The Dracula of Bram Stoker’s novel could possibly have been based on a real person. Vlad Dracula (also known as Vlad the Impaler, and Vlad III among other names) was born in Transylvania in 1431. His father, Vlad Dracul (or Vlad II), was a member of a group called the “Order of the Dragon” which defended Christianity and the empire against the Islamic Turks. The name “Dracul” in Romanian literally means “dragon”; however, in the time period a dragon was about the same as a devil. The “a” in Dracula means “son of”; so Dracula was the son of the devil.
Vlad II was king of Wallachia, a region that is part of modern-day Romania. Dracula grew up in this region. Later in life, his father betrayed the order and sided with the Turks. In order to ensure his loyalty, the Turkish sultan took his two sons, Dracula and his brother Radu, captive. In 1447, Dracul was assassinated by one of his relatives who disagreed with his betrayal and his two sons were released.
While Dracula was imprisoned, his hatred of the Turks grew and he wanted revenge. In 1456, Dracula managed to kill his father’s murderer and the current ruler of Wallachia and he claimed the throne as his own. He tricked all of the families related to the ex-ruler into coming to an Easter banquet and had them arrested. Those who were in good health were made into slaves and were put to work building his castle (many of them died). The rest were publicly impaled.
Dracula was a harsh ruler, but he did so to ensure order in his land. He hated weakness, so one day he invited all of the lazy, sick, handicapped, and poor to a banquet. Once they ate, he asked if they would like to never be hungry or have to care about anything again. They all agreed and Dracula had his men lock them in the hall. The hall was then set on fire; no one managed to get out alive. There were many rumors that he ate the flesh of his victims, but this is unconfirmed. No one ever disobeyed his laws for fear of impalement or torture.
Vlad the Impaler was not a real vampire, but there are indeed some similarities to the character in Stoker’s book. Dracula really was from Transylvania. Both thoroughly enjoyed killing people. Whether Vlad III actually drank the blood of his victims isn’t known, but he certainly enjoyed watching bloodshed. They both did have castles; the one belonging to Vlad III is in ruins. However, Stoker didn’t quite put his castle in the right place. According to Stoker, Dracula’s castle is in the Borgo Pass. While there is a Borgo Pass that fits his description, there is no castle anywhere near that location. Stoker’s castle (Bran Castle) is near Bran and Brasov, Romania (click wikipedia link for pictures). On one of the source sites is a bigger list of myths and facts about the two Draculas.
Vlad II was king of Wallachia, a region that is part of modern-day Romania. Dracula grew up in this region. Later in life, his father betrayed the order and sided with the Turks. In order to ensure his loyalty, the Turkish sultan took his two sons, Dracula and his brother Radu, captive. In 1447, Dracul was assassinated by one of his relatives who disagreed with his betrayal and his two sons were released.
While Dracula was imprisoned, his hatred of the Turks grew and he wanted revenge. In 1456, Dracula managed to kill his father’s murderer and the current ruler of Wallachia and he claimed the throne as his own. He tricked all of the families related to the ex-ruler into coming to an Easter banquet and had them arrested. Those who were in good health were made into slaves and were put to work building his castle (many of them died). The rest were publicly impaled.
Dracula was a harsh ruler, but he did so to ensure order in his land. He hated weakness, so one day he invited all of the lazy, sick, handicapped, and poor to a banquet. Once they ate, he asked if they would like to never be hungry or have to care about anything again. They all agreed and Dracula had his men lock them in the hall. The hall was then set on fire; no one managed to get out alive. There were many rumors that he ate the flesh of his victims, but this is unconfirmed. No one ever disobeyed his laws for fear of impalement or torture.
Vlad the Impaler was not a real vampire, but there are indeed some similarities to the character in Stoker’s book. Dracula really was from Transylvania. Both thoroughly enjoyed killing people. Whether Vlad III actually drank the blood of his victims isn’t known, but he certainly enjoyed watching bloodshed. They both did have castles; the one belonging to Vlad III is in ruins. However, Stoker didn’t quite put his castle in the right place. According to Stoker, Dracula’s castle is in the Borgo Pass. While there is a Borgo Pass that fits his description, there is no castle anywhere near that location. Stoker’s castle (Bran Castle) is near Bran and Brasov, Romania (click wikipedia link for pictures). On one of the source sites is a bigger list of myths and facts about the two Draculas.
Sources:
Show on History Channel (cannot remember name)
2 comments:
Wow that article really makes you think. And i never knew about the "A" in dracula. Seeing how we now know that there is a realtionship between the devil and dracula do you think believing in dracula goes against religions?
Vlad II originally took the name "Dracul" to symbolize his strong ties to the group he belonged to. I think the name was mainly to scare their enemies. Honestly, if you meant someone whose last name was "Devil" for example, wouldn't you be slightly worried? Believing in Dracula doesn't go against any sort of religion, because he was a real person. However, the connection from the name isn't sacreligious. If you believe in the devil and in hell, is that against Christianity? I'm not at all religious but I don't think so.
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