Although vampire stories have existed for hundreds of years, they have been firmly established in Western culture since the 1897 release of the novel “Dracula”. Since then, Count Dracula and vampires alike have been the subject of countless movies and books. Although these vampire stories are relatively modern inventions, the character of Count Dracula is actually based on a historical figure – Vlad Dracula living in the Romanian province of Wallachia in the 15th century. This man, who became the prince of Wallachia, adopted the name Vlad III, commonly known as Prince Vlad the Impaler because of excessive cruelty.
Although the extent and nature of the origin of his cruelty has been disputed for some years, almost all sources agree that Prince Vlad III ruled his territory with a very harsh hand. It seems that death is prescribed in almost all the terms of the law, and by all accounts it is preferred to all other forms of capital punishment. The victims usually had their feet tied to horses while a sharp stake was forced into their bodies. In general, stakes entered through the anus and exited through the mouth. Care must be taken that the nails are not so sharp that they kill the victims too quickly. Sometimes it took hours for the victims to die as Vlad wanted his victims to suffer a slow death. After impaling the victim, the stakes were usually driven into the ground, where the victim was often left for months to serve as a warning to others.
If Vlad really did everything that is attributed to him, we can easily conclude that he is one of the saddest people in world history. If the report is true, he killed and tortured thousands of men, women, and children up to thirty thousand. According to one story, the invading Ottoman Turks recoiled in horror at the sight of thousands of rotting Turkish prisoners who had been planted on the banks of the Danube by Vlad. Other stories have him tearing, blinding, strangling, tearing, scratching, cutting, and boiling the victims alive. Although there are few reasons he has ever dabbled in vampirism, it is easy to see why Bram Stoker Dracula in Vlad the Impaler. It remains to this day infamous for its cruelty and ferocity.
Interestingly enough, Vlad earned the respect of many during his lifetime and continues to be seen by some in Romania as a national hero. Indeed, he brought law and order to the province and checked Ottoman aid in Eastern Europe. Further, although he had almost destroyed the lower nobility in Wallachia, he would treat them undeservedly harshly. The lower nobles had killed his father and brother, and there had been a strong force in Romania. I deserve to be threatened by them.
Rather, he used Draconian drugs to maintain his power, but he probably wasn’t insane. There is no doubt that many of the stories that persist about his cruelty are simply exaggerations or outright lies made up by his enemies. No one can deny that he was one of the harshest rulers in history, but he was not as bitter as the stories tell. And since it is difficult to distinguish fact from fiction, we can never know the truth about a prince. Vlad III Impalor of Wallachia.
