Vlad's wife threw herself off the tower into the Argeş River below the castle. According to legend she remarked that she "would rather have her body be eaten by the fish of the Argeş than be captured by the Turks." Vlad had another two sons with his second wife Ilona Szilágyi a fraternal cousin of King Matthias Corvinus of Hungary.
What is the true story of Vlad the Impaler?
Vlad was held in captivity in Visegrád from 1463 to 1475. During this period, anecdotes about his cruelty started to spread in Germany and Italy. He was released at the request of Stephen III of Moldavia in the summer of 1475. He fought in Corvinus's army against the Ottomans in Bosnia in early 1476.
Was Vlad the Impailer called a vampire?
Why was Vlad the Impaler called a vampire? Order of the Dragon The name came from the old Romanian word for dragon, “drac.”. His son, Vlad III, would later be known as the “son of Dracul” or, in old Romanian, Drăculea, hence Dracula. According to “Dracula: Sense and Nonsense” by Elizabeth Miller, in 1890 Stoker read a book about Wallachia.
What is the real name of Vlad the Impaler?
Vlad III, most commonly known as Vlad the Impaler (Romanian: Vlad Țepeș [ˈ v l a d ˈ ts e p e ʃ]) or Vlad Dracula (/ ˈ d r æ k j ə l ə /; Romanian: Vlad Drăculea [-ˈ d r ə k u l e̯a]; 1428/31 – 1476/77), was Voivode of Wallachia three times between 1448 and his death.
How did Vlad the Impaler impact the world?
Well, Vlad, as a person, was the one that apparently established the capital of Wallachia in Bucharest, thus setting the city on the path to becoming the capital of Romania. He was also part of a family that gave a number of rulers in Romanian principalities, whom (not all) fiercely opposed Ottoman sovereignity.
Who did Vlad Dracula marry?
Justina SzilágyiVlad the Impaler / SpouseJustina Szilágyi de Horogszeg was a Hungarian noblewoman, who became the second wife of Vlad Dracula, Voivode of Wallachia. She was the daughter of Ladislaus or Osvát Szilágyi and thus a cousin of Matthias Corvinus, King of Hungary. Corvinus first gave her in marriage to Wenceslas Pongrác of Szentmiklós. Wikipedia
Who was Vlad Dracula first wife?
Justina SzilágyiVlad the ImpalerVlad IIIBorn1428–1431DiedDecember 1476 – January 1477 (aged 45 – 49)SpouseUnknown first wife Justina SzilágyiIssueMihnea17 more rows
Did Vlad Dracula have any kids?
Mihnea cel RăuZaleskaVlad IV DraculaRaduMihailVlad the Impaler/Children
Why was Vlad so cruel?
Vlad was a voivode (prince) of Walachia (part of modern Romania). Surrounded by enemies that included the Hungarians, the Ottomans, his younger brother, and Walachian nobility, Vlad employed extremely cruel measures to inspire fear in those who opposed him.
How many wives did Dracula have?
three vampire bridesIn the Alucard novel by Matthew Scott, Dracula has three vampire brides: Illyana, Camilla and Silvia. Each is described respectively as blonde, raven-haired and a redhead and are highly sexual vampires and enjoy inflicting chaos and bloodshed whenever the opportunity presents itself.
Is Queen Elizabeth related to Vlad the Impaler?
The link, it appears, is his great-grandmother, Mary of Teck, who was grandmother to Britain's current ruler, Queen Elizabeth II, and was queen during the reign of King George V. A Wurttemberg princess, Mary - the woman for whom the liner Queen Mary was named - was believed descended from two of Vlad's sons.
Who was Vlad the Impaler's mother?
Cneajna of MoldaviaVlad the Impaler / Mother
How did Dracula have a daughter?
Dracula's Daughter tells the story of Countess Marya Zaleska, the daughter of Count Dracula and herself a vampire. Following Dracula's death, she believes that by destroying his body, she will be free of his influence and live normally....Dracula's DaughterBudget$278,00017 more rows
Who was Vlad the Impaler's father?
Vlad II DraculVlad the Impaler / FatherVlad II, also known as Vlad Dracul or Vlad the Dragon, was Voivode of Wallachia from 1436 to 1442, and again from 1443 to 1447. He is internationally known as the father of Vlad the Impaler, or Dracula. Wikipedia
Where is Vlad the Impaler's head?
Vlad was a 15th century Transylvanian prince who is said to have killed as many as 20,000 of his enemies by impaling them on stakes in the ground and leaving them to die. Legend has it that he was beheaded in 1476 by an Ottoman patrol in present-day Romania, and his head was taken to Constantinople.
Did Vlad the Impaler have a wife?
Justina SzilágyiVlad the Impaler / Wife
How many kills does Vlad the Impaler have?
Answer and Explanation: Vlad the Impaler is estimated to have killed 80,000 to 100,000 people.
How did Vlad the Impaler become famous?
Vlad was a voivode (prince) of Walachia (part of modern Romania). Surrounded by enemies that included the Hungarians, the Ottomans, his younger bro...
What was Vlad the Impaler’s childhood like?
Vlad was the second son of Vlad II Dracul. When he was 11 years old, Vlad was sent to the court of the Ottoman sultan Murad II as a hostage. His fa...
How did Vlad the Impaler change the world?
Vlad was a minor player during the early period of Ottoman domination of what is today Romania. He likely would have remained a historical curiosit...
How did Vlad the Impaler die?
In 1476 Vlad was ambushed by an Ottoman patrol and killed. He was reportedly decapitated, and his head was sent to the sultan in Constantinople as...
Who is Vlad the Impaler's wife?
Ilona Szilágyi – Vlad the Impaler’s wife. Ilona Szilágyi has largely been overshadowed by her illustrious husband Vlad the Impaler. So much attention has been focused on Vlad that we hardly know much about Ilona. We don’t know much about her life or even how she died. Illona was the daughter of a noblewoman.
What happened to Ilona after Vlad the Impaler's death?
It is uncertain what had happened to Ilona after Vlad the Impaler’s death. Some historians believe that Ilona remained in her home in Pest. [15] . Her step-son, Mihnea, became Prince of Wallachia from 1508-1509. He was very unpopular.
How many sons did Ilona have?
Ilona gave birth to two sons. The first was Vlad. The second son’s name was unknown. [9] However, their idyll time in Buda did not last long. In 1476, Vlad led a war against the Turks along with King Matthias and Vlad’s cousin, Stephen, the prince of Moldavia. [10] .
Why did Vlad rip his wife's body open?
One of his mistresses was very unlucky. It was said that Vlad ripped her body open to disprove her pregnancy. [5] .
Who was the Prince of Wallachia in 1475?
In November of 1475, Basarab Laiota and Vlad battled each other for the prince title. [13] . Vlad won, and Ilona was now the Princess of Wallachia. However, Ilona ’s position as Princess Consort of Wallachia did not last long. On December 14, 1476, Vlad was killed in a skirmish with Basarab’s army near Bucharest. [14] . He was forty-five.
Where is Ilona buried?
We do not know when Ilona died, but many historians believe that she was buried in the tomb of Snagov. [18] In the end, not much is known for certain about the woman who was married to such an infamous ruler. She was by his side towards the end of his years.
Who was Vlad's brother?
The nobles decided to support Vlad’s younger brother Radu the Handsome as their prince instead. In order to get Vlad out of the way, Radu struck a bargain with King Matthias to take Vlad as a hostage. While Vlad was imprisoned, Radu decided to take control of Vlad’s castle, Poienari, in the spring of 1462.
Who was Vlad the Impaler's grandfather?
Lands ruled around 1390 by Vlad the Impaler's grandfather, Mircea I of Wallachia (the lands on the right side of the Danube had been lost to the Ottomans before Vlad's reign) Upon the death of his father and elder brother, Vlad became a potential claimant to Wallachia.
When did Vlad die?
Basarab returned with Ottoman support before the end of the year. Vlad was killed in battle before 10 January 1477. Books describing Vlad's cruel acts were among the first bestsellers in the German-speaking territories.
Why were Vlad and Radu held hostage?
Vlad and his younger brother, Radu, were held as hostages in the Ottoman Empire in 1442 to secure their father's loyalty. Vlad's father and eldest brother, Mircea, were murdered after John Hunyadi, regent-governor of Hungary, invaded Wallachia in 1447. Hunyadi installed Vlad's second cousin, Vladislav II, as the new voivode.
What did Vlad do after the execution of the Ottoman officials?
After the execution of the Ottoman officials, Vlad gave orders in fluent Turkish to the commander of the fortress of Giurgiu to open the gates , enabling the Wallachian soldiers to break in the fortress and capture it. He invaded the Ottoman Empire, devastating the villages along the Danube.
When did Vlad invade Wallachia?
The circumstances and the date of Vlad's return to Wallachia are uncertain. He invaded Wallachia with Hungarian support either in April, July or August 1456. Vladislav II died during the invasion. Vlad sent his first extant letter as voivode of Wallachia to the burghers of Brașov on 10 September. He promised to protect them in case of an Ottoman invasion of Transylvania, but he also sought their assistance if the Ottomans occupied Wallachia. In the same letter, he stated 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", showing his authoritarian personality.
What is the meaning of the sobriquet "Impaler Lord"?
This sobriquet is connected to the impalement that was his favorite method of execution. The Ottoman writer Tursun Beg referred to him as Kazıklı Voyvoda (Impaler Lord) around 1500. Mircea the Shepherd, Voivode of Wallachia, used this sobriquet when referring to Vlad III in a letter of grant on 1 April 1551.
Where was Vlad held in captivity?
Vlad was held in captivity in Visegrád from 1463 to 1475. During this period, anecdotes about his cruelty started to spread in Germany and Italy. He was released at the request of Stephen III of Moldavia in the summer of 1475. He fought in Corvinus's army against the Ottomans in Bosnia in early 1476.
What was Vlad the Impaler's name?
His penchant for impaling his enemies on stakes in the ground and leaving them to die earned him the name Vlad the Impaler (Romanian: Vlad Țepeș).
Why did Vlad and his brother go to the court of Sultan Murad II?
In 1442 Vlad and his younger brother were sent to the court of Ottoman Sultan Murad II as collateral to assure the sultan that their father, in a reversal of his previous position, would support Ottoman policies.
Who was Vlad in Dracula?
He likely would have remained a historical curiosity known only to scholars of the region had it not been for Bram Stoker 's novel Dracula. Stoker may have taken some inspiration from Vlad to create the archetypal vampire.
Who is Richard Pallardy?
Richard Pallardy received a B.A. in English from Illinois State University in 2005. He was a research editor with Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. from 2008 to 2016 and worked on Britannica Blog from 2010...
What is Dracula's sobriquet?
His sobriquet Dracula (meaning “son of Dracul”) was derived from the Latin draco (“dragon”) after his father’s induction into the Order of the Dragon, created by Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund for the defense of Christian Europe against the Ottoman Empire.
Why did Vlad's father give up his two sons?
Vlad's father was pressured by the (Turkish) Ottoman sultan. He gave a promise to be the vassal of the Sultan and gave up his two younger sons as hostages so that he would keep his promise.
Why did Vlad live in exile?
Vlad was living in exile because he was afraid of the boyars of Wallachia. Vlad escaped to Hungary but he was put in prison there. The exact time of Vlad's captivity is not known for sure. Apparently his imprisonment was not too dangerous. He was able to gradually win his way back into the favor of King Matthias. He was able to meet and marry a member of the royal family ( the cousin of King Matthias). However, some do not believe that it was likely to happen that a prisoner was permitted to marry into the royal family.
What is Vlad III's name?
Vlad III Ţepeş has been described as very cruel. The old Romanian word for dragon is Dracul , which in modern Romanian means " devil ". In Old Romanian, it means "dragon". Dracul was the name given to his father, Vlad II, by other members of the Order of the Dragon. Impalement was Ţepeş's preferred method of torture and execution. His method of torture was a horse attached to each of the victim's legs while sharpened stake was forced into the body. Vlad often had the stakes arranged in patterns. The most common pattern was a ring outside of a city that was his target. The height of the spear indicated the rank of the victim. The corpses were often left there for months.
How many men did the Sultan of Wallachia have?
In response to this, the Sultan Mehmed II headed towards Wallachia with an army of 60,000 men in the spring of 1462. With his army of 20,000-30,000 men Vlad was not able to stop the Turks from entering Wallachia. The Turks occupied the capital Târgovişte ( June 4, 1462) and chased Vlad away.
How many times did Vlad rule?
He was the Prince of Wallachia and ruled there three times, in 1448, 1456–1462 and 1476. In the English -speaking world, Vlad is best known for the legends of his cruelty. These legends gave Bram Stoker the idea for his main character in the popular Dracula novel.
What religion is Vlad III?
Religion. Roman Catholic. Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia, is more commonly known as Vlad "Țepeș" (the Impaler) . He was born in Segesvár, Transylvania, - then under the control of the Kingdom of Hungary - in 1431. He was the Prince of Wallachia and ruled there three times, in 1448, 1456–1462 and 1476. In the English -speaking world, Vlad is best ...
What was the war between the Ottoman Empire and the Hungarian Kingdom?
There was a war between the Ottoman Empire and the Hungarian Kingdom. Following family traditions, Vlad decided to side with the Hungarians. To the end of the 1450s there was once again talk about a war against the Turks, in which the king of Hungary, Matthias Corvinus would play the main role. Knowing this, Vlad stopped paying money to the Ottomans in 1459, and at around 1460, he made a new alliance with Corvinus. The Turks did not like this and tried to remove him from power but they failed. In the winter of 1461 Vlad attacked and devastated the area between Serbia and the Black Sea, leaving over 20,000 people dead.
Why did Vlad's wife throw herself off the castle?
This is the wife that supposedly threw herself off of Poenari Castle to flee from the Turks. An article on this famous castle enticed my curiosity since it gave a name for his unnamed wife: - "Anastasia": Last but not least, it is said that Anastasia, Vlad’s wife suicide in the same year of 1462 at Poenari Fortress.
What is the name of the woman in Dracula?
The tale of his first wife is quite popular, that it made its way to "Bram Stoker's Dracula" by Francis Ford Coppola and "Dark Prince: The True Story of Dracula" by Thomas Baum. Highlighting the ambiguity of her real name, she is called "Elisabeta" and "Lidia" in each film, respectively.
Who built the fortress in Poenari?
In addition to the legendary stories of vampires, assassinated to order and impaled, which envelops the fortress built by Vlad Ţepeş at Poenari, the chronicles of the time also reveal a tragic love story.
Who was Anastasia in the Poenari Fortress?
Anastasia was the niece of the Queen of Poland died after throwing herself from one of the towers on the fortress into the Arges River. (Source: https://romaniatourstore.com/blog/draculas-legacy-the-poenari-fortress/) So I checked if there were other webpages mentioning this name. I found this:
Did Vlad Tepes marry Anastasia?
The tale is recounted in another site: It is also said that Anastasia, Vlad Tepes’s wife , committed suicide in the Poenari Fortress, jealous of being informed that Vlad wanted to marry Katharina, ...
What did Vlad the Impaler do?
For him, the high-stakes nature of the power struggle took on a literal dimension in 1456, when he closed his iron fist around the reins of power and exacted vengeance. Per OZY, Vlad invited the boyars, or local nobility, to a banquet and skewered them like macabre kebabs. He condemned dozens of Saxon merchants to the same torturous demise in 1459 to suppress dissent. He would also set out to gut the Ottoman Empire.
What tactics did Vlad the Impaler use?
Vlad the Impaler employed psychotic warfare. Vlad embraced unbridled barbarism when battling the Ottomans. As OZY describes, some of the tried and truly horrifying tactics he used included sending men infected with bubonic plague to mingle with Ottoman troops, poisoning wells, and conducting night raids.
Why did Vlad and Radu stay in prison?
The trio was seized and Vlad and Radu would remain prisoners for years in exchange for their father's freedom. Experts speculate that years of being used as a bargaining chip gave Vlad a huge chip on his shoulder that helped fuel his decision to attack the Ottomans when he came to power.
How many bodies were placed on stakes in 1462?
In 1462, he had an unimaginable 20,000 Ottoman corpses placed on stakes in an act of warfare that sounds more psychotic than psychological. OZY writes, "The tallest spike was reserved for the sultan's general, still ceremoniously robed.".
Who was the emperor who called for impalement?
Vlad the Impaler would answer the call. In 1462, Sultan Mehmet II made a call of his own, dispatching envoys to make sure Vlad stayed a vassal. But Vlad dispatched them with impalement. In case that didn't get the point across, he also stopped paying taxes.
Was Wallachia a vassal state?
By then, Wallachia had been a vassal state of the Ottomans for over 40 years. Vlad's land maintained limited sovereignty in return for taxes, troops, and fealty. But he evidently thought this arrangement sucked harder than his vampire counterpart.
Who was Vlad the Impaler?
He also impaled 600 merchants from Bohemia at a market-square. He did all this in an atmosphere of festivity. Vlad was called “ the impaler ” by the Ottomans, “ the butcher ” by his own Vlachs, and “ drakul (demon) ” by the Hungarians. Related Answer.
Who did Vlad Tepes impale?
Vlad Tepes did impale or kill/torture his own people for being thieves, traitors, beggars, or rapists but he also killed those who were lazy, liars, too old, or too ill.
What would happen if there was no Dracula story written in the 19th century?
Therefore he applied this cruel method of punishment which was common in Medieval Europe. If there was no Dracula story written in the 19th century, Vlad would be a footnote in history. Many soldiers were ready to lose their heads by swords but not by impalement.
Why did Vlad Tepes remarry?
Later in life, Vlad Tepes remarried for political gain after his first wife committed suicide. The woman he married was Ilona Szylagi, a Hungarian noble and cousin to the King of Hungary. Vlad was amicable to her but their relationship was nothing more than an alliance. Their life together was very poorly recorded.
Why are three of Vlad's children mentioned?
Three of the children of Vlad are mentioned for their ulterior role in history. Two of them used the appelative “Dr (breve)aculea”, inherited from their grandfather, and which the father nevers beared — thus ridiculing these “Dracula” associations.
What was Vlad's first child?
Vlad’s first child which he had with his first wife was a son named Mihnea, who would later be known as “Mihnea cel Rau” or Mihnea “the Bad” for the horribly cruel things he did as Prince of Wallachia. Mihnea was a hot headed boy who took inference from his own fathers extremely cruel antics.
Did Vlad the Impaler have children?
In fact, most nobles of his time were encouraged to have a large amount of children by any means - both legitimately and illegitimately - not only for the furtherment of their own blood but also for their reigns and statuses as nobles.
Overview
Vlad III, commonly known as Vlad the Impaler or Vlad Dracula (/ˈdrækjələ/; Romanian: Vlad Drăculea [ˈdrəkule̯a]; 1428/31 – 1476/77), was Voivode of Wallachia three times between 1448 and his death in 1476/77. He is often considered one of the most important rulers in Wallachian history and a national hero of Romania.
Name
The name Dracula, which is now primarily known as the name of a vampire, was for centuries known as the sobriquet of Vlad III. Diplomatic reports and popular stories referred to him as Dracula, Dracuglia, or Drakula already in the 15th century. He himself signed his two letters as "Dragulya" or "Drakulya" in the late 1470s. His name had its origin in the sobriquet of his father, Vlad Dracul ("Vlad the Dragon" in medieval Romanian), who received it after he became a membe…
Early life
Vlad was the second legitimate son of Vlad II Dracul, who was himself an illegitimate son of Mircea I of Wallachia. Vlad II had won the moniker "Dracul" for his membership in the Order of the Dragon, a militant fraternity founded by Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund. The Order of the Dragon was dedicated to halting the Ottoman advance into Europe. Since he was old enough to be a candidate …
Reigns
Upon the death of his father and elder brother, Vlad became a potential claimant to Wallachia. Vladislav II of Wallachia accompanied John Hunyadi, who launched a campaign against the Ottoman Empire in September 1448. Taking advantage of his opponent's absence, Vlad broke into Wallachia at the head of an Ottoman army in early October. He had to accept that the Ottomans had ca…
Family
Vlad had two wives, according to modern specialists. His first wife may have been an illegitimate daughter of John Hunyadi, according to historian Alexandru Simon. Vlad's second wife was Jusztina Szilágyi, who was a cousin of Matthias Corvinus. She was the widow of Vencel Pongrác of Szentmiklós when "Ladislaus Dragwlya" married her, most probably in 1475. She survived Vlad Dracul, and married thirdly Pál Suki, then János Erdélyi.
Legacy
Stories about Vlad's brutal acts began circulating during his lifetime. After his arrest, courtiers of Matthias Corvinus promoted their spread. The papal legate, Niccolo Modrussiense, had already written about such stories to Pope Pius II in 1462. Two years later, the pope included them in his Commentaries.
Meistersinger Michael Beheim wrote a lengthy poem about Vlad's deeds, allege…
Appearance and representations
Pope Pius II's legate, Niccolò Modrussa, painted the only extant description of Vlad, whom he had met in Buda. A copy of Vlad's portrait has been featured in the "monster portrait gallery" in the Ambras Castle at Innsbruck. The picture depicts "a strong, cruel, and somehow tortured man" with "large, deep-set, dark green, and penetrating eyes", according to Florescu. The color of Vlad's hair cannot be determined, because Modrussa mentions that Vlad was black-haired, while the portrai…
In popular culture
• The play about Vlad the Impaler A Treia țeapă (The Third Stake) (1978) was written by Marin Sorescu and staged at the height of Nicolae Ceaușescu’s totalitarian regime. The play focused on cruelty and ultimate failure of the absolute power of the historical Vlad Țepeș. It was translated into English in 1987 as Vlad Dracula the Impaler.
• Vlad Țepeș (1979), Romanian historical drama film directed by Doru Năstase with Ștefan Sileanu as Vlad. It portrayed Vlad in positive light.