The number one bloodsucker, or was he? Many of us know Vlad Dracula III from the notorious work of Bram Stoker’s, Dracula. The blood-letting vampire of Transylvania, the father of all vampires. The legend of this dark prince is compelling and has been woven into the fabric of the western world however, it is a stretch from the real story of Prince Vlad Dracula of Wallachia (now modern-day Romania).
Dracula -Son of he who has the Order of the Dragon – The Most Evil Men in History
A Warm and Fuzzy Family History of Vlad Dracula III
Vlad Dracula was son of Vlad Dracul, dracul meaning “dragon” and this dragon dude was the head of the Christian Order of the Dragon, an elite group of Royalty with a hellbent mission to defend the cross against the Turks and the Hungarians, no matter what the cost. For Vlad Dracul this meant making his two sons the sacrificial lambs to his Hungarian enemies as an offering (and insurance policy) of peace. Kinda…
Ultimately, Vlad Dracul had no intention of peace with the Turks or Hungarians and was planning a massive attack. Meanwhile back at the ranch, Vlad Dracula and his brother Radu III “the Handsome” were being held hostage in a foreign land.
The Evolution of a Psychopath
Vlad, feeling abandoned and betrayed began to spawn a deep hatred for the Turks and the Hungarians while his brother was evolving into one of them right before his eyes. Vlad was tormented, and from there he began formulating methods of torture and mass murder which he would eventually play out during his 6 year reign as Prince of Wallachia. After years of watching public executions, Vlad Dracula developed the idea that bloodletting displays of gore could manipulate people into fearing him. Meanwhile, he was gaining more and more sadistic pleasure for torture and killing.
A Murderous Vigilante with a Taste for Blood
He roasted children, whom he fed to their mothers. And (he) cut off the breasts of women, and forced their husbands to eat them. After that, he had them all impaled. -Wikipedia
According to German documents Vlad Dracula was responsible for slaughtering at least 80,000 victims. He also had whole villages and fortresses destroyed and burned to the ground.
Vlad the Impaler
Impalement was Vlad’s favorite method of murder. Several 15th and 16th century German documents depict Vlad feasting in a forest of impaled victims outside of Brasov as a nearby executioner sawed apart the bodies of the dead. It was also reported that an invading Ottoman army was left terrified when they encountered thousands of rotting corpses on the banks of the Danube. Alas, Vlad Dracula’s plan to fear his enemy into submission was beginning to come to fruition.
Vlad Dracula wasn’t a vampire after all. He was however, the inspiration behind Bram Stoker’s Dracula, a personal favorite read of mine. Bram Stoker based his character of Count Dracula off Vlad Dracula III and Bran Castle in Transylvania. In comparison of the two I would say Vlad Dracula III may as well have been a vampire. Thoughts?
21 Comments
Wow, I’ve never heard this version of who Dracula was. I think I like the vampire version better…
I think a vampire would be less harsh… lol
This is a nice summary of some of the facts about Dracula’s history (a bit too colloquial for my taste, but I can live with that), but as far as I know he wasn’t just the human monster you describe. Some years ago I read a most fascinating biography about him. Despite all these evildoings you describe here the book also told tales of how he was still a capable ruler and respected by his subordinates. And especially how he became the ruthless and manipulating man he was.
I still partly remember one tale in particular, where a salesmen visited his castle and claimed that if he stayed, his goods would not be safe. Dracula then told him to count his money and leave everything on the streets. He assured him that no one would dare to touch the carriage, let alone steal something in his kingdom and in the most unlikely case that something really happened he would make sure that the culprit would be found and punished. The salesman agreed and did as he was told. During the night however he himself did take a few coins away from his money and the next morning claimed that he was robbed. Dracula seeing through the deceit talked the merchant into revealing what he had done and simply did as he had promised: He punished the culprit.
Anyway, some notes that might be interesting after all: Dracula does not just mean “Son of the Dragon” it also can be translated to “Son of the Devil”, which might be a bit more fitting for him.
Oh, and The Impaler was impaled himself as his own men mistook him for a foe when he watched a battle from the sidelines.
In regards to the novelization I think both the real and the fictional Dracula are quite fascinating men and I could probably go on about this even longer, but I’ll stop here and wait for all the other Daily Monsters to appear in my Reader and dream about one day finally visiting Romania… 🙂
Wow, that is interesting indeed. You and I would make great coffee shop buddies 🙂 Keep it coming 😉
Thanks, I feel flattered 🙂
But I’m afraid we have to postpone the coffee and stick with the comments 😉
Just some comments: Dracula is a word in modern romanian and means “devil.” In the 1400s he was only known av Vlad Dracul, witch, as you say, means “Son of the Devil.”
And Vlad Tepes was never impaled himself. I was killed in active battled against the Turks, he`s head chopped off. It was unsure if he was killed by his own men or the turks.
Pingback: BiGTEAM
There is no proof whatsoever that Vlad ever lived in Bran Castle. That’s a total tourism construct. Some people say Stoker used Bran Castle as inspiration, but there’s no proof he even know of its existence. Also, there is a lot of dispute about his burial place since no body was found at Snagov. It’s all conjecture and local legend.
Seems fitting since the entire premise of this resource is to document places related to folklore, legend and mythology. Sometimes those intersect with history, which is like the stars aligning, and when they do it’s awesome.
He is a legend, and his country recognizes him as so, in whatever manner that may be. My job is to bring that availability to readers. Documented accounts or not.
Vlad the Impaler is one of my favourite stories! I stumbled upon a documentary about it when I was a kid and instantly became obsessed, having already fallen in love with Stoker’s Dracula. I even remember using it as a base for my speech in grade 8… although that ended with me having a panic attack before starting (ah, the joys of being a shy adolescent).
It’s a dream of mine to go on one of the Dracula tours – it would bring all of this together for me. hah
Make it happen! I am always looking for reliable media assistants and correspondents… send me your information and maybe we can make that dream come true one day. I would like to get over there in the upcoming year myself. email me direct and we can talk about it thefairytaletraveler@gmail.com
Take care Megan!
Vlad the Impaler is one of my favourite stories! I stumbled upon a documentary about it when I was a kid and instantly became obsessed, having already fallen in love with Stoker’s Dracula. I even remember using it as a base for my speech in grade 8… although that ended with me having a panic attack before starting (ah, the joys of being a shy adolescent).
It’s a dream of mine to go on one of the Dracula tours – it would bring all of this together for me. hah
Hi,
I am romanian. “Dracul” means “Devil” in romanian, not dragon. “Balaur” means dragon 🙂
You should visit Bran Castle sometimes and Brasov also 😉
Best regards!
Drac means ‘dragon’ in Latin. I think this is where the confusion is commonly made, and perhaps where I should have been more clear… but seeing as how this is a travel blog and not a reference site, I tend not to delve into those details.
Vlad Dracul was named with the Latin meaning of Vlad Dragon, with the addition of -a meaning ‘son of the dragon’… all ultimately relating to the “Order of the Dragon” which he was tied to by his father Vlad II.
Drac or Dracul means ‘devil’ in Romanian, it has changed over time at some point, but during the 1400’s it was intended to mean ‘dragon’.
Thanks for allowing me to clarify that. Here’s a reference if you or anyone would like to check it, https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/drac#Romanian
Pingback: Worldwide Wednesdays: I Wish to Travel to Transylvania - The Gohemian
Pingback: A Look at Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights 2014The Fairytale Traveler
Pingback: Superb Places Romania | CRIK
Pingback: 12 Superb Places To Visit In Romania |
Pingback: Why visit Romania? | betyteodorescu
Pingback: 3 Castels to visit in Romania | cori1219
Pingback: Bran Castle / Dracula’s Castle – See Romania By Car