Vlad the Impaler Becomes Dracula
In 1400s Romania saw the ruler of Wallachia revenge his father against the Turkish Sultan and impale his enemies.
The story of Vlad the Impaler, or the real "Dracula" is one of early psychological damage, revenge, and betrayal.
The story of Vlad the Impaler, better known as Dracula, begins in Medieval Europe in what is now Romania. Vlad's father, Vlad Drakul, was Voivode of Wallachia in 1436. (If you're wondering what a Voivode is, you aren't alone-apparently, it was a military leader, and then, later, a governor of a province.) In order to appease the Turkish Sultan, Vlad and his brother Radu were sent to Anatolia as hostages. This is, as any psychologist could tell you, is where Vlad's story begins to shape him into the fearsome Vlad the Impaler.
After Vlad Drakul was buried alive by the Turks, the younger Vlad became ruler of Wallachia in the year 1456. It is during this time that Vlad's cruel "justice" earned him fear and infamy across Europe (due to the increasing usage of the printing press throughout the Continent). To Romanians, the story of Vlad the Impaler is one of patriotism, but to others who discover the truth behind the mystery, Vlad was a truly gruesome individual.
Impaling enemies on stakes was a favorite pastime of Vlad's-and a particularly unpleasant way for victims to die. Complaints around Wallachia were met with more impalings; the humble citizens dared not utter a peep of discontent. Thievery was done away with, for Vlad himself would wander towns in disguise trying to trick merchants or tempt other villagers to steal prizes from public places. Vlad was the ultimate practitioner of "tough love."
The story of Vlad the Impaler is also one of vengeance. Turning against the Turks, no doubt out of deep-seated resentment towards their power and his childhood captivity, he declared war. His defeat of the Turks was paramount when his army erected a field of impaled enemies one mile long and 3 miles wide. The Turks fled, and Vlad was a hero.
Vlad the Impaler was ultimately undone by deals with the Turks, who, after Radu betrayed Vlad, sent Vlad's head to their sultan. Vlad the Impaler's body is said to be buried at the island monastery at Snagov, where an unmarked tomb is surrounded by enigma.
Vlad the Impaler's story lives on in Romania, and a shadow of this fearsome historical figure is depicted in Bram Stoker's Dracula. While vampirism is still a part of Romania's folktale culture, Vlad's bloodlust had little to do with vampirism. The story of Vlad the Impaler is more horrifying than any of these tales; his story was, down to every last morbid drop of detail, real.
