Romanian Game of Thrones: How Vlad the Dragon Spawned Dracula

Vlad II was a voivode (ruler) of a small kingdom in Romania called Wallachia in the middle of the 15th century, and he had 4 sons (Mircea II, Vlad III, Radu the Handsome, and Vlad the Monk). Vlad had a tough rule: the Ottoman Empire constantly threatened Wallachia, and the small kingdom was all that stood between the Turks and a conquest that would take all of Europe. In addition, it seemed as if all neighboring kingdoms were looking for an excuse to “annex” Wallachia for themselves (think Putin and Ukraine, and then you’ll understand what he was dealing with).

The Dragon and the Cross

In 1436, after his older brother died of illness and Vlad rose to power with the support of Sigismund, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. To gain the emperor’s support, Vlad joined the holy “Order of the Dragon” (a Christian military order designed to defend the Catholic Church). Over time, he became known as “Vlad the Dragon” or “Vlad the Devil”.

A year later, Sigismund died, Wallachia lost its support against the Ottomans, Vlad quickly surrendered to the Turks, and thus became a traitor in the eyes of the Order. When the Turks finally invaded Europe, “Vlad the Dragon” was their guide and helped them pass back through Wallachia with all the captives and loot they plundered.

The Hostage Exchange Gone Wrong

In 1442, another sultan (Murad II) came to power. Vlad II took two of his sons (Vlad III and Radu the Handsome) to negotiate a new support agreement with the fresh sultan. This ended badly: the sultan imprisoned them all in jail on some charge of treason he concocted from somewhere.

Vlad managed to get released after managing to secure a new agreement with the sultan: annual tax would be given to the Turks and with it, a group of young children who would be trained as soldiers of the Ottoman army. In addition, he had to leave his two sons as hostages in Turkey.

The Brothers’ Divergent Paths

Vlad returned to the throne of Wallachia and helped the Ottomans plunder more and more from Europe, mainly from neighboring Transylvania.

Five years later, Iancu, the ruler of Transylvania, got tired of the raids. He entered Wallachia with his army, captured Vlad II and his son Mircea II, and executed them: Vlad by beheading and Mircea (the Dragon’s heir and eldest son) was blinded and buried alive. Iancu placed his ally, Vladislav II, as ruler of Wallachia.

Radu remained a hostage and integrated well into the Ottoman court, eventually converting to Islam. In addition, he entered service under the sultan’s son, Prince Mehmet II, and was allowed to enter Topkapi Palace. In future, he was also honored with the title “Bey” and given command of Janissary corps (the sultan’s elite unit).

Vlad III, who was then 12 years old, suffered beatings and floggings frequently. These years shaped Vlad’s character and led to his known hatred of the Ottomans and Janissaries, and he also harbored resentment toward his brother Radu and young Prince Mehmet II (who later became sultan).

The Return of the Impaler

In 1448, Vladislav II temporarily left Wallachia to help Iancu with the war in the north. The Turks saw an opportunity and quickly returned young Vlad to the throne of Wallachia. Vlad returned to a weak Wallachia: constant war with the Turks, rising crime, and trade that had almost disappeared left a kingdom on the verge of crisis.

The new ruler Vlad ruled with cruelty and saved Wallachia from general collapse. He stopped tax payments to the Turks and, as a final “go fuck yourselves” to the Ottoman Empire, he swore allegiance to the King of Hungary.

The Ultimate Fuck You

The Ottomans didn’t look favorably on the gesture and attacked with an army of 10,000 cavalry. Vlad, who knew the nature of the Ottoman army’s operation, set an ambush and defeated them all with his small army. Everyone he captured, he impaled on wooden stakes about 20 cm thick. The commander of the defeated army he impaled on the highest stake, “so they could see his rank,” according to him.

Thus began a long campaign in which Vlad III, “son of the dragon,” “the Impaler,” defeated the Turks and prevented them from sending large attack forces to the Balkan provinces in Europe. He gained a reputation for great cruelty and power and sowed fear in the armies of the Empire.

Vlad the Impaler is one of the reasons Europe doesn’t speak Turkish today.

The Literary Legacy

He was crowned as a hero of Romania remembered to this day, a cruel and harsh but just leader who fought for independence and freedom. At the end of the 19th century, Irish author Bram Stoker did research at the British Museum and came across the story of Vlad III, son of the Dragon. The story of the king and legends about the uncompromising cruelty of the Romanian ruler gave him inspiration to write a horror novel about a count in Transylvania who lived an immortal life by drinking blood.

He named the monstrous count after Vlad the Impaler’s name in Romanian: Vlad Dracula.

This story proves that sometimes the most effective way to preserve European civilization is through strategic impalement and daddy issues.