Introduction:
Vlad Dracula evokes many different impressions: vampires, eerie forests, and isolated mountain castles. However, Vlad is often misunderstood, with many slanderous depictions overshadowing his true historical impact. Some, such as Guardian Alexandros Iowno and Guardian Karnonnos, have occasionally shed light on the truth behind this enigmatic figure. While history tends to portray Vlad as a devout Christian, he was deeply involved in the occult and maintained direct communication with Zeus Satya and his Daemons. Vlad is said to have possessed a Satanic Grimoire and was known to "summon our Daemons for war."
This connection to these forces is reflected in his historical battles against the Turks. Mysteriously, Turkish forces often succumbed to the plague, and despite being vastly outnumbered, Vlad’s forces succeeded through devastating tactics and the use of fear—most notably, the “forest of impaled Turks.”
To better understand Vlad Dracula, the following sections will first explore his name, early life, and rise to power. Next, his rule, conflict with the Ottomans, relationship with the Church, and death will be examined. Finally, selected primary writings will be reviewed, followed by a conclusion that assesses his legacy.
Contextual Remark:
The following article does not cover every historical detail relevant to the life of Vlad Dracula; however, it focuses on the key events for which he is most well-known. It is important to note that there were many political, social, and military dynamics at play during his life, and as a result, certain nuances—such as his relationship with his brothers or his diplomatic and military actions in other parts of Europe—are not addressed here. For those interested in delving deeper, the bibliography at the end includes two books that provide further information on the subject.
Name, Early Life, and Rise to Power
Vlad Dracula, born around 1428, was the son of Vlad Dracul, Prince of Wallachia. The name "Dracula" derives from his father's title, "Dracul," meaning "Dragon," reflecting his father's membership in the Order of the Dragon, a chivalric order established to protect Christendom from the Ottoman Empire. Vlad's surname, "Tepes," meaning "Impaler," stemmed from his notorious use of impalement as a form of punishment and psychological warfare—a method, however, not unique to him, as it was commonly used across Romania at the time.
Born in Sighișoara, Transylvania (now Romania), Vlad spent his early years in the principality of Wallachia, particularly after his father’s ascent to power in 1436. His formative years were likely spent preparing for his future role as prince, learning horsemanship, combat, politics, and other necessary skills. Vlad was a descendant of two reigning dynasties of the Romanian principalities, linking him to both his mother’s and father’s lineages. His life, however, would be marked by the political turmoil of the region, particularly due to Ottoman dominance.
At a young age, Vlad and his brother Radu were taken as hostages by the Ottomans to ensure their father’s compliance. Despite this, Vlad Dracul violated his agreement with the Ottomans in 1444/45, believing his sons were dead. However, the Ottomans did not harm the boys, and Vlad Dracul later renegotiated peace with the Ottomans. Unfortunately, he met his end in 1447 not at the hands of the Turks, but through an assassination orchestrated by John Hunyadi, following a lost battle. Vlad Dracul’s body was never found.
Despite their father’s death, Vlad and Radu, still prisoners, were later granted military positions within the Ottoman army. This period exposed Vlad to Ottoman military tactics and strategies, which he would use in future campaigns to resist Ottoman expansion. The Sultan saw Vlad and Radu as potential claimants to the Wallachian throne, individuals he believed he could control.
Vlad’s opportunity to seize the throne came in 1448 when John Hunyadi, the Governor of Transylvania (and his father’s murderer), and Vladislav II (his cousin), the Prince of Wallachia following Vlad II, organized an offensive against the Turks, which ultimately failed. During Vladislav II’s absence, Vlad led a Turkish force and invaded Wallachia, quickly seizing the throne at Târgoviște. Upon hearing of the usurpation, Vladislav II returned to Wallachia and forced Vlad to flee to Adrianople within the Ottoman Empire.
Little is known about the few months that Vlad ruled, but historians agree on two points: first, he punished the boyars (nobility) for their role in dethroning his father, often through impalement; and second, he sought peace with John Hunyadi, should the latter return to power. Additionally, in 1457, it is said that Vlad finished his revenge on the boyars who, along with the death of his father, buried his oldest brother, Mircea II, alive in a coup—the 200 responsible Boyars were impaled around the Wallachian capital, Târgoviște. Following his retreat into Ottoman lands, Vlad sought refuge in Moldavia, where he lived with his cousin Stephen the Great, although he eventually left after Stephen's father and his uncle, Bogdan II, in 1451, was assassinated. Vlad then moved to Transylvania, awaiting his chance to claim the Wallachian throne once again.
General Rule:
During his time in Transylvania and Moldavia, John Hunyadi made it difficult for Vlad to secure support for his claim to Wallachia. However, Vlad took advantage of the political turmoil, particularly the deteriorating relationship between Hunyadi and Vladislav II. Eventually, Hunyadi reconsidered Vlad’s claim and provided him with enough troops to retake the Wallachian throne. This alliance, though strange given Hunyadi had once been responsible for Vlad’s father’s death, was crucial for Vlad’s success.
Vlad then defeated Vladislav II, who was retaliating against Hunyadi, and killed him in Târgșor, a small town near Târgoviște. On July 3, 1456, Vlad ascended to the throne as Prince of Wallachia and assured his people that he would protect them from any Turkish attack. He replaced the old nobility and guards with new men that were loyal to him—often peasants and friends—and settled in to his reclaimed principality, politically, socially, and militarily. However, not long after Vlad’s ascension, the Saxons of Transylvania and the Hungarian government shifted their support away from him, seeking to install new princes. With his diplomatic skills, Vlad was able to quell this opposition, establishing relative peace in Wallachia for the year following 1457. In 1459/60, another pretender to the throne, Prince Basarab, emerged with support from the Saxons, again. Unlike his previous mercy toward the Saxons, Vlad made an example of those involved in the plot—he impaled 41 merchants and burned another 300 informers alive. One of the places this occurred was in Brasov, where he laid siege to, but not before recalling any of his own Wallachian people dwelling there.
Afterward, Vlad’s next challenge came in 1460 when Prince Dan, another pretender, crossed the mountains to take Wallachia. Dan was defeated, executed, and subjected to having his own funeral read to him while alive, serving as another lesson to any future claimants.
Conflict with the Ottomans and Final Days:
For three years, Vlad Dracula refused to pay tribute to the Ottoman Empire and denied their demand for children (Wallachian children) to be sent to the janissary corps. Sultan Mehmed II, the conqueror of Constantinople, aware of what the Wallachian prince was capable of, initially sought to remove him through cunning rather than military force. He sent an envoy, a Greek named Catavolinos, to meet with Dracula at Giurgiu, a key Danubian citadel and port, under the pretense of resolving a border issue. Dracula agreed to the meeting, bringing both the tribute and fifty children to deceive the Ottomans. However, he secretly brought an army with him, which, at his signal, surrounded the Ottoman detachment. The commander of the Ottoman forces, Hamza, the bey of Nicopolis, and the Greek envoy Catavolinos were captured. The prisoners were taken to Târgoviște, where a stake was prepared for each soldier, with Hamza and the Greek envoy receiving the highest stakes. Giurgiu fell to Dracula, and the area along the right bank of the Danube, from the mouth of Zimnicea, was pillaged and burned. Another Ottoman commander, Mehmed Pasha, narrowly escaped by fleeing.
In a letter sent to King Matthias of Hungary on February 11, 1462, Vlad Dracula claimed that 23,884 men had been slain during his campaign—he arrived at that figure by collecting their heads. After these events, even the Turks in Constantinople considered retreating, as they feared he would continue southward. In response, Sultan Mehmed II sent between 150,000 and 250,000 troops to the Danube. Vlad Dracula, with only around 20,000 men, engaged in guerrilla warfare at several strategically chosen locations, causing heavy losses for the Turks. One night, Vlad attacked the Turkish encampment itself, aiming to reach the Sultan and kill him. Under the cover of darkness and amidst the confusion of the surprise attack, the Romanians slaughtered an estimated 100,000 men before withdrawing with minimal losses. Victory seemed assured, as the Turkish forces, despite advancing on Târgoviște, were low on supplies due to the Wallachian tactic of scorched earth, and the Turkish army was also plagued by disease. It was during one of these battles in 1462, that Vlad impaled thousands of men and arranged them in forests and fields, serving as a deterrent to the advancing Turks.
Unfortunately, Vlad’s younger brother, Radu, loyal to the Ottoman Empire, was sent by the Sultan to defeat Dracula. Radu gained the support of the boyars, who abandoned Vlad in favor of Radu, forcing Vlad to retreat to Transylvania, where he awaited assistance from King Matthias. However, King Matthias did not support Vlad after reading forged letters that suggested Vlad was loyal to the Turks and plotting against Hungary. The King had him captured and imprisoned at Vișegrad, a fortress on the Danube north of Buda, where he remained for twelve years before later being moved to a house in Pest. He would remain there until he was called upon to fight, ultimately regaining his throne in 1476.
Sadly, Vlad's reign was short-lived. After regaining the throne, he ruled for only about a month before the Turks, along with Laiotă Basarab, attacked him. Lacking an army except for 200 personal guards, Vlad was defeated. All but ten of his guards were killed, and those who escaped fled. Historically, this marked the end of the reign and life of Dracula, the infamous ruler of Wallachia.
Death and the Church:
Although it is commonly said that Vlad Dracula died with his personal guard in Târgoviște, the exact location of his tomb remains unknown, much like that of Alexander the Great. Tradition holds that his remains were buried in the church of the Snagov Monastery, but no gravestone has survived. Excavations beneath the church failed to uncover a human skeleton, instead revealing only the bones of a horse and some prehistoric pottery. It was this peculiarity, among other things (some of which are simply slanderous), that Braim Stroker used as inspiration for his immortal character, Dracula. Additionally, with the fall of Constantinople, Vlad essentially controlled the church within his borders. He was known for building churches and monasteries, as well as appointing clergy to positions as he saw fit. While this gave the church a semblance of autonomy, in reality, it was state-controlled, similar to how Adolf Hitler manipulated the Christian religious institutions for his own purposes during his time.
Writings of and about Vlad Dracula:
A. Letter of Vlad III Dracula to Brașov, 31 October 1448.
31 October 1448, Târgoviște
Vlad Dracula, prince of Wallachia, to the officials of Brașov:
We give you news that Mr. Nicolae from Ocna of Sibiu writes to us and asks us to be so kind as to come to him until John [Hunyadi], the Royal Governor of Hungary, returns from the war. We are unable to do this because an emissary from Nicopolis came to us this past Tuesday [29 October] and said with great certainty that Murad, the Turkish Sultan, made war for three days against John [Hunyadi] the Governor, and that on the last day he [Hunyadi] formed a circle with his caravan, then the Sultan himself went down among the janissaries and they attacked this caravan, broke through the lines, and defeated and killed them. If we come now to him, the Turks could come and kill both you and us. Therefore, we ask you to have patience until we see what has happened to John [Hunyadi]. We don’t even know if he is alive. If he returns from the war, we will meet him and we will make peace with him. But if you will be our enemies now, and if something happens, you will have sinned and you will have to answer for it before God. Written at Târgoviște the day before All Saints’ Day [31 October] in the year of our Lord 1448.
Vlad, voievod of Wallachia, your brother in all.
To the officials of Brașov, our most loved brothers and friends.
Source: Nicolae Iorga, Scrisori de boieri, scrisori de domni, 3rd ed. (Vălenii-de-Munte, 1931), pp. 160-161. Iorga mistakenly attributes this letter to Vladislav II.
Vlad Dracula to Brașov, 10 September 1456:
…we cannot make peace with the Turks because they wish to pass through our country to attack and plunder you… This is why we have retained the Turkish messenger until you receive this news. You can judge for yourselves that when a man or a prince is strong and powerful, he can make peace as he wants to; but when he is weak, a stronger one will come and do what he wants to him… you should think about what we and ours deserve, in fairness and in honor, as there are some people who think badly of us and who are working against us. You should be enemies of such men as we are toward your enemies.
Extracts from the Chronicle of Laonikos Chalkokondyles concerning Vlad III Dracula:
…To Vlad [Dracula]… the Emperor [Sultan Mehmed II] granted the rule of Dacia [Wallachia], and with the help of the Emperor, Vlad, the son of Drăculea [Vlad II Dracul], invaded and took the throne. Soon after he began his rule he created a personal guard which he always kept by his side; after this, he sent for some of his boyars, one by one, whom be thought might be treasonous and plot to overthrow him, and he had them…impaled… To strengthen his power, he killed, in a short time, twenty thousand men [likely exaggerated] he surrounded himself with a number of distinguished and devoted soldiers and servants to whom he gave the money, wealth, and social positions of those he killed, so that in a short time he brought about a radical change, and this man completely altered the organization of Dacia.
Appendix V Extract from the Chronicle of Antonius Bonfinius:
He behaved with such harshness in this barbarous country that everyone could leave their things in safety, even in the middle of the forest.
There are numerous references to Vlad Dracula, including political letters written by him. However, many of these, particularly the German texts that have evolved into folklore, are so exaggerated that they aren't worth mentioning.
Conclusion:
Much of what has been written about Vlad Dracula teeters between fact and fiction. Heinous accusations, born out of political strife and jealous fear, have tarnished his legacy. While he was undoubtedly ruthless, it cannot be denied that without him, Europe could have been a much larger part of the Muslim world today. Forced to cooperate with the Ottomans in his early years, Vlad eventually seized the opportunity to nationalize Wallachia, seeking his countries independence, despite the ongoing internal struggles and the looming threat of the Ottoman Empire. He was a masterful ruler, relentlessly pursuing his birthright, and although history often overlooks this, his political acumen was unparalleled and he was very generous to his people, especially the peasant class. He was patient until necessity pushed him to act. During that era, Europe was far removed from ethical considerations, with treachery lurking around every corner. Yet he met each challenge with bravery and intelligence—leveraging superior military skill and psychological warfare to achieve his goals. In summary, Vlad Dracula stained his hands with blood only when forced to follow the laws of nature, and all of Europe is better for it.
Bibliography + Map:
DRACULA Essays on the Life and Times of Vlad the Impaler, edited by Kurt W. Treptow. Las Vegas: Histria Book, 2019.
Pallardy, R.. "Vlad the Impaler." Encyclopedia Britannica, February 5, 2025.
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Vlad-the-Impaler.
Treptow, Kurt W. Vlad III Dracula: The Life and Times of the Historical Dracula. Las Vegas: Histria Books, 2021.
Knowledgia. Story of Vlad The Impaler - All parts.
![Karnonnos [JG]](/data/avatars/m/21/21596.jpg?1704756304){kind=avatar}
