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How did a notoriously cruel medieval warlord with a gift for impaling his victims on wooden stakes inspire the creation of the world's most popular vampire?
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Vlad II was a voivode (ruler) of Wallachia—a historical and geographical region of Romania, in Eastern Europe. In 1431, he was inducted into the Order of the Dragon and subsequently earned the surname Dracul from the old Romanian word for dragon, "drac."
Vlad II lived in the main square of Sighișoara from 1431 to 1435. His second son Vlad III was born here in 1431, later to be known as "son of Dracul" or, in old Romanian, Drăculea, hence Dracula.
After his own release, Vlad III was eventually proclaimed voivode of Wallachia in 1456. Mindful of those who murdered his father, he invited hundreds of boyars to a grand feast.
During the banquet, the boyars began to challenge their host's authority. Enraged, the "son of Dracul" had his guests stabbed and their bloody corpses impaled on spikes. Thus the voivode of Wallachia became Vlad the Impaler.
His enmity towards Wallachia's boyars extended to the ordering of noblemen, their wives, and their children to repair and strengthen the 13th-century Poenari Castle... by hand! Its ruins are accessible by climbing an exhausting 1,480 steps to the ancient citadel.
One night in June 1464, Vlad attacked an Ottoman camp near Târgovişte, a city in modern-day Romania. The following morning reinforcements were horrified by the sight of hundreds of bodies impaled on wooden stakes set in the ground.
Vlad III died fighting the Ottomans in late 1476 or early 1477. His exact place of burial is not known, though some historians believe "Drakulya" is buried at Comana Monastery, in Romania.
While Bram Stoker's name is synonymous with the fictional Dracula, a short work of prose fiction written in 1819 by John William Polidori became the first published modern vampire story.
Oddly enough, part of Stoker's inspiration for the novel was gleaned during several visits he made to the English seaside town of Whitby between 1890 and 1896.
Most likely borrowing Vlad III's morbid nickname, Stoker's vampire was given its own name and a title—Count Dracula—and a hunting ground, Transylvania!
With his novel 'Dracula,' Stoker won fame and prestige. The book is regarded as the definitive example of vampire fiction. The author died in 1912, but his bloodsucking creation was already taking on a life of its own.
Actor Christopher Lee turned in a convincing performance as the fanged fiend in this British horror film. A critical and commercial success, the movie saw Lee subsequently described as "tall, dark, and gruesome."
Francis Ford Coppola's highly-stylized version references Vlad Dracula and the Order of the Dragon, thus drawing on historical fact to set the scene. The film won three Academy Awards.
With only a tenuous link to Vlad III, and never referred to by Bram Stoker in his notes, this medieval fortress is still fancifully known as "Dracula's Castle." Tourists can tour the stronghold, which is also a decorative arts museum.
See also: The remarkable life of Mary Shelley, the mind behind 'Frankenstein'
Vlad the Impaler and the legend of Dracula
Who's the most popular vampire?
LIFESTYLE History
How did a notoriously cruel medieval warlord with a gift for impaling his victims on wooden stakes inspire the creation of the world's most popular vampire?
Browse this gallery and draw blood!