Vlad the Impaler

Vlad the Impaler

Vlad was very likely born in the citadel (a military fortress) of Sighisoara in Transylvania, during the winter of 1431

He had an older brother named Mircea and a younger brother named Radu the Handsome.

While he and his elder brother were hostages of the Ottoman Empire he learned torture tactics

He developed a well-known hatred (oroare) 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 (juramant) to fight them

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 Tārgoviste, 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.

There are different Romanian, German and Russian stories about him, that have their origins in the 15^th century.