Vlad Tepes
He was born in the city of Sighisoara in Transylvania [2], the son of Vlad Dracul II and a Transylvanian noble.
He was married three times: first with a noble in Transylvania - Transylvania Bathory Cnaejna, then Jusztina Szilagyi Ilona Moldova and then Nelipic of Wallachia [1], cousin of Matthias Corvinus.
He had five children, four boys and a girl: Radu and Vlad from the first marriage, Michael and I Mihnea the Evil in the second, and third Zaleski of marriage. [1]
During his reign, the country has achieved temporarily Romanian independence from the Ottoman Empire. Vlad Tepes became famous by severity and because he used to shoot enemies impaled. Due to conflicts with the merchants of Brasov, they have characterized propaganda methods as a prince with a demonic cruelty.
In 1453, the remains of the Byzantine Empire is conquered by the Ottomans, who obtained such control of Constantinople (now Istanbul) and threatened Europe. Ottoman Empire comes to rule much of the Balkans (Serbia today the territories, partly Hungary, partly Romania, Bulgaria, Albania and Greece), extending to the West stopping at the gates of Vienna, whose siege fails. In this historical context, Vlad Tepes fought to defend their kingdom and country, using specific deterrence against enemy era methods, including executions and ill-treatment were also exemplary character and intimidation.
Over the origin of the name "Dracula" and the nickname "Tepes"
His father, Vlad II Dracul, had received the Order of the Dragon. The order - which can be compared with that of the Knights of Malta or that of the Teutonic Knights - was a military-religious society, whose bases were made in 1387 by Sigismund of Luxembourg, King of Hungary (later Emperor of Holy Roman Empire) and the second wife, Barbara Cilli.
Order Dragon symbol
Drawing depicting the symbol of the Order of the Dragon
Order symbol was a dragon, and the purpose was the defense of Christianity and crusade against the Ottoman Turks. Because of its affiliation to the Order of the Dragon, the father was called Dracul Vlad Tepes. In turn, Vlad will be knighted in the membership of the Order of the Dragon in 1431 by Sigismund of Luxembourg Nürenberg. Soon, however, in 1436, his name will be deleted from the list of knights since 1432, just a year after upgrading, contrary to the Christian status of the Order which was to protect Christianity by pagans, namely the threat of Ottoman Vlad personally led the Turks who besieged the city and fire Severin, were killed in the city all the Teutonic Knights, who fought against the Ottoman threat. Also in 1432 the head of the same Turkish, using the ruse of a knighthood of the Order, Vlad ordered the gates opened Caransebes which, obeying the commands, will be burned and looted by the same Turks led by Impaler, robbery and destruction that will take throughout the south of Transylvania, the Turks retreating with booty and captives countless south of the Danube.
Nickname Tepes was assigned from the frequent executions by impalement that order. Even the Turks called it Kazıklı Bey (Impaler Prince). This name was first mentioned in a Wallachian chronicle of 1550 and preserved in Romanian history.
Lord of the Romanian Country
Beginning of the reign
Vlad Tepes as it appears on a Saxon carving in 1462
In the winter of 1436, Vlad II Dracul became prince of the Romanian Country (one of the three Romanian provinces, the other two being Moldavia and Transylvania) and settled at the princely court in Targoviste. Vlad Dracula and has followed his father and lived there six years. In 1442, for political reasons, he and his younger brother, Radu the Handsome, was requested as hostages by the Sultan Murad II, Vlad was hostage century years until 1448, and his brother until 1462 . This period of captivity played an important role in the formation and rise to power of Vlad. Turks released in 1447, after his father's death - assassinated by order of Vladislav II, rival to the throne of the Romanian Country. At that time, and the death of Vlad found his older brother, Mircea, tortured and buried alive by the boyars of Targoviste.
At age 17, supported by a body of Turkish cavalry and a contingent of troops lent to him by pasha Mustafa Hassan, Vlad Dracula of Wallachia he first became. But two months later was defeated by Vladislav II, who regained the throne. To secure the second and the longest reign, Vlad III had to wait until August 20, 1456, when he managed to kill their enemies.
The first important act of vengeance was directed against the boyars of Targoviste, guilty of father's death and his brother. Easter Sunday of 1459, he arrested all the boyar families who had participated in the princely party. The elderly were impaled and others were forced to walk down the road a hundred kilometers from the capital to Poenari, where they were made to build a fortress on the ruins of an older outpost overlooking the Arges River.
Dracula soon became famous because of its brutal methods of punishment. According to detractors Saxons of Transylvania, he ordered that osândiţii often be skinned, boiled, decapitated, blinded, strangled, hanged, burned, roasted, chopped, nailed, buried alive, etc.. Also put victims to be cut nose, ears, genitals and tongue. But the ordeal was impaled favorite, from which the nickname Tepes, who impale. This form of execution used it in 1457, 1459 and 1460 against Transylvanian merchants who do not complied with the laws of his trade. They made raids against the Saxons of Transylvania were also acts of protectionism and to promote commercial activities of the Romanian country. In addition, the time it was common for Romanian throne pretenders to find support in Transylvania, where the waiting time to act.
Last rule, end of life and the grave site
According to legend, it was when Vlad's wife to escape the Turkish prison, committed suicide by throwing themselves on a high ridge - a scene exploited by Francis Ford Coppola in the film Bram Stoker's Dracula. Vlad managed to escape the siege of his fortress, using a secret passage through the mountains. Helped by some peasants of the Arefu village, managed to reach Transylvania where he met with the Hungarian king Matthias Corvinus. But Matthew arrested and imprisoned in the capital of Hungary, Visegrád. The reason for arrest can be discussed, because according to some historians that it was directly taken to Budapest is attributed to Vlad's need to be protected by the Saxons who wanted to kill him. Was recognized as Prince Vlad of Wallachia for the third time in 1475, but has enjoyed a very short period of reign. He was assassinated in late December 1476. His body was decapitated and his head sent to the sultan, who sat in a spike, as evidence of the triumph of Vlad Tepes. It was hypothesized that "Dracula" was buried at Snagov monastery on an island near Bucharest. Recent examinations have shown that the "tomb" of the monastery contains Impaler few horse bones dated from the Neolithic remains not true of Mr. Wallach. Prominent historian Constantin Rezachevici opinion, his tomb would be the location Comana monastery, founded by Prince. [3]