The adolescence of Vlad III – The Impaler

The life of Vlad III, from 1436 to the first reign
In 1444, at the age of 13-14, Vlad III is sent together with his brother to the High Ottoman Porch as a warranty of the loyalty of his father, Vlad Dracul to the Ottomans. We don’t know details about his stay in Adrianopole, however we can suppose he was in a kind of half-liberty /half-prison state there.

The peace of 12 -24 April 1444, between Murad II and the delegation of representants of John Hunyadi (Iancu of Hunedoara), the Hungarian king , and George Brankovic was establishing the situation of the Romanian Country – Wallachia and of its ruler, Vlad Dracul. He had to pay the “tribute” and also to send his elder son to the Ottoman court. In June 1444 King Ladislav validates the peace . Vlad Dracul pays his duty, but not wanting to sacrifice Mircea, the old son, send instead Vlad (the future Dracula) and Radu.
(Unfortunately he is informed too late about the decision of Ladislav and the Hungarian high court to set the war on Turks.) So Vlad end up in Egrigoz, (Asia Minor) , from where most probably he get moved to Adrianopoli.

Might be the period spent on Turkish territory that developed in Dracula a sense of cruelty that he later applied in Wallachia. I remember that the Turks were very well organized people, as well as devoted to them chief (Murad II by that time).

After the killing of Vlad Dracul by John Hunyadi on Wallachia’s throne is now Vladislav II, that manifests fidelity to Hunyadi.

In 1448 John Hunyadi passed the Danube together with an army of Hungarian and Wallachian troops and attacks the Turks, but , after the battle of 17-19 October, in Kosovopolje, Turks end up victorious. Huniady manages to escape and, after being captured by the people of Brankovic (that meantime negotiated the peace with the Turks), has to pay a high price for his liberty. Vladislav, instead has a big surprise at his return in Wallachia: the throne has been seized by Vlad Dracula, 18 or 19 years old, supported of the Ottomans.