Pondering Vlad

 

Vlad

Vlad was mentioned a few times when I was in Romania- it was Vlad III they meant- ruler of Wallachia off and on between 1448 &1477. Wallachia is forerunner to modern Romania.

Vlad the person who could boast fighting off the Ottoman Empire for a time.

Vlad, was rather hard on those he did not like, and could certainly hold a grudge against the gentry who did not support him.

 

I was told by a guide in Bucharest that apparently, he made Romania so safe you could leave a gold coin at the water fountain and come back later. No one would steal it, they would be caught and they would never get the chance to do the wrong thing again.

For those who had wronged Vlad, any invading Ottomans he could catch and anyone breaking his laws- punishment was quick and decisive.

Impale them on stakes lining the streets coming into town.

Really.

Can you imagine what it must have been like arriving? The groans of agony as gravity slowly pulled your body down onto the stake... the smell from those who had been there for some time?

This was the Time of The War of The Roses in England... all across Europe and most of the world, kingdoms would attack kingdoms, constant infighting to catch thrones....

It was common behaviour, but Vlad excelled at it and gained a reputation far and wide.

 

His fame was widely talked about through the German and Russian regions, through them his story lived on. Back in Wallachia, his kingdom and Transylvania he was largely forgotten for centuries.

The region he is from was home to the Dacians- strong independent warrior clans- the Roman Empire after much trouble bought them to heel but always worried when they would rebel and bite again.... seems like a theme.

His name had its origin in the nickname of his father, Vlad Dracul ("Vlad the Dragon" in medieval Romanian), who received it after he became a member of the Order of the Dragon- Knights promised to fight off the Ottoman Empire and preserve Christianity.

Vlad III is known as Vlad Tepes (or Vlad the Impaler) in Romanian historiography.

Stories about Vlad's brutal acts began circulating during his lifetime,  1464 The Pope included the tales in his Commentaries.

A poem, called "Story of a Despot Called Dracula, Voievod [Prince] of Wallachia", was performed at the court of Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor in Wiener Neustadt during the winter of 1463.

No social media in those days yet his reputation was travelling like wildfire.

They say you need to be consistent and have a 'thing' to build your brand- he found his niche.

1492 … Turkish messengers came to [Vlad] to pay respects, but refused to take off their turbans, according to their ancient custom, whereupon he strengthened their custom by nailing their turbans to their heads with three spikes, so that they could not take them off.

— Antonio Bonfini: Historia Pannonica

For centuries the horror stories circulated about Vlad outside his homeland  and then in 

then in the 1800's the tide started to turn 

Deleanu's Țiganiada (Gypsy Epic) (which was published only in 1875) presented Vlad as a hero fighting against the boyars  local rulers], Ottomans, strigoi (or vampires), and other evil spirits at the head of an army of gypsies and angels

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Strigoi in Romanian mythology are troubled spirits that are said to have risen from the grave. They are attributed with the abilities to transform into an animal, become invisible, and to gain vitality from the blood of their victims. 

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One of the greatest Romanian poets, Mihai Eminescu, dedicated a historic ballad, The Third Letter, to the valiant princes of Wallachia, including Vlad. 

He urges Vlad to return from the grave and to annihilate the enemies of the Romanian nation:

You must come, O dread Impaler, confound them to your care.
Split them in two partitions, here the fools, the rascals there;
Shove them into two enclosures from the broad daylight enisle 'em,
Then set fire to the prison and the lunatic asylum.

— Mihai Eminescu: The Third Letter

Since the middle of the 19th century, Romanian historians have treated Vlad as one of the greatest Romanian rulers, emphasizing his fight for the independence of the Romanian lands.

 

Bram Stoker's Dracula, which was published in 1897, was the first book to make a connection between Dracula and vampirism, although research based on Stoker's paper suggests he knew little of Vlad and was just using names and bits and pieces to create a story.

 

According to an opinion poll conducted in 1999, 4.1% of the participants chose Vlad the Impaler as one of "the most important historical personalities who have influenced the destiny of the Romanians for the better"

 

Ceausescu making national hero....

Duncan Light in “DraculaBeats the Communists” talks of the Bram Stoker Myth being a mixed hero for the communists, certainly went against the party line but it could bring tourists and their dollars to a country in need of funds. Interesting article developing that theme.

Here is a link to a University Paper he published on the same theme

Professor Radu Florescu was a Romanian academic who held the position of Emeritus Professor of History at Boston College has written extensively on the Romanian history, he best known work, though, is In Search of Dracula (1972).

Stokers’ Dracula had enough real places in it, he posited that it must be based on a real person and Vlad Tepes fitted the position the best. He looked to find links between the fictional story and an historic person.

 

Dracula has brought a lot of tourists to Romania, apparently, yet in Romania I did not feel like the locals were that interested in Stoker’s Dracula.

The Castle often associated with the novel Bram Castle has very little to do with Vlad.

The country and its history are far more impressive than a fictional character imagined by someone from far away. In my opinion.

Stories of the feisty Dacians- the thorn in the Roman Empires’ behind.

Vlads Dad and Tepes fighting off the Ottoman Empire…

 

Romanian is in a crucial position between East and Europe, it is also a rich country with good farmlands, mineral wealth and the largest Original untouched forests of Europe.

There were certainly scary fairy tales associated with the deep forests and lots of characters to scare the kids into behaving.

 

Books that develop the Vampire theme

Dracula is a novel by Bram Stoker, published in 1897 and the movie staring Bela Lugosi in 1931 added to the myth

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova is a great read…. The plot draws you into the search for the facts behind the Dracula myth

The House of The Vampire by George Sylvester Viereck is surprisingly modern in its writing and plot. It was published in 1907 and is notable as one of the first psychic vampire stories, as well as the first known gay (actually, bisexual) vampire story. Not a bad read either.

I’ve been delving deep into Vlad/Dracula/ Vampire stories to try and get a picture.

In Romania the Dracula side of it all seemed to not be a thing- except if you went to Bram Castle that we foreigners associate with the book. A book that Vlad seems to have little or no connection to.

 

Vlad Tepes though seemed to get good press as the guy who fought against terrible odds for Romanian independence.

That is a lot more pertinent to the modern country- Independence from Oppressors Romania was nearly the last of the Eastern European communist governments to fall; its fall was also the most violent up to that time. I had many conversations with Romanians who vigorously spoke out against the corruption in their country at government level and that if they speak up loudly enough things will change. During my visit a major political figure was pulled up on corruption charges and many were pleased. I look forward to hearing the next instalment in these conversations.

Many thanks to Wikipedia for bouncing me around and shedding light on my questions. I have donated to their continued presence- love me a good encyclopaedia. 😁