Documentary short clip about Vlad the Impaler

The life of Vlad the Impaler is briefly presented in this short movie called Killers for Christ.

[UPDATE: Video was removed, but I'll keep the post as a collection of references to others related to Vlad Țepeș]




Here are my comments on it:
1. it is only supposed that Vlad III was born in November or December 1931

2. The facts about Vlad Dracul are true (or what in history is a generally accepted truth), one can find here more details about the fascinating life of Vlad Dracul.

3. After 1448 Vlad came to Vallachia to take the throne and, taking advantage of the fact that Vladislav II was attacking the turks on the right side of the Danube, together with his protected John Hunyadi. In fact the real reason for Vlad's liberation was, from the Turks' part, to set him as a ruler of Wallachia. His brother Radu the Handsom remained and there are good proof that he became sultan's lover.

4. at min. 1:42 indeed in Chindia Tower in Târgoviste there are some copy of the old designs representing the building of Poienari citadel. I only wish to remind that the capital was in Targoviste by that time, that's why there was a 50miles trek up to Poienari.

5. min 2:26 - he used brutal punishment methods (like impaling) againd Transylvanian merchants but especially agains the transylvanian saxon population that was hospitating and sheltering him rivals for the Wallachian throne.

6. Facts about 1462 are generally accepted but the romanian historians still discuss if the Turks' campaig in Wallachia was a failure or a success. Only an unfortunate confusion made Vlad not killed the sultan. While the turkish army was resting on the left side of the Danube, after hardly passing the Danube in Vidin Vlad attacked by night and, even if he has been spying the turks's camp before he missed sultan's tent and so the opportunity to kill him.

7. At 3:42 we can admire the terrifying figure of Bela Lugosi in the movie Dracula, of 1931, the first official movie about Dracula.

Generally this video respect the historic truth and is a good short presentation of Vlad Dracula's life. I really like it for this and highly recommend it !

movie about Dracula. "Dark Prince - The Truth About Dracula"

The final part of the movie Dark Prince. The Truth about Dracula presents Vlad fighting his brother Radu in Snagov monastery and initially defeating him. However Radu is not alone and the guards help him.
His father-in-low Aron as well as Father Stefan are all there. He is considered Antichrist for fighting his own people and his own religion, however he explains he did never fight God! Betrayed by father Stefan, that Dracula accused has killed his father Vlad Dracul, he finally gets killed by Radu, his own brother. Here I have to mention the movie is fara away from the historic truth, most evidence presents Vlad Dracula's death as on the battlefield, somewhere in the southern part of Bucharest (I'll post more especially about this as it seems to be a lot of controversial about the death of Vlad III Dracula - the place as well as the way he died.

Father Stefan dies by heart attack when he meets Dracula's phantom, the doomed spirit rest undead for etenity:

The Dark Prince - true story of Dracula (Vlad figthing the turks)

Vlad fights against the Turks, he gets almost killed. But he is saved by this best man, Bruno, right-hand of Dracula. They all believe they'll die, but he wakes up and is interesting his answer when he is said his men truely believe that he is returned from the death: "-Some of the weaker minded, yes !"

Even his wife thinks he is dead when seing him nearby. Similar to the Shakespearean story of Romeo and Juliet she killed herself throwing herself from the edge of the Castle (the story with the castle is less probable to be true, is should have been only the castle of Poienari, as presented in the movie, however is hardly supposable they were still leaving that castle by that time).

With the help of Aron, Lidia's father, that Vlad saved life years ago due to a promise made to her wife, Dracula's brother Radu the Handsdom send a fake letter to the Hungarian King, specifying that Dracula was asking for help agains Hungary. He gets imprisoned untill 1476, when he gets released.

The Dark Prince (True Story of Dracula): the exile and return to Transylvania

the second part of this great film presenting the real history of Dracula.
Of course, here also there are some comment but let's follow the movie first. Dracula's exile in the Ottoman Empire is presented, his first meet with the sultan. The name of the sultan is not Mehmed but Murad II.
As far as I know there is no real proof that the sultan cut Radu's chest with a knife, neither that he put Vlad on a bad treatment while he was there. Also is probable that only Mircea, Draula's big brother, has been buried alive by the nobles, not his father Vlad Dracul. Also, is 1448 the year of Vlad's liberation from the Turks to seize the Wallachian throne, not 1455. In 1455 he was already in relations with John Hunyadi and was preparing the occupy the Wallachian Throne for the second time.

here is the movie, nevertheless very interesting:


Part 3

Dark Prince The True Story of Dracula

The short sequence below is the movie closest to the historic truth about Dracula. There are some doubts, like the Gothic church where he has to face the heads of the Orthodox church (it is presented like a church in the middle of the lake and the same church of that type is the one in the middle of Snagov Lake, an orthodox one, of course !




here is Part 2 of the movie

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.

Images from Sighisoara Medieval Town

This video compilation is a slideshow with images from what is considered not only by Romanians as the most beautiful medieval town in Central and Eastern Europe – Sighisoara, the birth place of Vlad III Dracula.

The slide-show starts with images of the Clock Tower, the symbol of the medieval town (seconds 6 – 19, 178 - 180) then continues with images from the street turning left from the opposite side of the main square, (seconds 20 – 40) , images of the middle age houses still inhabited.

Image of the house where Vlad Dracul lived from 1431 to1436 are to be seen at seconds 84 - 97, but one can also notice the stair going uphill, the gateways, the church on the hill.

Also the statue of Vlad Tepes (Dracula) , the orthodox cathedral, the Saxon graveyard on top of the hill.

Pictures of Legenda guesthouse (used by outdoor holidays in it's tours in Transylvania) anbd of Burg Hostel are also presented.

The remaining towers from Sighisoara defending system can also be seen (the image at 08:29 – 09:20 are taken from the clock tower), as well as an overview of the old and of the new town.

Enjoy:

Wallachia history from Mircea the old to Vlad Dracula

In 1417 Wallachia was still in a good situation. Mircea the Elder has built or enforced many strongholds along the Danube, in the main passing points. The most important of this was Giurgiu, 60 km south of Bucharest. Vlad Dracul mentions that for every stone in the castle his father has paid the equivalent of a block of salt of over 100 kg. The stone was rare in that area, but building the castle shows the importance given by Mircea to that defending point. Was much easier defending on the Danube that in the country. The castle can still be seen today, although it is entirely ruined.
With the strong town of Chilia, at the Danube’s fork, with Braila, Wallachia’s most important Danube harbor, the country confirms its role as guardian of the commercial routes linking Asia with the Black Sea. This was used by Transylvanian and Wallachian traders but also by Venetian traders and those from Genoa.
After Mircea die the throne is held by his son Mihai that was already sharing the throne with his father since two years, for no more than two years, between 1418 – 1420. He was the first ruler to die fighting against the Ottomans.
In 1420 the throne is disputed by the successors of Dan I and those of Mircea the Old, also called Drăculeşti (in Romanians means “the Draculas”). The first were sustained by the Hungarians, while the second ones were helped by the Turks. The aristocracy was divided according to the location of the lands. The ones close to the Danube were sustaining the Turks, because of being afraid. The Turks were not asking anymore for hostages, as a guarantee for Wallachian ruler’s fidelity, but one or two sons of the Principle and of few boyars. Hungaria started using the same system since the 14th century.


Vlad Dracul

After spending his early years as a hostage at the Ottoman or Hungarian court, Vlad II gets from the Hungarian King Sigismund of Luxembourg the mission to defend Transylvania’s south east border. Therefore it settles in Sighisoara, where he runs one of the state’s mints. In 1431 the opportunity to take to Wallachian throne appears when the boyars come to Hungarian king to ask for the nomination of the new Principle instead of Dan II, presented by them as being dead. In the same year 1431, in Nurnberg Sigismund of Luxembourg enthrones declares Vlad as the new Principle of Wallachia. Meantime Vlad is being given the prestigious order of San Ladislaw and that the order of Dragon. This one has been created by Sigismund in 1408, first as a Hungarian one and then as an order of the German empire.

But the throne of Wallachia has already been taken by Aldea, another illegitimate son of Mircea the Old. So Vlad has to wait until 1437, when Aldea Alexander dies and he ask Sigismund to support him take the throne. After taking contact with the main boyars he passes the Carpathians and at 24th of January 1437 he already calls himself “autocrat”, “big voievod and Lord, governor of all HungaroWallachia and duke of the territories over the mountains, Fagaras and Amlas”

In 1438 Murad II attacks Transylvania and he obtains the support of Vlad Dracul and conquers all the secklers’ citadels. In 1440 Iancu de Hunedoara (John Hunyadi) and Nicola Ujlaki are ruling Transylvania together. From that moment forming an ally with the Transylvanian governors was possible, so that in 1442 Iancu de Hunedoara stops two Ottoman armies. Vlad’s army attacks the rest of the Ottoman one; therefore Murad II decides military occupation of Wallachia. Iancu de Hunedoara (John Hunyadi) enthrones Basarab II, son of Dan II on the Wallachian throne.
Vlad is invited at Adrianopoli by Murad and made prisoner. Between 1442 – 1444 Iancu de Hunedoara, helped by the wallachs attacks the Turks even on the foothills of Balkan Mountains. In 1444 Murad helped Vlad Dracul to regain the throne and this one send to the Ottoman court two of his sons: Vlad (the future Dracula) and Radu, aged fourteen or fifteen and, respectively five of six. In October 1444 Mircea, the first son on Vlad is sent to help the Christians at Varna, in the Battle against the Turks. But he retires from the battle under the threatens to see his two brothers dead if continuing. The allies are beaten and Hunyadi barely manages to escape. In 1445 French troops under the command of Walerand de Wavrin enterprise an expedition on the Danube, attacking and taking from the Turks the citadels of Siilistra , Turtucaia, Giurgiu, Rusciuc. In 1447 VLad decides no to accepts the Hungarian coins anymore because of their devaluation. The conflict with Hunyadi starts again and this one passes the Carpathians and kills him and his son Mircea (probably Mircea was buried alive by the boyars of Târgoviste). As Vlad Dracul has a fascinating life I intend to enter more in details about this one.

Vladislav II is enthroned by Hunyandi in Wallachia.
Hunyadi organize a campaign in Moldavia, enthrones Pietro II and obtains from this one the citadel of Chilia. After unsuccessfully attacking Constantinople on sea Murad 2 attacks Chilia, considered “the key to Moldavia, Hungary and all the Danube”. But the Hungarian and Romanian troops manage to resist and set the fire on the Ottoman navies. In September 1448 Hunyadi together with Vladislav’s troops pass the Danube and attacks the Turks. Hunyadi manages to escape once again, after taking a normal soldier’s clothes. Vladislav II will have a big surprise when turned home: on the throne, helped by an Ottoman army, has come Vlad Dracula.