Romania, 1456. As the condemned struggles, the executioner pushes the stake inside his body. With a brutal, but very quick
move, the stake is inserted in such a way as not to kill; it is designed to punish, invoke terror and much, much later, death.
It has been reported that sometimes it would take several days for the person to die, with the wooden stake inserted in the
pelvis (or the posterior) area and its top touching the back of the spinal cord or exiting the mouth. We are in Wallachia and this is
the punishment thieves, murderers, even adulterous wives, and any other criminals receive in the land of Vlad Tepes,
a.k.a. Dracula.
Born at the end of 1431 in Sighisoara, the house where Dracula was born is still standing. In 1431 it was located in a
prosperous neighborhood surrounded by the homes of Saxon and Magyar merchants and the townhouses of the nobility. Vlad
Tepes III Dracula spent his early years by his father's side, in the company of his two brothers, Mircea and Radu. After leaving
Transylvania and seizing the Wallachian throne in 1436, their father began a successful six year reign. Sadly, in 1442, as the
Turkish forces invaded Transylvania, Vlad II Dracul was exiled from the throne and country by the superior power Hungary, on
the basis of not siding with them at the time of a previous crisis. The following year, in 1443, Vlad II changed his position and
decided to abandon his alliances with the Hungarians and prove his loyalty to the Turkish Sultan . As a vassal nation, he had to
pay a tribute, but even more important, send his two younger sons to Constantinople and Adrianople as “official” hostages, for
education in the spirit of loyalty and dedication for the Sultan (1444-1448). Dracula was about 13 at this time.
Little is known about the early years of Dracula's life. It is known that he had an elder brother, Mircea, and a younger brother
named Radu. His early education was left in the hands of his mother, a Transylvanian noblewoman, and her family. His real
education began in 1436 after his father succeeded in claiming the Wallachian throne and killing his Danesti rival. His training
was typical of that common to the sons of the nobility throughout Europe. His first tutor in his apprenticeship to knighthood was
an elderly boyar who had fought under the banner of Enguerrand de Courcy at the Battle of Nicolopolis against the Turks.
Dracula learned all the skills of war and peace that were deemed necessary for a Christian knight.
In 1447, after a period of war with Hungary, Vlad II and Dracula’s older brother, Mircea were killed while in battle, murdered,
possibly buried alive, by Hungarian assassins. What followed, is a period of chaos, and controlled rule of Wallachia by the
Hungarian power, with puppet kings, or various boyars leading the region. As a counter measure, the Turkish rule freed Dracula,
and gave him an army in order to take control of the now corrupt Wallachia. Regaining the power, he kept the throne for only two
months, until he was, just like his father, forced to flee to Moldavia. Next, history repeats itself, and new events unfold; Dracula
decided to abandon his ties with the Turks and seeks help from the Hungarian king. So, in 1456, he successfully took the throne
again, and is crowned Prince of Wallachia. What followed, is a reign of power, but above all, justice. His leadership, strong,
uncorrupted, creates unprecedented unification in the spirit of the Romanian people, a force and resistance against the influence
of foreign nations. Until 1462, he ruled with extreme devotion, instituting his infamous methods of execution and punishment
such as crude torture and more than often impalement. His nickname is derived from this method of establishing order in the
land. At this time, numerous legends and folk tales appeared, describing his atrocities, with an estimated 40,000 to 100,000
people executed over his six year reign.
From his capital at Tirgoviste, near today's Bucharest, Dracula started a campaign to drive the Turkish forces below the
Danube. In his efforts, he reached that zone, only to find an army three times larger than his waiting to attack. Events that
followed talk about a massive blood-bath, in which about 20,000 Turks were impaled in the name of Dracula and freedom for the
Romanian people. The foreign forces retreated, but not before reinforcements were send, lead by Dracula’s younger brother, now
17, Radu. A series of battles emerged, with no clear winner, but some of which proved Radu’s sole allegiance to the Islam
Nation. The battle grounds extended to the north and finally reached Dracula’s castle at Poienari. The Turks seized the castle
and Dracula’s wife commits suicide rather than surrender herself to the invaders. Dracula himself manages to
escape through a supposed secret pathway or corridor, below the mountains and into Transylvania. There are variations to the
story, as to the location of the famed suicide, the circumstances, and battle, and the name of Dracula's wife.
Once in Transylvania, Dracula sought help, once again, from the Hungarian king, then Matthias Corvinus. Instead of help, the
king imprisoned Vlad; after at least 4 years in prison, he slowly recovered and created new alliances through family ties in the
Hungarian aristocracy and the royal family. Here, he remained for 12 years. In the meantime, in Transylvania, his brother, now
known as Radu the Handsome, ruled the lands for a brief period of time, after which he mysteriously died.
Seeing this as an only chance to regain power, Dracula left Hungary and invaded Wallachia for the third and final time. He will
rule for a matter of weeks only.
To retaliate, the Turks sent an army which pushed as far as Bucharest. In battle, while fighting, Dracula is killed, possibly by one
of his own men. Although this is not a fact, his death in 1476 could have been an act of assassination or a simple accident as
some of the chronicles of the times say. Decapitated, the body remained in Romania, while his head was sent to Constantinople
as proof of his death and the ultimate Turkish victory. He was buried at Snagov, in a small rural monastery situated on a remote
island.
Fast forward in time, to 1897 when Bram Stocker publishes his novel Dracula at Constable and Sons, a fantastic tale of
vampirism, blood and seduction. With the introduction of this book, the world meets Count Dracula through innovative narrative
techniques such as Mina's diary or the correspondence between the two lovers to be. Ever since, this figure achieves cult status
as one of the most sough after horror character. From movies (multiple versions, 1931, the sequels,
Francis Ford Coppola’s) to merchandise (can you say Count Chocula cereal?) to TV shows and theater, the figure of Dracula,
although fictional, becomes a household name. But, the biggest misconception about Dracula is his very nature: the historical
Dracula, Vlad Tepes, did not drink blood, nor did he fly or transform into a bat, sleep in a coffin, or is repelled by sunlight and
garlic. These are all elements which acquired a certain secular cultural value in the light of popular and folk tales or myths.
The real truth, known by many, is that Vlad Tepes was a strong, powerful, determined leader, a just ruler and forceful king.
In his people's eyes, he was a hero who brought the country together, while achieving a sense and a reality governed by order
and peace, even if for a brief period only.
So the myth continues, fueled by new stories and legends, new media and web coverage of the subject. Our consumerist society
welcomes this new addition to its money-making schemes: from Halloween costumes, to cereal brands, from trips to the land of
Dracula in Europe, from copy righted movies, books, action figures, and characters, the modern world has embraced a shadow, a
figure which is known to most of us from Bram Stoker's psychoanalytic account of a Transylvanian prince with certain "children
of the night" and love that has no boundaries, between the real and fantastic world that is. In the end, beyond the horror, the real
story is even more exiting, more intriguing and more fascinating than any bloody vampire's tale: it is the story of Vlad Tepes,
the historical figure, the REAL Dracula.