It is widely believed that Bram Stoker based the character of Dracula in his popular novel upon the real life historical figure of Vlad Tepes (pronounced tse-pesh), who periodically ruled the land of Wallachia in Romania during the mid 15th century. He was also called Vlad III, Vlad Dracula and Vlad the Impaler. Among his many names Tepes was used primarily after his death, the word Tepes meaning "impaler". Vlad was so christened because of a propensity to punish victims of his wrath by impaling them on stakes, then displaying them prominently in public to terrify his enemies and to warn any who might disobey his strict moral code that to do so would be foolhardy. He is credited with killing between 40,000 to 100,000 people in this gruesome fashion.
It was no fluke of whim of fancy that caused Bram Stoker to pick the Balkans for the home of Count Dracula.
Over the centuries there have been hordes of vampires or similar creatures in the mythologies and folklore of various cultures. But the image of the vampire which most of us in Europe and America carry with us today had its origins in the Slavic and Greek lands of Eastern Europe. In fact, the legend of the vampire is still an important part of the Balkan region today.
Origin of the Name "Dracula"
King Sigismund of Hungary, upon becoming the Holy Roman Emperor in 1410, founded a secret fraternal order of knights called the Order of the Dragon to be champions of Christianity and defenders of the Empire against the Ottoman Turks. Its emblem was a dragon, wings extended, hanging on a cross. Vlad III's father (Vlad II) was admitted to the order in 1431. From then on he wore the emblem of the order and later, as ruler of Wallachia, his coinage bore the dragon symbol.
The word for dragon in Romanian is "drac" so Vlad II became known throughout Wallachia and its surrounding areas in the Balkans as "Vlad Dracul," or "Vlad the dragon." In Romanian the ending "ulea" means "the son of." Vlad III thus became Vlad Dracula, or "the son of the dragon." (The word "drac" also means "devil" in Romanian, a name which, along with many other "endearments" the enemies of Vlad III would undoubtedly have heartily bestowed upon him.
Historical Background
During Vlad III's lifetime there was a constant struggle to obtain control of Wallachia. A region of the Balkans (in present-day southern Romania), back then it lay directly between the two powerful forces of Hungary and the Ottoman Empire.
When Constantinople fell to the Sultan Mohammed the Conqueror in 1453, all of Christendom was suddenly threatened by the armed might of the Ottoman Turks eager to bring Islam to Europe even if the only sure way to do that was through violence. The Hungarian kingdom to the north and west of Wallachia, which reached the height of its prominence during this same time, assumed the role of defender of Christendom.
This left the rulers of Wallachia between a rock and a hard place, as they were thus forced to appease these two empires to maintain their survival, often forging alliances with one or the other, depending upon what served their self-interest at the time. Vlad III is hailed by the Romanian people for his success in standing up to the encroaching Ottoman Turks and establishing relative independence and sovereignty, although only for a brief time.
The Life of Vlad III (1431-1476)
Vlad III was born in November or December of 1431 in the Transylvanian city of Sighisoara. The house where he was born is still standing. Little is known about his early years. He had an older brother, Mircea, and a younger brother, Radu the Handsome. His mother was a Transylvanian noblewoman. In 1436 his father successfully claimed the throne of Wallachia. During this time Vlad III learned all the skills of war and peace that were deemed necessary for a Christian knight.
In 1444, at the age of 13, Vlad and his brother Radu were sent to Adrianople as hostages to assure the Sultan of their father's loyalty. He was released in 1448, but his younger brother chose to remain in Turkey, where he had grown up.
Although the Turks supported Vlad III in his quest for the Wallachian throne, his initial reign was extremely short (two months), and it was not until 1456, with the aide of the Hungarian king that he returned to the throne. He established Tirgoviste as his capital city, and began to build his castle some distance away in the mountains near the Arges River. It is during this time that most of the atrocities associated with Vlad III took place.
Atrocities of Vlad Tepes
Above and beyond any of his other accomplishments, the historical Dracula is known for his inhuman cruelty and bloodthirstiness. Impalement was his preferred method of torture and execution. Impalement was one of the most hideous ways of dying imaginable, as it was slow and excruciatingly painful.
