Story of Vlad The Impaler – All parts

Here’s a sanitized version of the provided transcript, removing any inappropriate language and ensuring clarity while retaining the essential historical content:

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During a time of immense change and transition, one of the world’s most enigmatic and contentious rulers was born: Vlad III Dracula, son of Vlad II Dracula, later known as Vlad the Impaler. Vlad was born in the Transylvanian city of Sighișoara, likely near the end of the year 1431. While currently located in Transylvania due to his father’s designation as military governor of the region, Dracula was a future candidate for the position of Voivode of Wallachia. According to Wallachian tradition, any son of a previous Voivode was eligible to fill the role, and given that young Dracula was the legitimate son of a later two-time holder of the title, it comes as no surprise that his focus seldom strayed from the throne.

Dracula’s grandfather, Mircea the Elder, was considered one of the most monumental rulers of Wallachia in his era. This ancestry and birthright meant that Vlad Dracula was inevitably going to become part of a bitter and bloody feud between the two warring lines of the House of Basarab: the Dănești and the Drăculești.

Before he could be a proper contender for the Wallachian throne, Vlad Dracula was raised by the women of his household in Sighișoara. Like any young boy of his prestige, he would have been taught the basic necessities of princely life, such as their native language, manners, dress code, and the idea that he was destined for greatness. The boys would have also spent a substantial amount of time maintaining their physical fitness from a young age and being held to somewhat strict standards. When not learning or training, Vlad would have also attended church with his family. His parents were Catholic, but it is possible that Dracula and his youngest brother Radu were baptized in an Orthodox church, which would be significant given the importance of the Orthodox faith to Wallachian leadership.

After a power change by Emperor Sigismund, Vlad Dracul was finally able to secure his place as Voivode of Oltenia, moving the family’s home to the capital city of Târgoviște by the start of 1437. Here, Dracula’s life began to change as he was now required to learn more lessons of maturity and adulthood. By this point, the young future prince would have much less time for childish antics and instead would be expected to practice horsemanship, swimming, the use of various weapons, combat techniques, and formal education in world history, language, and politics.

During this time, Vlad Dracul submitted to Sultan Murad II of the Ottoman Empire, creating an alliance with the Turks that lasted only a few short years. The consequences of this union came in 1442 when Vlad Dracul, accompanied by his two youngest sons, Vlad and Radu, accepted an invitation from Sultan Murad to meet with him in his court. Upon arrival, Vlad Dracul was arrested and chained, and his sons were taken away to the fortress of Eğri. While Vlad would only spend a year in Ottoman custody, he agreed to leave his sons in the hands of the Sultan as part of an extensive agreement to secure his freedom and return to Wallachia.

Around 11 years old at this point, Vlad and Radu were now alone in a foreign country, surrounded by people whose language they could not speak nor understand. While specific details and time frames are not clear, we know that the brothers were initially kept hostage in Eğri before being moved to Tokat and then Adrianople, where they were brought on trips to other palaces alongside the Sultan’s court. Even as hostages, Vlad and Radu’s education would have continued, as one of the Sultan’s goals was to create a trusted future with Wallachian Voivodes who would be loyal to the Ottomans.

Vlad was known to have been more of a challenging child and teen than his younger sibling, uncooperative and short-tempered at times. It was not unusual for punishment methods to be used in an attempt to tame the young Dracula. In contrast, Radu was recognized as a more agreeable protege and quickly attracted the attention of both men and women with his exceptional beauty. One of the most notable admirers of Vlad’s younger brother was Mehmed II, the future conqueror of Byzantium.

Despite essentially growing up together, Vlad and Mehmed would never spark enough of a friendship to prevent the bloody contention they would later engage in during their adult lives. On top of Vlad’s unwillingness to conform to his new Turkish peers, his father was also beginning to stir unrest back in Wallachia. After meeting with the governor-general of Transylvania, John Hunyadi, and seeing the small number of Christian forces, Vlad Dracul opted to send no more than a small contingent to assist in the future crusade, as he was still taking a neutral stance himself.

Mircea, Vlad’s older brother, was said to have fought bravely in the name of his faith during the Varna Crusade, even utilizing cannons for the first time in Romanian military history. After word of Mircea’s involvement got out, the Turks learned of this passive betrayal, and Dracula himself became aware of his father’s choice to risk his and his brother’s lives. Surprisingly, even once the Ottomans became aware of Dracul’s deceit, Vlad and Radu were not killed or even tortured by the Turks. However, their treatment did become more treacherous in response to Dracula’s actions, leading to a hardening of Vlad’s already rough and stubborn personality and a chain of events that led to Radu’s ultimate submission to the future Sultan Mehmed II.

Regardless of the differing attitudes between the boys, it can be assumed that Sultan Murad still intended to use both of them as puppets of Wallachian loyalty, hence his decision to spare their lives. Meanwhile, Murad and Dracul managed to come to a new agreement in the year 1447. Around the same time, the already superficial kinship between Vlad Dracul and John Hunyadi faced new challenges. Mircea called for the execution of the Transylvanian governor-general in response to his negligent venture at the Crusade of Varna. After Dracul had warned Hunyadi that the Christians did not have the necessary troops to defeat the Turks, Hunyadi was never executed and eventually returned without harm to Transylvania.

In late fall of the same year, backed by John Hunyadi, Vladislav II made the ultimate decision to take the throne by force from Dracul and Mircea, leading to Mircea being seized, tortured, and subsequently buried alive, followed by Dracul’s assassination later that night. When the news reached Dracula, still in custody of the Sultan, it is said that he swore vengeance against the traitors who tortured and killed his brother and father, promising to kill Vladislav II by his own hand.

Now a free man, a candidate for the Wallachian throne, and an officer in the Ottoman army with the support of Sultan Murad, the death of Dracula’s father gave him a promising start to his adult life. After a failed attempt by John Hunyadi and Vladislav II to defeat the Ottomans at Kosovo, Vlad was in a favorable position to make a strong bid for the Wallachian throne with the backing of the Turks, who had true authority in the current situation due to their military control. Success came to Dracula as he ultimately seized power and became Voivode of Wallachia for the first time in 1448.

This sudden uprising predictably did not sit well with the Hungarians and the allies of John Hunyadi, who had been taken captive by the Serbian despot George Branković after his defeat at Kosovo. Nicolae of Ochnă, the vice-governor of Transylvania, demanded that Vlad come and meet with him to explain the assumed disappearance of Hunyadi and justify his unforeseen coup. In a letter of response, Vlad stated that he could not do as the vice-governor asked without creating suspicion from the Turks and that he had no information on the whereabouts of John Hunyadi, but that if he had not been killed in battle, he would wish to establish peace with the governor upon his return to Transylvania.

This strategic start to his first reign was effective but only while his Ottoman aid maintained dominion over the region. Unfortunately for Dracula, Sultan Murad opted not to follow the fleeing Hungarian army after the recent battle, allowing for a quick turning of the tables. Vladislav was able to gather the remainder of Hunyadi’s troops, though he failed to free Hunyadi himself before marching into Wallachia and defeating Vlad’s army, forcing his cousin to flee the principality altogether.

After losing the throne to Vladislav, Dracula found himself back in Adrianople with the Turks once again. He sought refuge under Ottoman protection for a short while before fleeing Sultan Murad’s court and making his way to the Wallachian neighbor of Moldavia, where he settled in the court of Bogdan II. Bogdan was the current ruler of Moldavia and also Dracula’s uncle, connected through Vlad Dracul’s marriage to Bogdan’s sister, the mother of the later prince Stephen the Great. Bogdan II allowed the exiled Wallachian to remain in his capital city of Suceava, receiving education alongside Stephen and serving in the Moldavian military.

This stay lasted from late 1449 until the fall of 1451, coming to an abrupt end when Bogdan was assassinated by his own brother, Petru Aaron. Lacking many viable options, Vlad and Stephen escaped together to Transylvania, knowing full well that it would be imprudent to risk seeking refuge under the eye of John Hunyadi, who had been stripped of his titles but still maintained military control.

The young men attempted to make their way to Brașov, heartened by the support of Vladislav’s boyar enemies and previous good relations with the councilman of the city. Vlad felt that this would be their safest option. However, John Hunyadi had no intention of allowing this to be the case and commanded the mayor of Brașov to bar Dracula from settling in the city. Whether Vlad and his Moldavian cousin were forced out or kept in hiding around the area is not known for certain.

Nonetheless, in September of the same year, Vladislav II also sent a letter to the mayor of Brașov upon hearing that his rival was still in the region. Dracula fled again, this time to the nearby town of Cebea, where word of his presence made its way to the Transylvanian vice-governor. In response, Nicolae of Ochnă decided to hire an assassin to take the pretender down once and for all. Miraculously, Vlad was made aware of the plan and was able to elude his potential killer.

Forced now to stay in hiding, Dracula remained under the radar while the relationship between John Hunyadi and Vladislav II began to fall apart. Hunyadi, displeased with Vladislav for his softening towards the Turks and their new Sultan, Mehmed II, began to shift his view of Dracula. Former enemies, both politically and personally, Vlad and Hunyadi were now to meet in the Hungarian’s palace, apparently putting aside any grudge he may have held over the murder of his father and brother. Vlad accepted a position in Hunyadi’s army and court and was offered safe residence in Cebea.

Hunyadi likely let go of their rocky paths due to Dracula’s knowledge of the Turkish forces and his familiarity with Mehmed II from serving in the Ottoman army. Things began looking up for Dracula as he accompanied Hunyadi to the opening of the Hungarian Diet and even to the coronation of the newly of-age King of Hungary, Ladislaus Posthumus. After swearing allegiance to the king, Dracula was given full support from the Hungarian authority and the Transylvanian Diet to accept the responsibility of defending Transylvania from the Turks at the recommendation of John Hunyadi himself.

Still living in the town of Cebea, Vlad was now essentially mirroring the duties his father had previously been put in charge of between 1431 and 1436. This new position became increasingly important after the fall of Constantinople, as the Turks decided to attack Hungary in what was now 1456. Under the order of John Hunyadi, Vlad was to stay in Cebea with his army as a defensive force, but only until he saw fit to strike in Wallachia once again, making an effort to seize the throne from his Dănești rival.

Likewise, Hunyadi also gave the go-ahead for Vlad’s Moldavian cousin Stephen to execute his incursion into the territory of Petru III Aaron and dispose of the Turkish vassal. Having kicked off his march on Vladislav II in June with a diverse army of Hungarians, Romanian mercenaries, and support from the cities of Transylvania, by July, Dracula engaged in combat with Vladislav II and fulfilled his promise of revenge for his murdered family members, meeting his end at the hands of Vlad Dracula himself.

Vladislav II Dănești was no longer Voivode of Wallachia, giving the title back to his victorious cousin. Vlad’s second reign was undoubtedly his most successful, controversial, and by far his longest. Now styled Prince Vlad, son of Vlad the Great, sovereign and ruler of Wallachia and the duchies of Amlaș and Făgăraș, Dracula swiftly tackled the challenge of re-establishing positive relations with his neighbors while also looking into organizing the start of Petru Aaron’s overthrow in Moldavia.

The Turks, unsettled by their former vassal’s new posture as Voivode, became suspicious of Vlad’s goals and decided to send a group of envoys to speak with him about the presumed payment of a yearly tribute, hence the free passage of the Turks through Wallachia. While Vlad agreed to these terms, he refused to travel to Constantinople to pay the tribute himself, likely recalling the outcome when he had last accompanied his father on the same journey.

Though tensions with the Ottomans were reduced to a low simmer, Vlad would later spark new confrontations but not without handling business at home first. Demonstrated by his own words in a letter to the mayor of Brașov, Vlad firmly believed that when a man or a prince is powerful and strong at home, he will be able to do as he wills. But when he is without power, another more powerful than he will overthrow him and do as he wishes.

Before he could address foreign relations beyond keeping the peace, Vlad needed to consolidate his power at home. The boyars of Wallachia were one of the first focuses of Dracula during his second reign. Known for being corrupt and even traitorous at times, the boyar class essentially shared authority with the prince, holding almost more overall power than the Voivode himself. With a previous average of about two years of rule for every prince, the boyars had shown their true colors in the game of control, often working to put the weakest possible candidate on the throne to maintain their ultimate jurisdiction.

According to Michael Beheim, Dracula once said to an assembly of these boyars, after asking them how many princes they had known, “The guilt is entirely due to your shameful intrigues.” Clearly, Vlad had no desire to let such corruption go unpunished, keeping in mind that he had also sworn revenge on the noblemen responsible for the torture and murder of his older brother.

One Easter day of 1457, just how these deals would be dealt became gruesomely clear. Multiple accounts of this day recall how Vlad first searched for where Mircea was said to be buried, finding his brother’s body face down and confirming that the stories of his way of death were true. Knowing this, Vlad the Impaler was about to reveal his true cruelty and anger against the corrupt boyars who were responsible not only for the death of his family but for the poverty of the country.

Something had to be done. Vlad allowed roughly 200 boyars and their wives to come and celebrate the holiday as they typically would at the palace in Târgoviște. This time, though, as everyone finished their meals, Vlad had his men seize every boyar and wife attending the celebrations. The elders were taken beyond the city walls and impaled, while the young and able were marched in chains about 50 miles up the Argeș River, taking about two days to the site where they were to build Dracula’s new fortress.

This fortress, in addition to being part of a significant power play, was also a breach of Turkish and Hungarian authority, which stated that no vassal may protect themselves with such an addition. Regardless, Vlad had the castle completed and replaced the disgraced boyars with loyal men, many of whom were of low class and former peasants. The new title of “armash,” a position meant for tasks such as handling the execution of criminals against the state, was also an update made under the rule of Dracula.

Following this fresh approach, throughout his reign, all of Vlad’s appointments of new men to his court were based on loyalty to him alone, as he seemed determined to solidify his position of power and deal with any possible mistrust or betrayal before it could occur. There becomes apparent a running theme throughout Vlad’s time as Voivode that showcases his sometimes irrational response to issues of trust, possibly rooted in the betrayals of his childhood.

One example of an overzealous reaction to dishonesty was when a merchant from Florence found himself in Târgoviște on his way to Constantinople, bringing with him a carriage of money and goods. The merchant, upon arrival, went to the princely palace to ask for protection over himself and his goods during his stay in the capital. Vlad simply told the merchant to leave his things in the public square and come sleep in the palace. The merchant obeyed the prince’s command, but when he returned to the carriage the following day, he discovered 160 missing gold ducats.

After making this disheartening discovery, the merchant returned to Vlad and informed him of the matter. The prince assured him that both the money and the thief would be found and there was no need to worry. Vlad ordered the citizens of Târgoviște to find the thief, threatening to destroy the city if they did not, and also instructed his servants to replace the merchant’s missing money from his own treasury, adding an extra ducat.

When the merchant later returned to his carriage and counted his money again, he found a total of three times the amount he had lost. At this time, the thief was being brought to the palace as Vlad told the merchant, “Go in peace. Had you not admitted to the extra ducat, I would have ordered you to be impaled together with this thief.”

The story of the merchant, much like the anecdote about the golden cup that sat near a fountain in a deserted area to test his subjects and their honesty, which was never stolen or moved during Dracula’s reign, showed his strong stance on morality and justice. He was not against tricking his people to test their ethics, even being said to have roamed the villages in disguise to observe the peasants and how well they followed his rules and policies.

In general, Vlad was well-loved and supported by