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The Real Dracula – A Saint in His Homeland

Point of View Matters in History

By Rich MonettiPublished 2 years ago 3 min read
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Photo by David Stanley

If you ever happen to go to the resting place of Vlad III in Snagov, Romania, one must tread lightly. You definitely do not want to offend the saintly deference the sight and its occupant are given. Statues of this iconic medieval prince are in no short supply either. Almost 600 years later, and to the world over, old Vlad goes by another name that puts him in an entirely different light—Dracula.

The history seems pretty clear that Bram Stoker based his character on Vlad III Dracula. That is the order of the Dragon—a military Christian outfit. He would go onto slaughter around 100,000 of his enemies in his two decade long reign of Wallachia. t

Nailed and Impaled

One rather telling moment came when a Muslim delegation arrived to represent the Ottoman Empire, and refused to remove their hats for religious reasons. So Vlad commended them on their conviction, and promptly nailed the hats to their heads. But his preferred method got a start in the 1450s—impalement.

Thus, his historical moniker, Vlad the Impaler, was born. Even worse than expected, if you’re not up on medieval forms of torture, that means driving a wooden or metal spike into the rectum, and having it exit through the mouth. And to heighten the drama for any dissenters, the stake was driven vertically into the ground with death slowly occurring over a period of hours or even days.

The suffering unimaginable, how then do Romanians consider this man a saint? Well, Americans have long lined up to hail George Washington, the Father of Our Country. But go find an Iroquois and get their take.

Caught between the global struggle, the New York Confederation of Native American fought on both sides. But eventually the Continental Congress had enough of Iroquois raids and Washington's orders called for the leveling every Iroquois village in its path.

Thus, Washington was dubbed Town Destroyer. So from both examples a far more straight forward explanation emerges. Everybody loves a winner—especially when he’s on your team and delivers the goods.

Defending the Faith

Born in 1431, the son of Vlad II fell into Ottoman hands with his older brother and father. Ultimately, left behind with his brother as part of his father’s terms of release, Dracula was tutored in science, philosophy, and the arts. He was also probably tortured, and endured the blinding and live burial of his brother. Child Protective Services and Amnesty International centuries away, the blood curdling aspects of his life certainly seem to have an impetus.

Nonetheless, the ruthlessness that would emerge served Christian Europe well in the wake of the fall of Constantinople in 1453. The ever expanding Ottoman Empire seeking to overrun Europe in the Dark Ages, Wallachia stood squarely in between. This had Vlad charged with holding the frontier as the first line of defense in 1456.

Raising the flag of Christ, legend says he settled the Ottoman surge by personally defeating its leader in a one on one combat that separated Vladislav II from his neck.

Payback a real bitch, Vlad the Impaler's merciless exploits against Muslim forces over the next two decades were extolled throughout the European continent, and by Pope Pius II himself. Good company, I guess, but all good things—so to speak—do come to an end. In 1476, Vlad was ambushed and killed by Ottoman forces. So only fitting, Dracula’s head was delivered to Sultan Mehmed II and displayed above the city gates of Constantinople.

The spoils of war were made readily apparent to this sinner/saint. It also goes to show the fine line between hero and historical villain and depends on the side the story is told from. That is until it bites you on the neck.

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About the Creator

Rich Monetti

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