The character of Dracula was not thought up out of thin air; he was inspired by a real man, and in many ways the two did not have much in common. Though it appears very possible the real Dracula was more of a monster than the vampire.
Vlad III Tepes, once the Prince of Wallachia, was not tall, pale and bat like, but rather stocky, strong and red in the face. He ruled territories in modern Romania three times within his life, and was incredibly ruthless.
His father was a member of the Order of the Dragon, an organisation under the Hungarian King. This was how he gained the nickname Dracul, meaning Dragon or Devil, and inspired his son’s future nickname Dracula; Son of the Devil. However, he also managed to gain such names as ‘Merciless Infidel’, ‘Wicked Horseman’ and ‘Devilish Impaler’.
As a kid, Vlad was held hostage in Turkey with his brothers, during which he witnessed one be buried alive and the other sexually abused. His father was eventually assassinated.
Dracula was an influential builder and saw himself as a Christian crusader. But while he managed to seize many Ottoman strongholds in his time, this is not what he has become infamous for.
Most popularly, Dracula was known as Vlad the Impaler. Here are just a few of his ruthless acts as king:
Muslim diplomats once paid a visit to Vlad for negotiation purposes. They took off their hats inside but left on their traditional headpieces. When Vlad asked why they did not take those off as well, they replied that it was a part of their custom. Vlad said he admired this and insisted on encouraging their custom. He then proceeded to nail their headpieces to their heads.
Women accused of adultery were allegedly skinned alive, had their nipples cut off, or a hot rod shoved up their vagina.
When a nobleman complained to Vlad about the stench from all the impaled bodies (of which there were many, as it was his favourite form of punishment), Vlad had him impaled and positioned higher than the others, so that he may be above it.
When his brother appealed to Vlad, asking him to stop doing such evil things, Vlad had him impaled with his donkey on top of him.
To scare off an approaching Ottoman army, Vlad set up the ‘Forest of the Impaled’ – an alleged 20,000 impaled bodies instead of the opposing army the Ottomans had expected. They were so demoralised by the sight they simply left.
Even during his 14 years of incarceration after being captured by the Hungarian king, Vlad would impale birds and mice he caught in prison.
Eventually, in 1476, Dracula was re-instated as king of Wallachia for the third time. However, it was only 2 months later that his headless body was discovered in a marsh, his head being sent in a box to Mehmed the Conqueror, his enemy. His head was then put on a stake for all to see.
Eventually his body was brought to Snagov Monastery and buried in a tomb.
Perhaps one of the inspirations for his fictional vampire counterpart, when the tomb was reopened later on, Vlad’s body was missing.
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