An insight into the reign and controversial legacy of Vlad III (also known as Vlad Dracula or Vlad the Impaler), the voivode (prince, local ruler) of Wallachia three times (1448; 1456–1462; 1476). Vlad is infamously known for savagely executing his enemies; in spite of this, he is viewed as a hero for countering Ottoman invasion and expansion in fifteenth-century Europe. Modern scholars believe that Vlad was the inspiration for Count Dracula.

1. {
Vlad the Impaler, Ruler of Wallachia

2. Overview
 Vlad the Impaler, known formally
as Vlad III Dracula (Romanian:
Vlad III Drăculea or Vlad Țepeș) or
simply as Vlad III (c. 1431 – c.
1476), was the voivode (military
governor , or prince) of Wallachia
three times (1448; 1456–1462; 1476).
 His brutal practices of punishing
his enemies attained infamy in
fifteenth-century Europe.
 Some scholars have implied that
Count Dracula, the title character
in Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula, was
inspired by Vlad III.

3.  Vlad was the second of four sons born into the noble family of Vlad II
Dracul.
 His nickname Dracula (meaning “son of Dracul”) originated from the
Latin word draco (“dragon”) after his father’s initiation into the Order of the
Dragon, founded by Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund for the protection of
Christian Europe against the Ottoman Empire.
 Vlad moved to Târgoviște, Wallachia, in 1436 when his father gained
control of the Wallachian voivodate (principality).
 In 1442, Vlad and his younger brother were sent to the court of Ottoman
Sultan Murad II as safeguards to assure the sultan (a Muslim ruler) that
their father, in a change from his prior stance, would back Ottoman policies.
 Vlad returned in 1448, having learned of the killing of his father and older
brother at the hands of Wallachian boyars (nobles) the previous year.
Early life and ascension to power

4. Vlad’s birthplace, Sighișoara

5. Portrait of Vlad II Dracul

6. Ottoman Expansion: 1451–1566

7.  Vlad subsequently went on the first of a lasting succession of battles to
reclaim his father’s former seat.
 His adversaries included the boyars as well as his younger brother,
who had the support of the Ottoman sultan.
 He emerged momentarily triumphant in 1448 but was ousted after only
two months.
 In 1456, following an eight-year struggle, Vlad again claimed
the voivodate.
First and second reigns (1448, 1456–1462)

8.  It was during this period of his reign that he carried out the killings for
which he is best known.
 His desire for stabbing his enemies on stakes in the ground and leaving
them to die earned him the notorious name Vlad the Impaler
(Romanian: Vlad Țepeș).
 He imposed this form of cruelty on foreign and domestic enemies
equally: particularly, as he withdrew from a battle in 1462, he left a
meadow filled with thousands of pierced victims as an obstacle to
chasing Ottoman forces.
 That year, he evaded Ottoman apprehension, but was seized by
Hungarian forces and confined by Matthias I of Hungary.
 Vlad regained his seat again in 1476, but was murdered in battle the
same year.
 He remained a folk hero in the region for his struggles against Ottoman
invasion.
Second and third reigns (1456–1462, 1476) and
death (1476)

9. Corvin Castle (Romanian: Castelul Huniazilor or Castelul Corvinilor;
Hungarian: Vajdahunyadi vár), where, according to legend, Vlad was
imprisoned

10. Black and white illustration of stake torture of Vlad’s victims

11. Modern theories: Vlad and Dracula
 It often has been speculated that
Bram Stoker based the title character
of Dracula (first edition, published in
1897, shown right) on Vlad.
 Although Stoker’s records for the
novel do contain references to
“Dracula,” the historical account from
which the notes were taken references
only the name, not the evil deeds for
which its name’s owner was known.
 Some academics have considered that
Stoker’s exchanges with a
distinguished historian, Hermann
Bamburger, may have provided him
with information on Vlad’s vicious
personality, but there is no existing
evidence to support or prove that
theory.

12. Dracula, Dover Thrift Editions, 2000

13. Bran Castle, one of several castles tied to the
Dracula legend

14.  https://www.britannica.com/biography/Vlad-the-Impaler
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corvin_Castle
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bran_Castle
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dracula
References

15.  http://www.wisegeek.com/who-was-vlad-the-impaler.htm
 http://www.xblafans.com/deadliest-warrior-legends-vlad-
the-impaler-17980.html
 Vlad Dracula Documentary:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_QHbYl7-1Q
For more on Vlad the Impaler