaler - Dracula
Count Dracula punished his enemies and all those who were guilty in one favorite way - he put him on a stake. The stories about the atrocities of Vlad Tepes were so terrible that people began to associate the name of the count with the Romanian word "dracul" which means "devil".
Vlad Tepes took the Wallachian throne in 1443 after the death of his father and older brother. Count Dracula was distinguished by cunning and deceit. One of the legends tells how Dracula deceived the Turkish detachment into an ambush. At the same time, a preliminary agreement was reached between him and the Turks on a meeting and peace negotiations. Despite the agreement, Vlad Tepes captured the Turks, ordered them to be stripped naked and impaled. Then he gave the order to burn them alive.
Vlad Tepes destroyed not only his enemies. His own subjects also became his victims, no one was immune from possible reprisals. The count suspected of betraying absolutely everyone. Once, his soldiers detained a group of merchants who were traveling with a trade caravan through the land of Wallachia. By order of Vlad Tepes, they were all arrested and burned.
Portrait of Count Dracula
In 1462, driven by atrocities and constant fear for their lives, the boyars overthrew the tyrant. The Wallachian Count Dracula spent 20 years in prison. However, the need for Vlad Tepes to participate in the war against the Ottoman invaders forced the boyars to let him go free.
The exact causes and time of death of the bloody tyrant Dracula have not been established. Some sources tell about the betrayal of a group of his associates, who killed their master. According to other sources, after the defeat in the battle of Bucharest, Vlad Tepes disguised himself as a Turk and tried to escape. However, he was unsuccessful, and by order of Sultan Mehmed II, he was executed in Istanbul by cutting off his head, after which the ruler ordered his head to be put on a stake and put on public display.
It is known for certain that Dracula was buried in the Snagov Monastery, not far from the city of Bucharest, the capital of Romania.
The barbaric fantasy of Vlad Tepes was not limited to impalement and burning people alive. Count Dracula tried to come up with more and more new ways of torture and killing. By order of Tepes, nails were pulled out, ears and heads were torn off. If there were not enough stakes to carry out the executions, Dracula ordered the condemned to be blinded, and then strangled or boiled alive in hot oil. The tyrant himself experienced great pleasure from contemplating the torment of his victims.
Count Dracula as a vampire.
In the truest sense of the word, Dracula was not a vampire. In any case, no evidence of the use of human blood by him was found. He received the glory of the great bloodsucker thanks to the literary fantasy of the famous English writer Bram Stoker. It was he who made Count Dracula rise from the grave and turn into an immortal bloodsucker.
In 1994, not far from the small town of Chelyakovitsy, located in the Czech Republic, a strange burial was discovered, dated to the beginning of the 11th century. In 11 pits there were 13 bodies, whose hands were tied with leather straps, and aspen stakes were stuck in the region of the heart. The researchers determined that the remains belong to men of approximately the same age. No scientific explanation for this fact has ever been found.
Count Dracula is a character known, perhaps, to everyone. We offer today to get to know this hero better and find out if he really existed.
First mentions
The name Count Dracula was first used in 1897 in a novel by the Irish writer Abraham "Bram" Stoker. That was the name of the main antagonist of the work - an evil bloodsucker vampire who lives in a gloomy castle and cannot stand daylight. In reality, such a person did not exist, and the well-known Romanian prince, Prince of Wallachia - Vlad III Tepes became a kind of prototype for the hero of the book. Translated from the Romanian language, "Tepes" means "impaling". This nickname didn't just happen. Dealing with his enemies, the count ordered to put them on stakes. As a result, the victim could suffer for hours, and sometimes days. "Draco" is translated from Latin as "devil", so the name of Count Dracula, as the prototype of the main villain of Stoker's novel, is not unreasonable.
History of Dracula
As mentioned earlier, Vlad III was a tough ruler, he fought with the boyars for the centralization of power, and went on campaigns against the Turks. It is known that the ruler allowed the peasants to arm themselves in order to increase the possibility of resisting the hated Turkish raids. As a result of the refusal to pay tribute to the Turkish sultan, a large army of the Ottoman Empire tried to enter the principality, but their advance was successfully stopped not without the help of the population.
Legends about the Muntean governor
Being a strict but fair ruler, Count Dracula aroused the fear and respect of his subjects. There are several stories that are documented in records in archives and annals or were orally passed down by the inhabitants of those parts from generation to generation. The most famous of them tells of a merchant who was robbed in the market. A thief stole a purse from a merchant. He complained to Vlad III Tepes. The thief was quickly found and, in the traditional way for the ruler, was punished by impalement. And the purse was thrown to the merchant, adding one extra coin. After counting the contents, the merchant informed the ruler that there was extra money there. Count Vladislav Dracula grinned and said: “If you had kept silent, you would have sat next to your offender!” Another story tells that in those days there were many beggars in Romania. Count Dracula gathered them all together in a large hall, fed them, watered them, and after a plentiful dinner asked the question: “Do you want to stop your worldly torment?” Many answered in the affirmative, after which the ruler ordered the hall filled with people to be set on fire. Another story tells about a golden cup placed near a fountain right in the city. Anyone could drink water from it, and no one even thought of stealing it. Probably the population of Wallachia was very frightened by public executions, and no one wanted to die being impaled.
Where did the legendary king live?
On the modern map you will not find Wallachia - the principality, which was once ruled by Vlad III Tepes. Today it is part of the modern European country of Romania. Wallachia was located in the south of the Carpathians, reaching the Danube River. This region is very picturesque, has a wonderful beautiful nature. The charm of mountains, rivers, fresh air will be remembered for a long time if you decide to go to this area. One of the places highly recommended to visit is the city of Brasov. It is in it that the famous castle of Count Dracula - Bran is located. Historians have no evidence that it was the permanent residence of Vlad the Impaler. However, the information that when visiting the Principality of Transylvania, Count Dracula stayed at Bran Castle cannot be refuted. Tourists who have been here say that moans and screams are heard in the corridors and rooms of the building, and in the morning the smell of blood is in the air. Thus, for such a modern state as Romania, Count Dracula is still a means to replenish the treasury to this day.
The exploits of the Romanian prince
If for a moment we stop thinking about Dracula as a vampire and turn to encyclopedias and archives for historical information, it becomes clear that Vlad III Tepes was a rather stubborn, strict, but competent commander, a true patriot. Being born in 1430 (some historians call 1431), he became the main contender for the throne of Wallachia, on whose territory Catholic Hungary and the Muslim Ottoman Empire made their claims. Already at the age of thirteen, Count Vladislav Dracula takes part in the battle of Varna. At the age of seventeen, with the help of the Turks, he ascends to the throne of Wallachia. But he won't be able to rule for long. Only in 1456 did Tepes take the place of ruler for a long time. After four years, he decides to stop paying tribute to the Ottoman Empire. Sultan Mehmet, personally acquainted with Vlad III Tepes, was surprised by such an act and sent a huge army to deal with the apostate prince. To the surprise of the Sultan, small Wallachia, headed by a bloodthirsty ruler, gave a serious rebuff to the army of the Janissaries. Count Dracula's castle was besieged by hordes of enemies, but the attacks were repulsed, and as a result, the Turks had to return home empty-handed.
Display in early cinema
In modern films, thanks to the advent of computer special effects, Count Dracula has changed, began to look even more intimidating. A noteworthy picture is "Bram Stoker's Dracula" in 1997 from director Francis Ford Coppola. The film retells the book of the Irish writer. The role of the main protagonist was played by Gary Oldman. The cast of the film is very impressive: Anthony Hopkins and Keanu Reeves fit perfectly into their roles. The most "fresh" film is "Count Dracula" 2014 release. The plot in it somewhat departed from the classic horror film. There is a love story and a story about the dashing campaigns of the Romanian governor, who protects his native land from Turkish invaders. And he received his unearthly power in this interpretation from an ancient vampire. In addition, in the movie "Count Dracula" in 2014 there are inconsistencies related to the marital status and names of the count's children.
Dracula in modern cinema
In modern films, thanks to the advent of computer special effects, Count Dracula has changed, began to look even more intimidating. A noteworthy picture is "Bram Stoker's Dracula" in 1997 from director Francis Ford Coppola. The film retells the book of the Irish writer. The role of the main protagonist was played by Gary Oldman. The cast of the film is very impressive: Anthony Hopkins and Keanu Reeves fit perfectly into their roles. The most "fresh" film is "Count Dracula" 2014 release. The plot in it somewhat departed from the classic horror film. There is a love story and a story about the dashing campaigns of the Romanian governor, who protects his native land from Turkish invaders. And he received his unearthly power in this interpretation from an ancient vampire. In addition, in the movie "Count Dracula" in 2014 there are inconsistencies related to the marital status and names of the count's children.
Role in modern culture
In recent decades, Western culture has been increasingly influencing us. Once it was alien to us, but today many of its features have firmly entered our lives. So, various holidays came to us from the West, which were not previously celebrated in our area. One of them is Halloween (All Saints' Eve). Traditionally, people who celebrate this day dress up in carnival costumes. A necessary requirement for the outfit is a "terrible" or "mystical" theme. The Count Dracula costume is one of the top Halloween costumes. Moreover, it is quite simple and consists of a long cloak with a standing collar and fangs. Thus, a person wearing such a costume will look like Dracula the vampire from the movie and have the look of a bloodsucker that is familiar to our eyes.
Considering the time in which Count Dracula lived, there is no photo with this legendary character. However, there are paintings and frescoes with his images. For lovers of this theme, the outfit of Vlad III Tepes on a festive evening will make an indelible impression. And true connoisseurs of the genre and history will only confirm the irresistible look.
Vampire or not?
As far as we know, a vampire is someone who drinks someone else's blood. The image of the bloodsucker Count Dracula received thanks to the novel and subsequent films based on it. The prototype of the hero of the book - Vlad III Tepes was not caught in the use of human or someone else's blood. However, being a strict and sometimes cruel ruler of his lands, he often punished and executed people who were guilty even in small things. And the executions were terrible and demonstrative, so that it would be disgraceful for others to repeat atrocities. Perhaps because of these massacres, the image of the Romanian medieval prince is associated with the image of Dracula the vampire. In any case, regardless of whether he drank blood or not, today the most famous vampire in the world is Dracula, created by a writer from Ireland, whom the reader first met back in 1897. Vlad Tepes became the prototype of the hero, nothing more. Therefore, it is not worth believing in the supernatural powers of the prince of Wallachia, even despite the very vivid biography of this ruler, his exploits and legends about him.
A few last words
Vlad III Tepes Dracula lived more than five hundred years ago, and his memory is still alive. The reason for this is Count Dracula, photos, videos and other materials about which have filled the media space today. The famous character created a whole trend in cinema and art. And today, films and series are released every year, where the main characters are bloodthirsty bloodsuckers. The vampire Dracula prompted hundreds of historians to seek out some useful and interesting information about the ruler of Wallachia in the 15th century, Prince Vlad III. Thus, some of the gaps in history were filled.
