Dracula - The story behind the legend

The success of any books or movie regarding Dracula was based on a true story, a Romanian story. Maybe you enjoyed the book of Bram Stoker or the movie of Francis Ford Coppola and also I hope that you enjoy the following story.

To understand the facts I'll take you on a ride thru geography, history and policy.
I hope that you follow me because is necesary this journey if you want to know more about Dracula character.

We have a rich history having more then 2000 years from which we are on this land and along those years always someone wants something from us.

Our country doesn't always looks like today. It was bigger, more richer, having a good geographical position. Those things was the magnet for all migratory peoples from East to West of Europe, and later for all the empires who want's to rule the West of Europe. Our ancestors had to face the wrath of three of the largest empires who wanted to rule Europe. We was defeated by the Roman Empire, but this made ​​us stronger facing almost alone the Ottoman Empire and the Golden Horde.

Our country hasn't always had the same name or the same border. What we call today Romania was initially called Dacia. Later, Dacia was divided into three areas known as: Ardeal (Transylvania), Moldova and Tara Romaneasca (Wallachia). So now you know from where Romania name comes. By union of those three countries Romania looks almost how you know today.

So when Dracula lives in the Europe are those three countries: Ardeal (Transylvania), Moldova and Romanian Country (Wallachia). And in those times Romanian Country (Wallachia) have to fight against the mightiest empire: the Ottoman Empire.

I don't know if Dracula could be a vampire but I really know that Dracula was a person, more than that he was the man who build the legend and what can be more frightening for your enemy than a bloody legend.
His name was Vlad Tepes ( Vlad the Impaler) or Vlad Dracul (Vlad Dracula or Vlad the Dare-devil - for the romanian word "drac" you have more meanings but from those one I choose to use "dare-devil").

The name of Dracul (Dracula) comes from his father who received the Order of the Dragon in 1431 from Sigismund of Luxembourg who recognized its merits in defense of Christianity and the crusade against the Turks. The design of this Order of the Dragon was likened by people with a devil which they called: Dracul (Dracula).

So we know now that really was someone called Dracul or Dracula - Vlad the Impaler - but what makes him so bloody?
In those times people could die in many ways, and in all Europe from this days was so many ways to kill someone. But I guess that you that ...
But what it happens when someone make death so terrific as anyone who could see these come so fearful to let even money on the road if he know that isn't belong him?
That build the Dracula legend! The way in which the people was punished: by pulling impaled.
Doing this ,,the Impaler'' comes his second name and that name was loved by his people so much that also today we still call him ,,the Impaler".
If he wants to punish some one and make him an example then the sentence of death was by pulling impaled and show him to any others.

So you know that Vlad Țepes (Dracula) became famous as a tyrant taking sadistic pleasure in torturing and killing. He is shown in his lifetime in the role of cruel rulers or executioners. After Vlad's death, his cruel deeds were reported with macabre gusto in popular pamphlets in Germany, reprinted from the 1480s until the 1560s, and to a lesser extent in Tsarist Russia.

Impalement was Vlad's preferred method of torture and execution. Several woodcuts from German pamphlets of the late 15th and early 16th centuries show Vlad feasting in a forest of stakes and their grisly burdens outside Brasov, while a nearby executioner cuts apart other victims. It was reported that an invading Ottoman army turned back in fright when it encountered thousands of rotting corpses on the banks of the Danube. It has also been said that in 1462 Mehmed II, the conqueror of Constantinople, a man noted for his own psychological warfare tactics, returned to Constantinople after being sickened by the sight of 20,000 impaled corpses outside Vlad's capital of Targoviste.

For us Vlad was a hero, a true leader, who used harsh yet fair methods to reclaim the country from the corrupt and rich boyars. Moreover, all his military efforts were directed against the Ottoman Empire which explicitly wanted to conquer Romanian Country (Wallachia).