Vlad III or better known as COUNT DRACULA, was the most terrifying ruler in the 15th century. Vlad became notorious for his evil ways of killing people, including his most favorite; impaling enemies with long sharpened wooden stakes. This is a gruesome process in which the victim had a wooden stake slowly driven through their body before being left to die of exposure.
That is how he got his nickname “Vlad the Impaler.” Vlad’s victims were murdered through unbearable means including beheadings, skinned, disembowelment and even being boiled alive. Experts today agree that he is responsible of the killings of 40,000 to 100,000 people.
Vlad III was a 15th century ruler of Wallachia, which is today known as Romania. His father Vlad II was a member of the Order of the Dragon in which solid purpose was to protect the land from the muslim Ottoman Empire in which was increasing rapidly. His father died in 1456 in battle with the Ottoman Empire and Vlad III took the throne soon after. He began to rule in a bloody and dictatorship manner, striking fear in the hearts of his enemies. In 1461, the war with the Ottomans began as a result from Vlad III attacking Ottoman strongholds on their land. The Ottomans began to push back his army. During a night raid, Vlad killed many thousands of Ottomans, and impaled their dead bodies on wooden post for the enemy armies to see the next morning. The most famous military defeat under Vlad the Impaler's rule is against the advancing Ottoman Turks, Vlad supposedly had around 20,000 men impaled on the banks of the Danube. The second wave of invaders retreated immediately after seeing the horrific forest of corpses.
Vlad the Impaler used his punishments to the extreme. One account describes a gypsy man who had stolen something from Dracula while traveling through his land. Vlad had the man boiled, and then forced the other gypsies to eat him. In an attempt to clean up Wallachia, Vlad invited all the sick and old residents to clean up the streets of the city of Tirgoviste (capital of Wallachia.) He then invited the sick and beggars to one of his home for a feast and burned them alive. According to many historians, Vlad participated and enjoyed eating his meals among the thousands of impaled bodies of his enemies. He would even dip his bread into the blood of his victims. This bloodthirst practice along with the name “Dracula” (son of Dracul) derived from his father's’ Order of Dragon and Vlad’s birthplace of Transylvania would later inspire the vampire in Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel “Dracula.” Bram Stoker was responsible for bringing the idea and belief about vampires alive. “Dracula” means son of Dracul who was Vlad the Impaler's father nickname. “Dracul” means “dragon” " in Romanian. Dracul belonged to the Order of the Dragon, which fought the Muslim Ottoman Empire. Bram Stoker based vampires off of Vlad the Impaler’s bloodthirst and ruthlessness. Vlad the Impaler finally died in battle when his army was outnumbered by the turks but his body was never found. Many skeptics have their reasons, but to most, it’s because he is the real count dracula.
Works Cited:
Miller, Dr. Elizabeth.”Count Dracula vs Vlad the Impaler” count dracula vs vlad the impaler 2005 web. 21, October 2015
Andrews, Evan “7 Terrifying Historical Figures” A&E Television Networks 2012 web 21, October 2015
Nixon, Eli “10 Fascinating Facts About the Real Dracula” Listverse Ltd. 2007 web 21, October 2015
Further Research:
Vlad the Impaler. http://www.medievality.com/vlad-the-impaler.html This cite has alot of information about Vlad the Impaler and the highlight of events in his life.
The Terrifying Truth about Dracula http://www.infoplease.com/spot/dracula1.html This cite talks about the Order of the Dragon, Vlad the Impalers life, and his missing corpse.
Vlad the Impaler: The Real Dracula's Dark Secrets http://www.livescience.com/48536-vlad-the-impaler-dark-secrets.html This cite is great for reviling the dark side of Vlad III.
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