Vlad Dracula's Life
There isn't much information on Vlad the Impaler. Vlad III was born in November or December of 1431 in the town of Sighisoara Romania. He was the son of Vlad Draculand a Moldavian princess named Cneajna.
In 1442, for political reasons, Dracula and his younger brother Radu were taken hostage by the Sultan Murad II. Dracula was held in Turkey until 1448, while his brother decided to stay there until 1462. Turkish captivity played an important role in Dracula's life. It was the time when he adopted a pessimistic view of life. The Turks set him free after the assassination of his father by Vladislav II. This is when he learned about the death of his older brother Mircea, who was tortured and buried alive by the noblemen of Targoviste.
At 17 years, Vlad Tepes, supported by a Turkish cavalry and troops lent to him by Mustafa Hassan, made his first move to conquer the throne of Wallachia. But he was defeated two months later. In order to prepare for the conquest of the throne, Dracula had to wait until 1456, the year he had the satisfaction of killing his father's killer.
This is the time when Vlad Tepes begins his longest reigh of six years in which he committed many bloody deeds which earned him a controversial reputation. His first major act of revenge was to kill the murderers of his father. In 1459 he arrested all the noble families who had participated in the assassination. Some of them were impaled, while others were forced to walk to the capital, Targoviste, and to the city Poenari. Those who survived the torture were not able to rest until the moment they arrived. Here Dracula ordered them to build him a fortress on the ruins of another old castle above the Arges River. Most noblemen died during the building of this castle.
Vlad Tepes became well known because of his brutal punishment techniques. Very often commanded people to be decapitated, blinded, hanged, burned, buried alive or impaled. But of all his favorite method was impalement. That's how he got the name Vlad the Implaer (Tepes).
In early 1462, Vlad launched a campaign against the Turks. It was very risky to take on such thing as a Turkish army of Sultan Mehmed II was far more powerful. However, Dracula succeeded in 1462 to get only wins and to horrify the Turks. To get revenge, Mehmed decided to invade Wallachia and to transform it into a Turkish province. He entered Wallachia with an army three times larger than that of Dracula. In these circumstances, and without allies, Vlad was forced to withdraw from Targoviste. He poisoned all the wells and burned all the villages so the Turkish army wouldn't survive.
When the Sultan finally arrived in the capital, he was greeted by a gruesome sight. Skulls of 20,000 Turkish captives were stuck on stakes. This horror scene has remained known in history as "Dracula's Forest." This tactic of terror, applied by the Impaler, was successful because the sultan and most of his officers who were very tired and hungry, decided to retire.
Sultan Mehmed left the second part of the battle to Vlad's younger brother, Radu the Turkish favorite for Wallachian throne. He pursued the Impaler to the Poenari castle. According to the legend, this is where Vlad's wife to avoid being captured by the Turks, committed suicide by throwing herself off a cliff. Vlad, however, managed to escape using a secret passage in the mountain. Helped by some peasants, he took refuge in the village of Arefu and ran to Transylvania where he met the king of Hungary, Matthias Corvinus. But instead of helping him, Matthias arrested and imprisoned Dracula in the capital of Visegrad.
Vlad Tepes stayed in Hungary for 12 years, while his brother Radu ruled Walachia as a puppet of the Turks. After the first four years, Tepes was allowed to move into a house. To win the goodwill of the royal family, he married the king's sister (according to some sources). He became a Catholic which delighted the Catholic Hungarians.
In 1476 the Impaler went back to Wallachia with the help of Moldavia and Transylvania. This third reign lasted only a few months. Vlad was killed on the battlefield with the Turks. He was beheaded and his head was taken to Constantinople, as a proof of his death.
In 1442, for political reasons, Dracula and his younger brother Radu were taken hostage by the Sultan Murad II. Dracula was held in Turkey until 1448, while his brother decided to stay there until 1462. Turkish captivity played an important role in Dracula's life. It was the time when he adopted a pessimistic view of life. The Turks set him free after the assassination of his father by Vladislav II. This is when he learned about the death of his older brother Mircea, who was tortured and buried alive by the noblemen of Targoviste.
At 17 years, Vlad Tepes, supported by a Turkish cavalry and troops lent to him by Mustafa Hassan, made his first move to conquer the throne of Wallachia. But he was defeated two months later. In order to prepare for the conquest of the throne, Dracula had to wait until 1456, the year he had the satisfaction of killing his father's killer.
This is the time when Vlad Tepes begins his longest reigh of six years in which he committed many bloody deeds which earned him a controversial reputation. His first major act of revenge was to kill the murderers of his father. In 1459 he arrested all the noble families who had participated in the assassination. Some of them were impaled, while others were forced to walk to the capital, Targoviste, and to the city Poenari. Those who survived the torture were not able to rest until the moment they arrived. Here Dracula ordered them to build him a fortress on the ruins of another old castle above the Arges River. Most noblemen died during the building of this castle.
Vlad Tepes became well known because of his brutal punishment techniques. Very often commanded people to be decapitated, blinded, hanged, burned, buried alive or impaled. But of all his favorite method was impalement. That's how he got the name Vlad the Implaer (Tepes).
In early 1462, Vlad launched a campaign against the Turks. It was very risky to take on such thing as a Turkish army of Sultan Mehmed II was far more powerful. However, Dracula succeeded in 1462 to get only wins and to horrify the Turks. To get revenge, Mehmed decided to invade Wallachia and to transform it into a Turkish province. He entered Wallachia with an army three times larger than that of Dracula. In these circumstances, and without allies, Vlad was forced to withdraw from Targoviste. He poisoned all the wells and burned all the villages so the Turkish army wouldn't survive.
When the Sultan finally arrived in the capital, he was greeted by a gruesome sight. Skulls of 20,000 Turkish captives were stuck on stakes. This horror scene has remained known in history as "Dracula's Forest." This tactic of terror, applied by the Impaler, was successful because the sultan and most of his officers who were very tired and hungry, decided to retire.
Sultan Mehmed left the second part of the battle to Vlad's younger brother, Radu the Turkish favorite for Wallachian throne. He pursued the Impaler to the Poenari castle. According to the legend, this is where Vlad's wife to avoid being captured by the Turks, committed suicide by throwing herself off a cliff. Vlad, however, managed to escape using a secret passage in the mountain. Helped by some peasants, he took refuge in the village of Arefu and ran to Transylvania where he met the king of Hungary, Matthias Corvinus. But instead of helping him, Matthias arrested and imprisoned Dracula in the capital of Visegrad.
Vlad Tepes stayed in Hungary for 12 years, while his brother Radu ruled Walachia as a puppet of the Turks. After the first four years, Tepes was allowed to move into a house. To win the goodwill of the royal family, he married the king's sister (according to some sources). He became a Catholic which delighted the Catholic Hungarians.
In 1476 the Impaler went back to Wallachia with the help of Moldavia and Transylvania. This third reign lasted only a few months. Vlad was killed on the battlefield with the Turks. He was beheaded and his head was taken to Constantinople, as a proof of his death.