NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Vlad III the Impaler

Vladislav III the Impaler
16th century German watercolor inscribed with the Latin text "Vladislavs Dracvla, Wallachiæ Weywoden," which translates as "Vladislav Dracula, Wallachia's Voivode.
Born	1431 Sighişoara, Transylvania
Died	December 1476 (age 45) Bucharest, Wallachia
Other names	Vladislav Drăculea Kazıklı Voyvoda (Turkish, "impaler voivode") Kazıklı Bey (Turkish, "impaler prince")
Title	Prince of Wallachia (now southern Romania)
Term	1448; 1456–1462; 1476
Predecessor	Vladislav II, Basarab Laiotă cel Bătrân
Successor	Vladislav II, Radu cel Frumos, Basarab Laiotă cel Bătrân
Religious beliefs	Eastern Orthodox, later Roman Catholic^[1]^[2]^[3]
Parents	Vlad II Dracul Princess Cneajna of Moldavia^?

Vladislav III, called "Vlad the Impaler" (that is, Vlad Ţepeş, pronounced [ˈtsepeʃ] in Romanian; also known as Vladislav Dracula or simply Dracula, in Romanian Drăculea; 1431 – December 1476), was a Wallachian (Romanian) voivode (king). His three reigns were in 1448, 1456–1462, and 1476. Vlad the Impaler is known for the exceedingly cruel punishments he imposed during his reign. In the English-speaking world, Vlad III is best known for (possibly) inspiring the name of the eponymous vampire in Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula.^[4] Bold textVlad Tepes is a French black metal band which was formed in Brest 1992. ... (15th century - 16th century - 17th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600. ... Watercolor is a painting technique making use of water-soluble pigments that are either transparent or opaque and are formulated with gum to bond the pigment to the paper. ... For other uses, see Latins and Latin (disambiguation). ... Map of Romania with Wallachia in yellow. ... Voivode (as it is spelled in the Oxford English Dictionary), or less commonly voivod, is a Slavic word that originally denoted the principal commander of a military force. ... Year 1431 was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. ... County MureÅŸ County Status Municipality Mayor Ioan Dorin DÄƒneÅŸan, Social Democratic Party, since 2004 Population (2002) 32,287 Geographical coordinates Web site http://www. ... This article is about the region in Romania. ... Look up December in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Events March 2 - Battle of Grandson. ... Nickname: Motto: Patria si Dreptul Meu (My Country and My Right) Location of Bucharest within Romania (in red) Coordinates: , Country County Founded 1459 (first official record) Government - Mayor Adriean Videanu Area - City 228 kmÂ² (88 sq mi) - Metro 238 kmÂ² (91. ... Map of Romania with Wallachia in yellow. ... Below is the list of Wallachian rulers, since the first mentioned until the unification with Moldavia in 1859. ... Map of Romania with Wallachia in yellow. ... Events January 5/ 6 - Christopher of Bavaria, King of Denmark, Norway and Sweden dies with no designated heir leaving all three kingdoms with vacant thrones. ... // Events July 7 - Joan of Arc acquitted (but she had already been executed). ... Events Settlers from Portugal begin to settle the Cape Verde islands. ... Events March 2 - Battle of Grandson. ... Vladislav I, also known as Vlaicu-Vodă, was a ruler of the principality of Wallachia, (1364 - circa 1377). ... Basarab LaiotÄƒ cel BÄƒtrÃ¢n was a ruler of the principality of Wallachia in the 15th Century, repeating the achievement of Dan II in being elected by the Boyars as Prince on 5 different occasions. ... Vladislav I, also known as Vlaicu-Vodă, was a ruler of the principality of Wallachia, (1364 - circa 1377). ... Radu cel Frumos (Radu the Handsome), (c. ... Basarab LaiotÄƒ cel BÄƒtrÃ¢n was a ruler of the principality of Wallachia in the 15th Century, repeating the achievement of Dan II in being elected by the Boyars as Prince on 5 different occasions. ... Orthodox icon of Pentecost. ... Catholic Church redirects here. ... Vlad II (also known as Dracul or The Dragon) (c. ... Year 1431 was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. ... Events March 2 - Battle of Grandson. ... Map of Romania with Wallachia in yellow. ... Voivode (as it is spelled in the Oxford English Dictionary), or less commonly voivod, is a Slavic word that originally denoted the principal commander of a military force. ... Events January 5/ 6 - Christopher of Bavaria, King of Denmark, Norway and Sweden dies with no designated heir leaving all three kingdoms with vacant thrones. ... // Events July 7 - Joan of Arc acquitted (but she had already been executed). ... Events Settlers from Portugal begin to settle the Cape Verde islands. ... Events March 2 - Battle of Grandson. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Count Dracula is a fictional character, the titular antagonist of Bram Stokers 1897 Gothic horror novel Dracula. ... Abraham Bram Stoker (November 8, 1847 â€“ April 20, 1912) was an Irish writer, best remembered as the author of the influential horror novel Dracula. ... 1897 (MDCCCXCVII) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... This article is about the novel. ...

As prince, Vlad maintained an independent policy in relation to the Ottoman Empire, and in Romania he is viewed by many as a prince with a deep sense of justice^[5] and a defender of Wallachia against Ottoman expansionism. Motto Ø¯ÙˆÙ„Øª Ø§Ø¨Ø¯ Ù…Ø¯Øª Devlet-i Ebed-mÃ¼ddet (The Eternal State) Anthem Ottoman imperial anthem Borders in 1683, see: list of territories Capital SÃ¶ÄŸÃ¼t (1299â€“1326) Bursa (1326â€“1365) Edirne (1365â€“1453) Ä°stanbul (1453â€“1922) Government Monarchy Sultans - 1281â€“1326 (first) Osman I - 1918â€“22 (last) Mehmed VI Grand Viziers - 1320... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Names

His Romanian surname Drǎculea, is derived from his father's title Dracul, meaning affiliation to and/or descent from "Dracul" (see Vlad II Dracul); the latter was a member of the Order of the Dragon created by Emperor Sigismund. Vlad's family had two factions, the Drăculeşti and the Dăneşti. The word "dracul" means "the Devil" or "demon" in modern Romanian but in Vlad's day also meant "dragon", and derives from the Latin word Draco, also meaning "dragon". Vlad II (also known as Dracul or The Dragon) (c. ... The Order of the Dragon (Latin Societas Draconistrarum, German Der Drachenorden, Hungarian SÃ¡rkÃ¡ny Lovagrend, Romanian Ordinul Dragonului, Serbian Ð’Ð¸Ñ‚ÐµÑˆÐºÐ¸ Ñ€ÐµÐ´ Ð—Ð¼Ð°Ñ˜Ð°) was an order of selected nobles modeled on the Order of Saint George of Hungary. ... Sigismund (February 14/15, 1368 - December 9, 1437) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1433 to 1437. ... Mircea the Elder The DrÄƒculeÅŸti were one of two major rival lines of Wallachian voivodes of the House of Basarab, the other being the DÄƒneÅŸti. ... DÄƒneÅŸti may refer to several places in Romania: DÄƒneÅŸti, a commune in Gorj County DÄƒneÅŸti, a commune in Harghita County DÄƒneÅŸti, a commune in Vaslui County DÄƒneÅŸti, a village in FrÄƒsinet Commune, CÄƒlÄƒraÅŸi County DÄƒne... This is an overview of the Devil. ... For other uses, see Latins and Latin (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Dragon (disambiguation). ...

His post-mortem moniker of Ţepeş (Impaler) originated in his preferred method for executing his opponents, impalement — as popularized by medieval Transylvanian pamphlets. In Turkish, he was known as "Kazıklı Bey" (pronounced [kɑzɯkˈɫɯ]) which means "Impaler Prince". Vlad was referred to as Dracula in a number of documents of his times, mainly the Transylvanian Saxon pamphlets and The Annals of Jan Długosz. A moniker (or monicker) is a pseudonym, or cognomen, which one gives to oneself. ... For other uses, see impale. ... This article is about the region in Romania. ... The Transylvanian Saxons (German: ; Hungarian: ; Romanian: ) are a people of German origin who settled in Transylvania (German: ) from the 12th century onwards. ... Jan DÅ‚ugosz Jan DÅ‚ugosz, also known as Joannes Longinus or Joannes Dlugossius (1415-1480) was a Polish historian (a chronicler) and a secretary of Bishop Zbigniew OleÅ›nicki of KrakÃ³w. ...

An Austrian oil painting of Vlad the Impaler from c. 1560, probably after a lost original

. Vlad Tepes also known as Vlad the Impaler or Dracula. ... Vlad Tepes also known as Vlad the Impaler or Dracula. ... Mona Lisa, Oil on wood panel painting by Leonardo da Vinci. ... Events February 27 - The Treaty of Berwick, which would expel the French from Scotland, is signed by England and the Congregation of Scotland The first tulip bulb was brought from Turkey to the Netherlands. ...

Wishing to assert his status, Vlad II displayed the symbol of the Order, a dragon, in all public appearances, (on flags, clothing, etc.). The old Romanian word for serpent (Cf. drac) is nowadays the most common and casual reference to the devil — while the people of Wallachia did give Vlad II the surname Dracu (Dracul being the more grammatically correct form), any connection with a dark power was most likely coincidental. His son Vlad III would later use in several documents the surname Drăculea. Through various translations (Draculea, Drakulya) Vlad III eventually came to be known as Dracula (note that this ultimate version is a neologism). For other uses, see Dragon (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Serpent (disambiguation). ... Drac can be: The word for dragon in Catalan and other languages, from Latin DRACO. See European dragon (particularly the section on Catalan dragons). ... This is an overview of the Devil. ... A neologism is a word, term, or phrase which has been recently created (or coined), often to apply to new concepts, to synthesize pre-existing concepts, or to make older terminology sound more contemporary. ...

Vlad II Dracul finally became prince of Wallachia in 1436. During his reign he tried to maneuver between his powerful neighbors, opposing various initiatives of war against the Ottoman, which finally attracted the irritation of the Hungarian side, who accused him of disloyalty and removed him in 1442. With the help of the Turks (where he also had connections) he regained the throne in 1443 and until December 1447 when he was assassinated by means of scalping ("scalping", for the Turks, meant cutting the edges of the face and pulling the face's skin off, while the person was still alive and conscious^{[citation needed]}) on the orders of John Hunyadi, regent of Hungary. Native American Big Mouth Spring with decorated scalp lock on right shoulder. ... John Hunyadi, as imagined by a 17th century artist John Hunyadi (Medieval Latin: Ioannes Corvinus, German: Johann Hunyadi; Hungarian: Hunyadi JÃ¡nos, Romanian: Iancu or Ioan de Hunedoara) (c. ... Regent, from the Latin, a person selected to administer a state because the ruler is a minor or is not present or debilitated. ...

The identity of Vlad Dracula’s mother is somewhat uncertain, the most likely variant being that she was a Moldavian princess, niece or daughter of Moldavian prince Alexandru cel Bun. In some sources she is named Chiajna — Princess. Vlad seems to have had a very close relationship with Moldavia: he spent several years there after his father’s death; he left with his presumed cousin Stephen the Great to Transylvania, and helped the latter gain the crown as Prince of Moldavia in 1457 and was later helped by Stephen to return to the throne of Wallachia in 1476. For other uses of Moldavia or Moldova, see Moldova (disambiguation). ... Alexandru cel Bun Alexandru cel Bun on a Moldovan coin Alexandru cel Bun (Alexandru I MuÅŸat, Alexander the Kind) was the ruler of Moldavia 1400-1432, son of Roman I MuÅŸat. ... Stephen III of Moldavia or Stephen III (c. ... This is a list of rulers of Moldavia. ...

Vlad III seems to have had three brothers. The oldest was Mircea II, born before 1430, and who briefly held his father's throne in 1442, and who was sent by Vlad Dracul in 1444 to fight in his place during the crusade against the Turks that ended with the Varna defeat. Mircea II was an able military leader, and fought some successful yet small campaigns against the Ottomans prior to his capture along with his father in 1447. Mircea II, captured by the boyars, had his eyes burned out, after which he was buried alive. Vlad IV, also known as Vlad Călugarul (Vlad the Monk), was born around 1425 to 1430, and was Vlad's half-brother. Vlad the Monk spent many years in Transylvania waiting for a chance to get the throne of Wallachia, trying a religious career in the meantime, until he became prince of Wallachia (1482). Radu, known as Radu cel Frumos (Radu the Handsome), the youngest brother, was also Vlad’s rival as he continuously tried to replace Vlad with the support of the Turks, to which he had very strong connections. Radu seems to have been also favoured by the Turkish Sultan Mehmed II. Mircea was a ruler of the principality of Wallachia, in the year 1442. ... This article is about the medieval crusades. ... Combatants Hungary, Poland and others Ottoman Empire Commanders WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw III of Poland â€ Janos Hunyadi Murad II Strength ~ 20,000 ~ 60,000[1][2] Casualties ~ 11,000 ~ 8,000 The Battle of Varna took place on November 10, 1444 near Varna in eastern Bulgaria. ... Vlad CÄƒlugÄƒrul (translated asVlad the Monk), was the pious half-brother Vlad III (Vlad the Impaler, or Dracula). ... Radu cel Frumos (Radu the Handsome), (c. ... Mehmed II (Ottoman Turkish: Ù…ØÙ…Ø¯ Ø«Ø§Ù†Ù‰ , Turkish: ), (also known as el-Fatih (Ø§Ù„ÙØ§ØªØ), the Conqueror, in Ottoman Turkish, or, in modern Turkish, Fatih Sultan Mehmet) (March 30, 1432 â€“ May 3, 1481) was Sultan of the Ottoman Empire for a short time from 1444 to 1446, and later from 1451 to 1481. ...

From his first marriage, to a Wallachian noble woman, Vlad III apparently had a son, later prince of Wallachia as Mihnea cel Rău, and another two with his second wife, a relative of Matthias Corvinus of Hungary. Mihnea cel RÄƒu is the son of Vlad Å¢epeÅŸ (Dracula) and ruler of Wallachia from 1508 until 1509. ... Matthias Corvinus as depicted in Chronica Hungarorum by Carl van Vechten Matthias Corvinus (Matthias the Just) (February 23, 1443 (?) â€“ April 6, 1490) was King of Hungary, ruling between 1458 and 1490. ...

Wallachian royalty and family background

The crown of Wallachia was not passed automatically from father to son; instead, the leader was elected by the boyars, with the requirement that the Prince-elect be of nominally Basarab princely lineage (os de domn — "of voivode bones", "of voivode marrow"), including out of wedlock births. This elective monarchy often resulted in instability, family disputes and assassinations. Eventually, the princely house split between two factions: the descendants of Mircea the Elder, Vlad's grandfather; and those of another prince, Dan II (Dăneşti faction). In addition to that, as in all feudal states, there was another struggle between the central administration (the prince) and the high nobility for control over the country. To top it off, the two powerful neighbors of Wallachia, the Kingdom of Hungary and the Ottoman Empire, were at the peak of their rivalry for control of southeastern Europe, turning Wallachia into a battle ground. Map of Romania with Wallachia in yellow. ... A boyar (also spelled bojar, Romanian: ) was a member of the highest rank of the feudal Bulgarian, Romanian, and Russian aristocracy, second only to the ruling princes, from the 10th century through the 17th century. ... The Basarabs were an early dynasty which had an important role in the establishing of the Wallachian Principality. ... Kinship and descent is one of the major concepts of cultural anthropology. ... Illegitimacy is the status that was once commonly ascribed to individuals born to parents who were not married. ... An elective monarchy is a monarchy ruled by a monarch who is elected by a group. ... Assassin and Assassins redirect here. ... The title given to this article is incorrect due to technical limitations. ... Dan II was a ruler of the principality of Wallachia in the 15th Century, ruling an extraordinary 5 times, and succeeded 4 times by Radu II Chelul, his rival for the throne. ... Feudalism comes from the Late Latin word feudum, itself borrowed from a Germanic root *fehu, a commonly used term in the Middle Ages which means fief, or land held under certain obligations by feodati. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Motto Ø¯ÙˆÙ„Øª Ø§Ø¨Ø¯ Ù…Ø¯Øª Devlet-i Ebed-mÃ¼ddet (The Eternal State) Anthem Ottoman imperial anthem Borders in 1683, see: list of territories Capital SÃ¶ÄŸÃ¼t (1299â€“1326) Bursa (1326â€“1365) Edirne (1365â€“1453) Ä°stanbul (1453â€“1922) Government Monarchy Sultans - 1281â€“1326 (first) Osman I - 1918â€“22 (last) Mehmed VI Grand Viziers - 1320...

Order of the Dragon symbol

Part of a wing image from the altar of the church S.tMaria, Vienna, painted in the year 1460. The figure of Vlad Tepes (the man with the black cap) measures approximately 110 cm.

His father, Vlad II Dracul, born around 1395, was an illegitimate son of Mircea the Elder, an important early Wallachian ruler. As a young man, he had joined the court of Sigismund of Luxemburg, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Hungary, whose support for claiming the throne of Wallachia he eventually acquired. A sign of this support was the fact that in 1431 Vlad II was inducted into the Order of the Dragon (Societas Draconis in Latin), along with the rulers of Poland and Serbia. The purpose of the Order was to protect Eastern Europe and the Holy Roman Empire from Islamic expansion as embodied in the campaigns of the Ottoman Empire. Image File history File links Dragon_order_insignia. ... Image File history File links Dragon_order_insignia. ... For other uses, see Vienna (disambiguation). ... Vlad II (also known as Dracul or The Dragon) (c. ... Mircea the Elder Wallachia under Mircea cel BÄƒtrÃ¢n, c. ... Sigismund (February 14/15, 1368 - December 9, 1437) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1433 to 1437. ... The Holy Roman Emperor was, with some variation, the ruler of the Holy Roman Empire, the predecessor of modern Germany, during its existence from the 10th century until its collapse in 1806. ... This is a list of all rulers of Hungary since Árpád. ... The Order of the Dragon (Latin Societas Draconistrarum, German Der Drachenorden, Hungarian SÃ¡rkÃ¡ny Lovagrend, Romanian Ordinul Dragonului, Serbian Ð’Ð¸Ñ‚ÐµÑˆÐºÐ¸ Ñ€ÐµÐ´ Ð—Ð¼Ð°Ñ˜Ð°) was an order of selected nobles modeled on the Order of Saint George of Hungary. ... Latin was the language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... Between 1386 and 1572, the Kingdom of Poland was ruled by the following Jagiellon kings: Wladislaus II JagieÅ‚Å‚o Wladislaus III of Varna Casimir IV the Jagiellonian John I Olbracht Alexander the Jagiellonian Sigismund I the Old Sigismund II Augustus See also History of Poland (1385-1569) Categories: Polish history... Not to be confused with Republika Srpska. ... Statistical regions of Europe as delineated by the United Nations (UN definition of Eastern Europe marked red): Northern Europe Western Europe Eastern Europe Southern Europe Pre-1989 division between the West (grey) and Eastern Bloc (orange) superimposed on current borders: Russia (dark orange), other countries formerly part of the USSR... This article is about the medieval empire. ... For people named Islam, see Islam (name). ...

Biography

Plate honouring Vlad Dracul in Sighişoara (marking the house where Vlad III was allegedly born).

Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2048x1536, 582 KB) Doctorpete own photograph 2004 - plate on house of Vlad II (Dracul) and bithplace of Vlad III (the impaler)in Sighisoara, Transylvania,Romania. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2048x1536, 582 KB) Doctorpete own photograph 2004 - plate on house of Vlad II (Dracul) and bithplace of Vlad III (the impaler)in Sighisoara, Transylvania,Romania. ... County MureÅŸ County Status Municipality Mayor Ioan Dorin DÄƒneÅŸan, Social Democratic Party, since 2004 Population (2002) 32,287 Geographical coordinates Web site http://www. ...

Early years

Vlad was very likely born in the citadel (a military fortress) of Sighişoara in Transylvania, during the winter of 1431. He was born as the second son to his father Vlad Dracul and his mother Princess Cneajna of Moldavia. He had an older brother named Mircea and a younger brother named Radu the Handsome. Although his native country was Wallachia to the south, the family lived in exile in Transylvania as his father had been ousted by pro-Ottoman boyars. In the same year as his birth, his father, Vlad Dracul, could be found in Nuremberg, where he was vested into the Order of the Dragon. At the tender age of five, young "Vlad" was also initiated into the Order of the Dragon. County MureÅŸ County Status Municipality Mayor Ioan Dorin DÄƒneÅŸan, Social Democratic Party, since 2004 Population (2002) 32,287 Geographical coordinates Web site http://www. ... This article is about the region in Romania. ... For other uses of Moldavia or Moldova, see Moldova (disambiguation). ... Map of Romania with Wallachia in yellow. ... NÃ¼rnberg redirects here. ... The Order of the Dragon (Latin Societas Draconistrarum, German Der Drachenorden, Hungarian SÃ¡rkÃ¡ny Lovagrend, Romanian Ordinul Dragonului, Serbian Ð’Ð¸Ñ‚ÐµÑˆÐºÐ¸ Ñ€ÐµÐ´ Ð—Ð¼Ð°Ñ˜Ð°) was an order of selected nobles modeled on the Order of Saint George of Hungary. ...

Hostage of the Ottoman Empire

Vlad's father was under considerable political pressure from the Ottoman sultan. Threatened with invasion, he gave a promise to be the vassal of the Sultan and gave up his two younger sons as hostages so that he would keep his promise. These years were influential in shaping Vlad's character; he was often whipped by his Ottoman captors for being stubborn and rude. Here is where he learned his torture tactics. He developed a well-known hatred for Radu and for Mehmed, who would later become the sultan. According to McNally and Florescu, he also distrusted his own father for trading him to the Turks and betraying the Order of the Dragon oath to fight them. The Ottoman Dynasty (or the Imperial House of Osman) ruled the Ottoman Empire from 1281 to 1923, beginning with Osman I (not counting his father, ErtuÄŸrul), though the dynasty was not proclaimed until 1383 when Murad I declared himself sultan. ... Look up vassal in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The Order of the Dragon (Latin Societas Draconistrarum, German Der Drachenorden, Hungarian SÃ¡rkÃ¡ny Lovagrend, Romanian Ordinul Dragonului, Serbian Ð’Ð¸Ñ‚ÐµÑˆÐºÐ¸ Ñ€ÐµÐ´ Ð—Ð¼Ð°Ñ˜Ð°) was an order of selected nobles modeled on the Order of Saint George of Hungary. ...

Bust of Vlad Ţepeş near the birthplace plate.

Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 450 Ã— 600 pixelsFull resolution (1296 Ã— 1728 pixel, file size: 398 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Bust of Vlad Tepes, Sighisoara, Romania I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 450 Ã— 600 pixelsFull resolution (1296 Ã— 1728 pixel, file size: 398 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Bust of Vlad Tepes, Sighisoara, Romania I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ...

Brief reign and exile

Vlad's father was assassinated in the marshes near Bălteni in December of 1447 by rebellious boyars allegedly under the orders of John Hunyadi. Vlad's older brother Mircea was also dead at this point, blinded with hot iron stakes and buried alive by his political enemies at Târgovişte. To protect their political power in the region, the Ottomans invaded Wallachia and the Sultan put Vlad III on the throne as his puppet ruler. His rule at this time would be brief; Hunyadi himself invaded Wallachia and ousted him the same year. Vlad fled to Moldavia until October of 1451 and was put under the protection of his uncle, Bogdan II. A boyar (also spelled bojar, Romanian: ) was a member of the highest rank of the feudal Bulgarian, Romanian, and Russian aristocracy, second only to the ruling princes, from the 10th century through the 17th century. ... John Hunyadi, as imagined by a 17th century artist John Hunyadi (Medieval Latin: Ioannes Corvinus, German: Johann Hunyadi; Hungarian: Hunyadi JÃ¡nos, Romanian: Iancu or Ioan de Hunedoara) (c. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ...

Turning tides

Bogdan was assassinated by Petru Aron, and Vlad, taking a gamble, fled to Hungary. Impressed by Vlad's vast knowledge of the mindset and inner workings of the Ottoman Empire as well as his hatred of the new sultan Mehmed II, Hunyadi pardoned him and took him in as an advisor. Eventually Hunyadi put him forward as the Kingdom of Hungary's candidate for the throne of Wallachia. Petru III Aron (d. ... Mehmed II (Ottoman Turkish: Ù…ØÙ…Ø¯ Ø«Ø§Ù†Ù‰ , Turkish: ), (also known as el-Fatih (Ø§Ù„ÙØ§ØªØ), the Conqueror, in Ottoman Turkish, or, in modern Turkish, Fatih Sultan Mehmet) (March 30, 1432 â€“ May 3, 1481) was Sultan of the Ottoman Empire for a short time from 1444 to 1446, and later from 1451 to 1481. ...

In 1456, Hungary invaded Serbia to drive out the Ottomans, and Vlad III simultaneously invaded Wallachia with his own contingent. Both campaigns were successful, although Hunyadi died suddenly of the plague. Nevertheless, Vlad was now prince of his native land. Not to be confused with Republika Srpska. ...

Main reign (1456–62)

Vlad's actions after 1456 are well documented. He seems to have led the life of all the other princes of Wallachia, spending most of his time at the court of Târgovişte, occasionally in other important cities, such as Bucharest, drafting laws, meeting foreign envoys and presiding over important judicial trials. He probably made public appearances on relevant occasions, such as religious holidays and major fairs. As a pastime he probably enjoyed hunting on the vast princely domain, with his friends. He made some additions to the palace in Târgovişte (out of which Chindia Tower is today the most notable remainder), reinforced some castles, like the one at Poienari, where he also had a personal house built nearby. He also made donations to various churches and monasteries, one such place being the monastery at Lake Snagov where he is supposed to have been buried^{[citation needed]}. County DÃ¢mboviÅ£a County Status County capital Mayor Iulian Furcoiu, Social Democratic Party, since 2000 Population (2002) 89,429 Geographical coordinates Web site http://www. ... Nickname: Motto: Patria si Dreptul Meu (My Country and My Right) Location of Bucharest within Romania (in red) Coordinates: , Country County Founded 1459 (first official record) Government - Mayor Adriean Videanu Area - City 228 kmÂ² (88 sq mi) - Metro 238 kmÂ² (91. ... Turnul Chindiei from a distance. ... (pronounced poy-en-ar-ee). ... Myths The supposed tomb of Dracula or Vlad lll The Impaler. ...

The early part of Vlad’s reign was dominated by the idea of eliminating all possible threats to his power, mainly the rival nobility groups, i.e. the boyars. This was done mainly by physical elimination, but also by reducing the economic role of the nobility: the key positions in the Prince’s Council, traditionally belonging to the country’s greatest boyars, were handed to obscure individuals, some of them of foreign origin, but who manifested loyalty towards Vlad. For the less important functions, Vlad also ignored the old boyars, preferring to knight and appoint men from the free peasantry. A key element of the power of the Wallachian nobility was their connections in the Saxon-populated autonomous towns of Transylvania, so Vlad acted against these cities by eliminating their trade privileges in relation with Wallachia and by organizing raids against them. In 1459, he had 30,000 of the German settlers (Saxons) and officials of the Transylvanian city of Kronstadt who were transgressing his authority impaled.^[6]^[7]^[8] Knights Dueling, by EugÃ¨ne Delacroix For other uses, see Knight (disambiguation) or Knights (disambiguation). ... Categories: 1911 Britannica | Historical stubs | Feudalism ... The Transylvanian Saxons (German: ; Hungarian: ; Romanian: ) are a people of German origin who settled in Transylvania (German: ) from the 12th century onwards. ... This article is about the region in Romania. ... Location of BraÅŸov Coordinates: , Country County Status County capital Government - Mayor George Scripcaru (Democratic Party) Area - County capital 267. ...

Since the death of Vlad's grandfather (Mircea the Elder) in 1418, Wallachia had fallen into a somewhat anarchical situation. A constant state of war had led to rampant crime, falling agricultural production, and the virtual disappearance of trade. Vlad used severe methods to restore some order, as he needed an economically stable country if he was to have any chance against his external enemies.

Vlad III was also constantly on guard against the adherents of the Dăneşti clan. Some of his raids into Transylvania may have been efforts to capture would-be princes of the Dăneşti. Several members of the Dăneşti clan died at Vlad's hands. Vladislav II of Wallachia was murdered soon after Vlad came to power in 1456. Another Dăneşti prince, suspected to have taken part in burying his brother Mircea alive, was captured during one of Vlad's forays into Transylvania. Rumors (spread by his enemies) say thousands of citizens of the town that had sheltered his rival were impaled by Vlad. The captured Dăneşti prince was forced to read his own funeral oration while kneeling before an open grave before his execution. Vladislav II was a ruler of the principality of Wallachia, between the years 1447-1448, and again from 1448 to 1456. ... Look up eulogy in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Personal crusade

Main article: The Night Attack

Following family traditions and due to his old hatred towards the Ottomans, Vlad decided to side with the Hungarians. To the end of the 1450s there was once again talk about a war against the Turks, in which the king of Hungary Matthias Corvinus would play the main role. Knowing this, Vlad stopped paying tribute to the Ottomans in 1459 and around 1460 made a new alliance with Corvinus. This angered the Turks, who attempted to remove him. They failed, however; later, in the winter of 1461 to 1462 Vlad crossed south of the Danube and devastated the area between Serbia and the Black Sea. // Combatants Wallachia Ottoman Empire Commanders Vlad III Dracula Mehmed II Strength up to 30,000[1] most realistic source mentions 60,000 regulars and 20-30,000 irregulars (90,000); 120 cannons[2] Casualties 5,000 [3] 15,000 [3] The Night Attack (Romanian: ) was a skirmish fought between Vlad... Events and Trends Fall of Constantinople on May 29, 1453. ... Matthias Corvinus (Mátyás in Hungarian), (February 23, 1443 (?) - April 6, 1490) was one of the greatest Kings of Hungary, ruling between 1458 and 1490. ... This article is about the Danube River. ... For other uses, see Black Sea (disambiguation). ...

In response to this, Sultan Mehmed II, the recent conqueror of Constantinople, raised an army of around 60,000 troops and 30,000 irregulars and in the spring of 1462 headed towards Wallachia. Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror was greeted by the sight of a veritable forest of stakes on which Vlad the Impaler had impaled 20,000 Turkish prisoners.^[9] With his army of 20,000–30,000 men Vlad was unable to stop the Turks from entering Wallachia and occupying the capital Târgovişte (June 4, 1462), so he resorted to guerrilla war, constantly organizing small attacks and ambushes on the Turks. The most important of these attacks took place on the nights of June 16–17, when Vlad and some of his men allegedly entered the main Turkish camp (wearing Ottoman disguises) and attempted to assassinate Mehmed. The Turks eventually left the country, but not before installing Vlad’s brother, Radu the Handsome, as the new prince; he gathered support from the nobility and chased Vlad to Transylvania, and by August 1462 he had struck a deal with the Hungarian Crown. Consequently, Vlad was imprisoned by Matthias Corvinus. The Ottoman Dynasty (or the Imperial House of Osman) ruled the Ottoman Empire from 1281 to 1923, beginning with Osman I (not counting his father, ErtuÄŸrul), though the dynasty was not proclaimed until 1383 when Murad I declared himself sultan. ... Mehmed II (Ottoman Turkish: Ù…ØÙ…Ø¯ Ø«Ø§Ù†Ù‰ , Turkish: ), (also known as el-Fatih (Ø§Ù„ÙØ§ØªØ), the Conqueror, in Ottoman Turkish, or, in modern Turkish, Fatih Sultan Mehmet) (March 30, 1432 â€“ May 3, 1481) was Sultan of the Ottoman Empire for a short time from 1444 to 1446, and later from 1451 to 1481. ... This article is about the city before the Fall of Constantinople (1453). ... is the 155th day of the year (156th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events Settlers from Portugal begin to settle the Cape Verde islands. ... Guerrilla redirects here. ... Radu cel Frumos (Radu the Handsome), (1435-1475), was the younger brother of Vlad Ţepeş (Vlad the Impaler; actually Vlad III). ...

His first wife, whose name is not recorded, died during the siege of his castle in 1462. The Turkish army surrounded Poienari Castle, led by his half-brother Radu the Handsome. An archer shot an arrow through a window into Vlad's main quarters, with a message warning him that Radu's army was approaching. McNally and Florescu explain that the archer was a former servant of Vlad who sent the warning out of loyalty despite having converted to Islam to get out of enslavement by the Turks. Upon reading the message, Vlad's wife flung herself off the tower into a tributary of the Argeş River flowing below the castle. According to legend she remarked that she "would rather have her body rot and be eaten by the fish of the Argeş than be led into captivity by the Turks." Today, the tributary is called Râul Doamnei (the Lady's River). (pronounced poy-en-ar-ee). ... ArgeÅŸ is a river of Southern Romania, which rises from the FÄƒgÄƒraÅŸ Mountains, in the Carpathians and flows into the Danube. ... RÃ¢ul Doamnei is a left tributary of the ArgeÅŸ River (the two rivers meet just north of PiteÅŸti). ...

In captivity

The exact length of Vlad's period of captivity is open to some debate. The Russian pamphlets indicate that he was a prisoner from 1462 until 1474. Apparently his imprisonment was none too onerous. He was able to gradually win his way back into the graces of Hungary's monarch; so much so that he was able to meet and marry a member of the royal family (the cousin of Matthias) and have two sons who were about ten years old when he reconquered Wallachia in 1476. McNally and Florescu place Vlad III the Impaler's actual period of confinement at about four years from 1462 to 1466. It is unlikely that a prisoner would have been allowed to marry into the royal family. Diplomatic correspondence from Buda during the period in question also seems to support the claim that Vlad's actual period of confinement was relatively short. The openly pro-Turkish policy of Vlad's brother, Radu (who was prince of Wallachia during most of Vlad's captivity), was a probable factor in Vlad's rehabilitation. During his captivity, Vlad also adopted Catholicism. Apparently in the years before his final release in 1474 (when he began preparations for the reconquest of Wallachia), Vlad resided with his new wife in a house in the Hungarian capital (the setting of the thief anecdote). Vlad had a son from an earlier marriage, Mihnea cel Rău. Buda (German: Ofen, Croatian: Budim, Slovak: BudÃn, Serbian: Ð‘ÑƒÐ´Ð¸Ð¼ or Budim, Turkish: Budin) is the western part of the Hungarian capital Budapest on the right bank of the Danube. ... Catholic Church redirects here. ... Mihnea cel RÄƒu is the son of Vlad Å¢epeÅŸ (Dracula) and ruler of Wallachia from 1508 until 1509. ...

Return to Wallachia and death

See also Battle of Vaslui

Around 1475 Vlad the Impaler was again ready to make another bid for power. Vlad and voivode Stefan Báthory of Transylvania invaded Wallachia with a mixed force of Transylvanians, a few dissatisfied Wallachian boyars, and a contingent of Moldavians sent by Vlad's cousin, Prince Stephen III of Moldavia. Vlad's brother, Radu the Handsome, had died a couple of years earlier and had been replaced on the Wallachian throne by another Ottoman candidate, Basarab the Elder, a member of the Dăneşti clan. At the approach of Vlad's army, Basarab and his cohorts fled, some to the protection of the Turks, others to the shelter of the Transylvanian Alps. After placing Vlad Ţepeş on the throne, Stephen Báthory and the bulk of Vlad's forces returned to Transylvania, leaving Vlad in a very weak position. Vlad had little time to gather support before a large Ottoman army entered Wallachia determined to return Basarab to the throne. Vlad's cruelties over the years had alienated the boyars who felt they had a better chance of surviving under Prince Basarab. Apparently, even the peasants, tired of the depredations of Vlad, abandoned him to his fate. Vlad was forced to march to meet the Turks with the small forces at his disposal, somewhat less than four thousand men. The Battle of Vaslui (also referred to as the Battle of Podul ÃŽnalt) (January 10, 1475) was fought between the Moldavian (Romanian) Prince, Åžtefan cel Mare (Stephen the Great) and the Ottoman General Suleiman Pasha. ... 5<sup>Superscript text</sup>7<blockquote> Block quote </blockquote>{| class=class=wikitable |- ! header 1 ! header 2 ! header 3 |-{| class=wikitable |- ! header 1 ! header 2 ! header 3{| class=wikitable |- ! header 1 ! header 2 ! header 3 |- | row 1, cell 1 | row 1, cell 2 | row 1, cell 3 |- | row 2... Voivode (as it is spelled in the Oxford English Dictionary), or less commonly voivod, is a Slavic word that originally denoted the principal commander of a military force. ... The BÃ¡thory coat-of-arms. ... Stephen III of Moldavia or Stephen III (c. ... Basarab LaiotÄƒ cel BÄƒtrÃ¢n was a ruler of the principality of Wallachia in the 15th Century, repeating the achievement of Dan II in being elected by the Boyars as Prince on 5 different occasions. ... Southern Carpathians (also called Transylvanian Alps; in Romanian: Carpaţii Meridionali) are located between the Prahova river in the east and the Timiş river and Cerna river in the west. ...

There are several variants of Vlad III the Impaler's death. Some sources say he was killed in battle against the Ottoman Empire near Bucharest in December of 1476. Others say he was assassinated by disloyal Wallachian boyars just as he was about to sweep the Turks from the field or during a hunt. Other accounts have Vlad falling in defeat, surrounded by the bodies of his loyal Moldavian bodyguards (the troops loaned by Prince Stephen III of Moldavia remained with Vlad after Stephen Báthory returned to Transylvania). Still other reports claim that Vlad, at the moment of victory, was struck down by one of his own men. There are accounts that Vlad's body was decapitated by the Turks and his head was sent to Istanbul and preserved in honey, where the sultan had it displayed on a stake as proof that Kazıklı Bey was finally dead. However, Romanian historian and Vlad biographer Matei Cazacu suggests in a 2005 British documentary on Vlad's life (David Paradine Productions Ltd) that the Turks removed the scalp of their victims' heads rather than behead them. Vlad's remains were discovered buried at the entrance of a church by a grand-father of Radu Florescu.^{[citation needed]} Decapitation (from Latin, caput, capitis, meaning head), or beheading, is the removal of a living organisms head. ... Istanbul (Turkish: , Greek: , historically Byzantium and later Constantinople; see other names) is Turkeys most populous city, and its cultural and financial center. ... Radu Florescu (b. ...

Legacy

The legacy and the legend of Vlad Ţepeş is mostly the result of different stories about him. The Romanian, German, and the Russian stories all have their origins in the 15th century. Besides the written stories the Romanian oral tradition provides another important source for the life of Vlad the Impaler: legends and tales concerning the Impaler have remained a part of folklore among the Romanian peasantry. These tales have been passed down from generation to generation for five hundred years. Through constant retelling they have become somewhat garbled and confused and they have gradually been forgotten in later years. However, they still provide valuable information about Dracula and his relationship with his people. ^[10] Many of the tales contained in the pamphlets are also found in the oral tradition, though with a somewhat different emphasis. Among the Romanian peasantry, Vlad Ţepeş was remembered as a just prince who defended his people from foreign aggression, whether those foreigners were Turkish invaders or German merchants. He is also remembered as a champion of the common man against the oppression of the boyars. National poet of Romania Mihai Eminescu wrote the memorable verses "Unde eşti tu, Ţepeş Doamne, ca punând mâna pe ei, Să-i împarţi în două cete: în smintiţi şi în mişei" (where are you, lord Ţepeş, to get them and split them into two gangs, fools and rascals"). Vlad's fierce insistence on honesty is a central part of the oral tradition. Many of the anecdotes contained in the pamphlets and in the oral tradition demonstrate the prince's efforts to eliminate crime and dishonesty from his domain. Presidential candidate Traian Băsescu referred to Vlad Ţepeş and his method of punishing illegalities in his anticorruption discourse during the election campaign of 2004. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Mihai Eminescu (pronunciation in Romanian: ) (January 15, 1850 â€“ June 15, 1889), born Mihail Eminovici, was a late Romantic poet, the best-known and most influential Romanian poet celebrated in both Romania and Moldova. ... Traian BÄƒsescu (born November 4, 1951) is a Romanian politician and former Merchant Navy officer. ...

However, despite the more positive interpretation, the Romanian oral tradition also remembers Vlad as an exceptionally cruel and often capricious ruler. There are several events that are common to all the pamphlets, regardless of their nation of origin. Many of these events are also found in the Romanian oral tradition. Specific details may vary among the different versions of these anecdotes but the general course of events usually agrees to a remarkable extent. For example, in some versions the foreign ambassadors received by Vlad Ţepeş at Târgovişte are Florentine, in others they are Ottoman (McNally and Florescu believe he may have done this to both nationalities at different times). The nature of their offense against the Prince also varies from version to version. However, all versions agree that Vlad, in response to some real or imagined insult (perhaps because they refused to remove them in Vlad's presence), had their hats nailed to their heads. Some of the sources view Vlad's actions as justified; others view his acts as crimes of wanton and senseless cruelty. This article is about the city in Italy. ... Motto Ø¯ÙˆÙ„Øª Ø§Ø¨Ø¯ Ù…Ø¯Øª Devlet-i Ebed-mÃ¼ddet (The Eternal State) Anthem Ottoman imperial anthem Borders in 1683, see: list of territories Capital SÃ¶ÄŸÃ¼t (1299â€“1326) Bursa (1326â€“1365) Edirne (1365â€“1453) Ä°stanbul (1453â€“1922) Government Monarchy Sultans - 1281â€“1326 (first) Osman I - 1918â€“22 (last) Mehmed VI Grand Viziers - 1320...

Atrocities

Woodblock print of Vlad III attending a mass impalement.

The reputation of Vlad Ţepeş was considerably darker in Western Europe than in Eastern Europe and Romania. In the West, Vlad III Ţepeş has been characterized as an exceedingly cruel madman. The number of his victims ranges from 40,000 to 100,000.^[11] Much of the information about his atrocities and cruelty comes from the German stories written about him, which were for the most part politically, religiously and economically inspired propaganda against Vlad Ţepeş. Although some of the stories have some basis in reality, most of them are either fictional or exaggerated. According to the German stories the number of victims he had killed was at least 80,000. In addition to the 80,000 victims mentioned he also had whole villages and fortresses destroyed and burned to the ground.^[12] These numbers are most likely exaggerated. For example in one episode in the German stories Vlad impaled 600 merchants from Braşov and confiscated all their goods. A document written by Vlad’s rival Dan III in 1459 mentions the merchants number who were impaled to be forty-one.^[13] It is highly unlikely that a rival of Vlad’s would have reduced the number of Vlad's victims. Vlad III at Impalement The two-dimensional work of art depicted in this image is in the public domain in the United States and in those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years. ... Vlad III at Impalement The two-dimensional work of art depicted in this image is in the public domain in the United States and in those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years. ... For other uses, see impale. ...

The atrocities made by Vlad in the German stories include impaling, torturing, burning, skinning, roasting, and boiling people, feeding people human flesh (their friends or relatives), cutting off limbs, drowning and nailing of hats to the heads of people. His victims included men and women of all ages, religions and social classes, children and babies. The exaggeration of cruelties in the German stories is quite clear when compared to the Russian or the Romanian stories about Vlad Ţepeş from which the meaningless violence and cruel atrocities are almost absent. The exaggerated and propagandistic view is especially clear in one sentence in the stories: He caused so much pain and suffering that even the most bloodthirstiest persecutors of christianity like Herodes, Nero, Diocletius and all other pagans combined hadn’t even thought of.^[14]

In the memoirs of the Serbian Janissary Konstantin Mihailović, it is documented by Mihailović that the Ottomans feared Vlad III, and Mihailović goes into great detail about how Vlad III would often cut off the noses of Turkish soldiers, sending them to Hungary to boast of how many of the enemy he had killed. Mihailović also documents that the Ottomans were fearful of Wallachian attacks at night. He does allude to the famed "forrest of the impaled", where Vlad III was alleged to have lined the roadways with thousands of impaled Turkish soldiers. However, Mihailović did not actually see this. He was with the army at that time, but was in the rear portion of the Ottoman army, recounting it based on the word of others. A memoir, as a literary genre, forms a sub-class of autobiography. ... The Janissaries (derived from Ottoman Turkish: ÙŠÙ†ÙŠÚ†Ø±Ù‰ (yeniÃ§eri) meaning new soldier) comprised infantry units that formed the Ottoman sultans household troops and bodyguard. ...

The actions taken by Vlad Ţepeş must be viewed in the light of the standards and morality of his time. Most of the actions taken by Vlad can be justified on moral grounds or they had a utilitarian purpose or in some cases both.^[15] Most of the tortures done by Ţepeş in the different stories are actually normal punishments in that time. It is also common sense to think that if Vlad really was a bloodthirsty tyrant and a madman, the Hungarian king would not have had him marry a relative of his and put him on the throne of Wallachia.

Impalement was Ţepeş's preferred method of torture and execution. His method of torture was a horse attached to each of the victim's legs as a sharpened stake was gradually forced into the body. The end of the stake was usually oiled, and care was taken that the stake not be too sharp; else the victim might die too rapidly from shock. Normally the stake was inserted into the body through the anus and was often forced through the body until it emerged from the mouth. However, there were many instances where victims were impaled through other bodily orifices or through the abdomen or chest. Infants were sometimes impaled on the stake forced through their mother's chests. The records indicate that victims were sometimes impaled so that they hung upside down on the stake.^[16] For other uses, see Torture (disambiguation). ... Execution is a synonym for the actioning of something, of putting something into effect. ... This article is about the bodily orifice. ...

As expected, death by impalement was slow and painful. Victims sometimes endured for hours or days. Vlad often had the stakes arranged in various geometric patterns. The most common pattern was a ring of concentric circles in the outskirts of a city that constituted his target. The height of the spear indicated the rank of the victim. The corpses were often left decaying for months.

There are claims that thousands of people were impaled at a single time. One such claim says 10,000 were impaled in the Transylvanian city of Sibiu (where Vlad the Impaler had once lived) in 1460. Another allegation asserts that during the previous year, on Saint Bartholomew's Day (in August), Vlad the Impaler had 30,000 of the merchants and officials of the Transylvanian city of Braşov that were breaking his authority impaled. One of the most famous woodcuts of the period shows Vlad the Impaler feasting amongst a forest of stakes and their grisly burdens outside Braşov, while a nearby executioner cuts apart other victims. County Status County capital Mayor Klaus Johannis, from the Democratic Forum of Germans of Romania, since 2000 Area 121. ... Michelangelos The Last Judgement shows Saint Bartholomew holding the knife of his martyrdom and his flayed skin. ... Location of BraÅŸov Coordinates: , Country County Status County capital Government - Mayor George Scripcaru (Democratic Party) Area - County capital 267. ... Four horsemen of the Apocalypse by Albrecht DÃ¼rer Ukiyo-e woodcut, Ishiyama Moon by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1889) Woodcut is a relief printing artistic technique in printmaking in which an image is carved into the surface of a block of wood, with the printing parts remaining level with the surface...

An old Romanian story says that Vlad left a gold cup in the middle of the street, then returned to pick it up the next day since no one touched it, as people were so afraid to commit crimes during his reign due to these horrific means of torture and capital punishment.

Many have attempted to justify Vlad's actions on the basis of nascent nationalism and political necessity. Most of the merchants in Transylvania and Wallachia were Saxons who were seen as parasites, preying upon Romanian natives of Wallachia, while the boyars had proven their disloyalty time and time again (Vlad's own father and older brother were murdered by unfaithful boyars). His actions were likely driven by one or more of three motives: personal or political vendettas, and the establishment of iron-fisted law and order in Wallachia. EugÃ¨ne Delacroixs Liberty Leading the People, symbolizing French nationalism during the July Revolution 1830. ... The Transylvanian Saxons (German: ; Hungarian: ; Romanian: ) are a people of German origin who settled in Transylvania (German: ) from the 12th century onwards. ... A feud is a long-running argument or fight between partiesâ€”often groups of people, especially families or clans. ... In politics, law and order refers to a political platform which supports a strict criminal justice system, especially in relation to violent crime and property crimes, through harsher criminal penalties. ...

Vlad Ţepeş is alleged to have committed even more impalements and other tortures against invading Ottoman forces. It was reported that an invading Ottoman army turned back in fright when it encountered thousands of rotting corpses impaled 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 Târgovişte. Many of the victims were Turkish prisoners of war Vlad had previously captured during the Turkish invasion. The total Turkish casualty toll in this battle reached over 40,000. The warrior sultan turned command of the campaign against Vlad over to subordinates and returned to Constantinople, even though his army had initially outnumbered Vlad's three to one and was better equipped. Mehmed II (Ottoman Turkish: Ù…ØÙ…Ø¯ Ø«Ø§Ù†Ù‰ , Turkish: ), (also known as el-Fatih (Ø§Ù„ÙØ§ØªØ), the Conqueror, in Ottoman Turkish, or, in modern Turkish, Fatih Sultan Mehmet) (March 30, 1432 â€“ May 3, 1481) was Sultan of the Ottoman Empire for a short time from 1444 to 1446, and later from 1451 to 1481. ... Combatants Byzantine Empire Ottoman Sultanate Commanders Constantine XI â€ , Loukas Notaras, Giovanni Giustiniani â€ [1] Mehmed II, ZaÄŸanos Pasha Strength 80,000[2] 80,000[1]-200,000[1][3] Casualties 4,000 dead[4] [5][6] unknown The Fall of Constantinople refers to the capture of the Byzantine Empires...

Almost as soon as he came to power, his first significant act of cruelty may have been motivated by a desire of revenge as well as a need to solidify his power. Early in his reign he gave a feast for his boyars and their families to celebrate Easter. Vlad was well aware that many of these same nobles were part

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