by Dean Traylor

Created on: March 05, 2010   Last Updated: March 12, 2010

One of the best depictions of Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia (a principality, now a region in present-day Romania), comes from a 15th century woodblock print depicting him having his supper in front of a forest of impaled victims. He looks on with content while his victims suffer a slow and painful death.

At first, this woodblock - which was used for printing pamphlets – was thought to be propaganda from Vlad’s many enemies. Yet, documentation from several sources has confirmed that such an incident in Vlad’s life did occur, many times.

This was the legacy of the man known as Vlad “Tepes” or Vlad the “Impaler” as well as Dracula. Born 1431 in Schatburg, Transylvania (now Romania), Vlad ruled no more than eight years inconsecutively over a 28 year period.

Most people around the world don’t know him as a prince; however, they know him as the inspiration to Bram Stoker’s “Dracula.” In fact, the name Dracula (meaning son of the dragon) became his surname. Yet, unlike the supernatural vampire who hid in the shadows, this real-life monster displayed his evil in front everyone who dared to cross his path.

It didn’t matter who the condemned were; nobody was spared during Vlad’s reign of terror. Even the men, women, and children of his little kingdom were not spared the humiliating and unusually cruel method of execution he favored. Fueled by a troubled past, Vlad became a sadist who derived pleasure from the pain he inflicted.

TROUBLED CHILDHOOD

To understand Vlad Dracula, one must examine his past. Vlad’s father, Vlad II Dragul (“Dragon”) belonged to a group of knights known as the Order of the Dragon (Vlad III joined it when he was five).  They were in league with the Holy Roman Emperor of Hungary, and were devoted to keeping the Ottomans and their religion out of Europe. However, in the complicated game of politics, Vlad II was ousted from power in 1442 by a rival faction in league with Hungary. Thus, he sought help from his sworn enemies, the Ottomans, to regain his throne. He did this by agreeing to pay tributes to the Sultan by sending his two younger sons, Vlad and Radu, to the Ottoman court, to serve as hostages.

The stay was less than hospitable. First, Vlad III attempted to kill some Ottoman soldiers. His action failed and he was locked up in prison where he was systematically abused, physically and sexually.

His stay in the Ottoman Empire would have profound

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