Born into darkness would be a term for this man if I weren't worried about infringing on the modern day vampire novels of Anne Rice.

Vlad III Dracula (real name Vlad Tepes) was a prince of a small region of Romania named Wallachia in the 15th century. His time in power was short. There wasn’t fame and fortune linked with his ancestors. Still this man is remembered more than any royalty of that country, locally and all over the world. What makes Vlad Tepes an infamous figure in our modern day world? Because he’s a vampire, that’s why.

“Really, is he?” I’m sure your asking. Look most recently at the best selling novel The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova , which successfully weaves the true history and the myth. Still we must ask if this would have been a theory not for the original work of Bram Stoker, who penned the novel Dracula in 1897. This is the focus of the connection with Vlad.

Recent studies show that Bram Stoker had no knowledge of the Wallachian prince. The only connection found was a short friendship with a professor from Budapest who may have mentioned the name once. We know for sure that the author never visited either of Vlad’s two castles of Bran and Poienari.

The connections between the fictional Dracula and the Vlad are undeniable. Vlad Tepes name was Vlad III Dracula. Dracula is an old Romanian word meaning “Son of the dragon” or “Son of the demon” (named after his father who is discussed below).

Dracula’s castle is in Transylvania, Romania. Vlad lived in Wallachia, Romania. Nobody’s aware why Mr. Stoker did the change of venue. Maybe to confuse historian’s and make the character more real. Maybe it comes down to the sheer spooky tone of the word Transylvania, as if it should be followed by a sinister laugh and a clap of lightning.

Another interesting point that I personally just found out which questions my abilities for common sense, deals with the wooden stake. If plunged into the chest and through the heart of the vampire Dracula, it would kill him instantly in a cloud of dust. Now picture the larger version planted into the earth upon the 15th century battlefields of Romania. Upon the stake would be placed the defeated, naked and living soldier in a form of torture and punishment called Impaling.

A horse tied to each leg would force the stake’s point into his rectum to set it. The stake then lifted allowing gravity to begin its slow murder. Over hours and sometimes days the stake would make its way through the soldiers body until coming out the mouth and ending the torture.

Vlad Tepes made this method of torture famous for all generations to follow, also known as Vlad III Dracula.

The Man in History
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Vlad Tepes was the grandson of Mircea the Elder, prince of Wallachia during a great time of war between Hungary and the Ottoman Empire. Right in the middle of the fighting, his home region would become a constant and bloody battleground as both wanted strategic control.

Vlad II was a born to Mircea an illegitimate son. A leader from childhood, Vlad II was soon notice by the “Order of the Dragon”. This was a society created for all surrounding countries to stand up against the great Ottoman Empire. This is where Vlad II was given the nickname or “Dracul”, or dragon. Then in 1431 the Order showed their confidence in the leader by giving him the throne of Wallachia.

Time may have proven this the wrong decision as pressures from the Ottoman sultan caused Vlad II to give up some very precious items to secure the safety of Wallachia. Those items were his two younger sons, including Vlad III.

Would he have done it with knowledge of the man his son would become? This marks the beginning of Vlad’s training and an education into a world cruelty and death.

Vlad was whipped by his Ottoman captors for being stubborn and rude. This developed his hatred for the man who led these captors, a man who would become the future sultan. But most of all the hatred for his own father grew from his captivity and for betraying the Order of the Dragon for which Vlad III would become a member at the age of five. The nickname Vlad III Dracula, or “Son of the Dragon”, was bestowed on him immediately.

Vlad II Dracul remained prince until 1442 when he was accused of disloyalty to Wallachia. Only a year later the Turks got him back in power. This lasted until 1447 when the Turks, turning on their once puppet prince, assassinated Vlad II by means of scalping (cutting the edges of the face and pulling the skin from his skull while alive). All was against Vlad’s family as his brother was dead at the time from political enemies. They buried him alive.

This abandoned throne became an opportunity for control of the war-torn region and the sultan was quick to put young Vlad in place. It was very brief and remained uneventful until Wallachia was invaded. Vlad ran from his power and escaped to Moldavia and to his influential uncle for protection. He remained in exile until 1456 when he returned to the throne and began the most memorable reign of any royalty in Romania, one of cruelty and torture that would become legend and reach through the fabric of time to an author in 1897.

A Cruel Leader? A Hero?
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Why the confusion? It matters where you come from. Those from Romania see Vlad III Dracula as one of their best leaders and the man who removed crime from their streets and protected the pivotal landscape from invading armies. Still it’s agreed all over of the prince’s violent nature. Punishment for crimes in Wallachia was swift, violent and cruel. This fear is what made the streets safe. This is a blunt nature that the Romanian’s of the time admired.

Outside Romania the view was much, much different. Some of the stories told of Vlad’s battle style still make folks cringe even in today’s ultra-violent video game world.

One story happened when Vlad went after a rival prince. The prince ran and took shelter in a near-by village. Vlad sent an army after him and had them show no mercy to the helpful folks. Thousands were impaled in front of their town gates, all charged with sheltering the enemy prince. When he was finally flushed out, the soldiers dragged him over to an open grave. He was forced on his knees at the foot of the hole and made to proclaim his funeral eulogy. They murdered him on the spot and pushed his body into the dirt.

Vlad is removed from the throne
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Moving forward we find Vlad being challenged by an Ottoman army invasion towards the end of his reign. With a much smaller army he was forced to orchestrate guerilla style attacks. Still the sultan was able to gain access to Wallachia and steal the throne. Vlad’s brother Radu, still a pro-Ottoman, was installed as the prince and told to turn on his brother.

It was the fruits of this event which was so beautifully recreated at the beginning of Francis Ford Copplola’s version of Dracula. The depiction of Vlad’s wife throwing herself into the Arges River below Poienari Castle was a true event. She would rather die than allow the Ottomans to take her prisoner.

Vlad was captured and put into captivity for 12 years. During this time he secured his release by charming the Ottomans and even marrying a relative of one of his captures. He would have two children with her and lived a pretty normal life. Then in 1475 he was able to get back the throne of Wallachia after organizing an up rise with the help of loyal friends from Wallachia and surrounding regions.

Vlad’s friends left him on the throne with no defenses and returned to Transylvania. The sultan saw this mistake and quickly sent a large army to kill Vlad. The timing was perfect. Vlad heard of this and quickly gathered a small force. They bravely marched out to meet the enemy.

Vlad would not return alive. There is some debate on how he died. Some say he was killed in battle, others that he was betrayed by a member of his own group. Still, he didn’t die in the same gruesome manner that was employed throughout his rein.

The Turks didn’t find the body until after the battle was done. The soldiers decapitated him (Sound familiar? One of the ways to kill a vampire). Vlad’s head was sent back to the sultan preserved in honey to slow decay. It was displayed publicly as proof the good citizens could relax because the tyrant was dead.

The body was supposedly buried at Snagov Monastery in the middle of Snagov Lake. It was only a recent discovery through excavations of the burial site that revealed no remains. To think that this area of the Monastery, thought to be a grave for hundreds of years, was empty. A Romanian trick?

More stories as proof of Vlad's cruelty
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Once again I must remind you of 15th century Romania. This was a much harder time and place than today’s North America. Even modern day Romania is much tougher than we could understand. To this day Vlad III is considered a high figure in Romanian history and much of his atrocities viewed as pure legend or a feasible reaction to an outbreak of crime locally and war abroad. Still, recounting these stories is bound to get a reaction from anybody, anywhere. That reaction could be both pride and disgust.

We all know now that impaling was Vlad’s favorite way to punish. The strategic reasons have not been lost with time. For accomplishing these mass murders on whole towns required some thought and reflection.

Victims would need to be setup in rows with higher ranking officials at the front. This was done to great their fellow countrymen with the most recognizable and to mock them into leading even in death. The dead would surround the town’s gates at the most prominent location. The shock would be to remind the soldiers of their fate if they continue into Vlad’s domain.

This fate didn’t only fall upon the enemy. Legends still stand which tell about mass impalements performed on Romanian citizens in towns that swore allegiance to Vlad. Two instances stand the test of time. One isn’t clear, but the other tells of a town where the merchants would defy Vlad’s laws constantly. An example was made of them which would set any governing body straight.

The swift and merciless punishment had its affect on the criminal element as well. Crime disappeared completely in Wallachia. A common legend originating from this time said that a person may leave a bag of gold in the town square of the largest city, and when they return the next day that gold would be there untouched. Many a leader has used this example over the years. You can see one version in Martin Scorsese “Gangs of New York”.

My final story tells of how Vlad’s Poienari Castle was built. When reaching the throne for the second time in 1456, one of his first social events was the throwing of a party for all some important noblemen. They were the ones accused of murdering his father and brother.

They were hesitant but felt that Vlad realized the cost of politics and that he came around to obtain their support and money. The party was a smashing success. Just as the noblemen and their families were to leave for home, Vlad’s soldiers marched into the great hall and surrounded them.

Immediately he ordered the deaths of all the older, feeble noblemen with their families. The younger ones were chained and lead out the room for a difficult journey to the ruins of an old castle by the Arges River. They were made to setup camp and begin work on a new and larger castle which would stand as a monument to Vlad’s greatness. With little to eat the workers quickly withered away, their cloths falling from the skin and bones that once made a healthy body. None of them survived.

The End... or is it?
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I pulled out my famous saying for a good cause. The debate over whether Vlad III Dracula was/is a vampire still rages to this day. Many believe that the craze began with that author who immortalized this monster in text and that he lead it (even after death) for over 100 years. With this kind of legend it’s only natural to wonder if the beginning was based in reality.

Look at the novel The Historian. Imagine Vlad wasn’t dead. Imagine that he was walking around with us to this day. Consider that strange man with the rounded features and dark glasses (thank Francis Ford Coppola!) walking by you on the sidewalk at night. You get a vibe about this guy, he’s strange but who isn’t on the streets of Hamilton at night. Then, just as the hair on the back of your neck goes down, you’re wrapped in an iron embrace and two stabs pierce the skin of your neck. All fades into nothingness.

Life may fade back into being, if you’re one of the lucky ones. Then you see a new light which encompasses all around you. This light doesn’t fade with time. It shines upon all those living around you, tempting you, making you to want their life.

But that’s all just fiction dreamed up by creative authors, directors and actors. It can’t be possible to sustain life without a beating heart and soul. To live off of another’s blood. To be immortal and never have sickness or diseases touch you. It can’t be true.

Article By: Daniel Cumerlato
Founding Partner of Haunted Hamilton

Posted: Wednesday, January 2, 2008