Vlad III Dracul

    Vlad The Impaler

 The only real link between the
historical Dracula (1431-1476) and the modern literary myth of the
vampire is in fact the 1897 novel; inspired by folkloric sources,
historic references and some of his own life experiences, Stoker created his disputed character. On the other hand, it is worth
mentioning that Vlad Dracula's political detractors - mainly German
Saxons - made use of the other meaning of the Romanian word "Dracul" -
"Devil" - in order to blacken the prince's reputation.

There is one similarity between the book character and the
historical one--the thirst of
blood. It is said that during the six-year reign of Vlad III ( 1456 -
1462 ), "Vlad the Impaler"
he killed from 20,000 to 40,000 European civilians (political
rivals, criminals, and anyone else he considered "useless to humanity")
and over 100,000 Turkish Muslims, mainly by using his favorite method
of impaling them on a sharp pole.

Dracul's  preferred method of torture and execution was impalement.
In the lithograph above, we see VladThe Impaler enjoying a meal and wine surrounded by hapless victims.

To impale someone, Dracul usually had a horse attached to each of the
victim's legs and a sharpened stake was gradually forced into the body.
To be sure that the victim wouldn’t die too rapidly from shock, the end
of the stake (not being too sharp) was usually oiled. Normally the
stake was inserted into the body through the buttocks and was often
forced through the body until it emerged from the mouth. However, there
were many instances where victims were impaled through other bodily
orifices or through the abdomen or chest. Infants were sometimes
impaled on the stake forced through their mothers' chests. The records
indicate that victims were sometimes impaled so that they hung upside
down on the stake and that Dracula often had the stakes arranged in
various geometric patterns (the most common pattern was a ring of
concentric circles).
But the impalement wasn’t his
only method of torture. The list of tortures employed by this cruel
prince reads like an inventory of hell's tools: nails in heads, cutting
off of limbs, blinding, strangulation, burning, cutting off of noses
and ears, scalping, skinning, exposure to the elements or to wild
animals and boiling alive, mutilation of sexual organs (especially in
the case of women). It seems Dracula was particularly
concerned with female chastity. Maidens who lost their virginity,
adulterous wives and unchaste widows were all targets of Dracula's
cruelty. Such women often had their sexual organs cut out or their
breasts cut off. They were also often impaled through the vagina on
red-hot stakes that were forced through the body until they emerged
from the mouth. One report tells of the execution of an unfaithful
wife. Dracula had the woman's breasts cut off, and then she was skinned
and impaled in a square in Tirgoviste with her skin lying on a nearby
table.


In spite of his cruelty to enemies and disobedient subjects. Dracula worked to improve the lot of the common people and regularly made contributions to the Roman Catholic church.

Vlad the Impaler was born in November or December 1431, in the fortress of Sighisoara,
Romania. His father, Vlad Dracul, at that time appointed military
governor of Transylvania by the emperor Sigismund, had been inducted
into the Order of the Dragon about one year before. The order
was a semi-military and religious society, originally created in 1387 by
the Holy Roman Emperor and his second wife, Barbara Cilli.
Its emblem was a dragon, wings extended, hanging on a cross. The dragon
was the symbol of the devil but the alternate meaning of
'drac' (the devil) was dragon. The main goals of such a secret
fraternal order of knights was mainly to protect the interests of
Catholicism, and to crusade against the Turks. This order provides an
explanation for the name "Dracula;" "Dracul," in Romanian language,
means "Dragon", and the boyars of Romania, who knew of Vlad the
Impaler' father's induction into the Order of the Dragon, decided to call
him "Dracul." "Dracula," a diminutive which means "the son of Dracul,"
was a surname to be used ultimately by Vlad the Impaler.
Because of his hatred of
the Ottomon Empire and his killing of some 100,000 Turkish Muslims.
Vlad III, is today a national hero in Romania, whose citizens believe
he preserved Christianity in their native land.

Vlad's Castle

Though no longer habitable Vlad's castle stands yet today high in the mountains of Romania

Vlad's castle is visible at the upper left.  You can see how hard it would be for his enemies to reach him.

Looking Over The Wall of the Castle