Dracula The Vampire
Perhaps the most famous vampire of all times was Count Dracula. Many movies have used his character, but the novel, written by Bram Stoker, in 1897, played a very important role in his career as a well known vampire. The name of the book was “Dracula” and many say that this is the birth of the legend of the famous Count Dracula. Bram Stoker’s character in the Dracula novel, was compared to one of the best-known figures of the Romanian history - Vlad Dracula, nicknamed Vlad Tepes (Vlad the Impaler).
German Stories about Vlad Tepes Dracula
To this day there are certain legends of Vlad the Impaler that are commonly told around the world. Here are the most famous ones that you might of already heard:
The Real Prince Dracula
Yes, there was a real Dracula, and he was a true prince of darkness. He was Prince Vlad III Dracula, also known as Vlad Tepes, meaning “Vlad the Impaler.” The Turks called him Kaziglu Bey, or “the Impaler Prince.” He was the prince of Walachia, but, as legend suggests, he was born in Transylvania, which at that time was ruled by Hungary.
The Family Tree of Dracula Dynasty
Below the family tree of Dracula dynasty.
Books about Vlad Tepes
- The Making of a Vampire: Vlad the Impaler,
Paracelsus, Rabbi Lowe, St. Gernmain, Dracula — Alexander Sendrea; Paperback - Vlad The Impaler: Blood Prince Of Wallachia —
Dr. Mike Bennighof, John R. Phythyon Jr.; Mass Market Paperback - Dracula, Prince of Many Faces His Life and His
Times — R. Radu/McNally Florescu (Author); Paperback - Dracula : a biography of Vlad the Impaler,
1431-1476 — Radu Florescu; Unknown Binding - Coppola and Eiko on Bram Stoker’s Dracula —
Francis Ford Coppola, et al; Hardcover - Dracula — Elizabeth Miller; Hardcover
- Dracula — Bram Stoker, Leonard Wolf
(Introduction); Mass Market Paperback - In Search of Dracula : The History of Dracula and
Vampires — Radu Florescu (Author), Raymond T. McNally (Author); Paperback - Dracula: The Connoisseur’s Guide — Leonard
Wolf; Paperback - Vlad Tepes : mit si realitate istorica — Emil
Stoian; Unknown Binding
Vlad the Impaler vs Dracula
Although by now you will have noticed that Vlad the Impaler and Count Dracula a very different characters, we would like to point out the following elements which may or may not have influenced Bram Stoker in the creation of his fearsome character.
Vlad Tepes Biography
Vlad the Impaler, a.k.a. Vlad III, Dracula, Drakulya, or Tepes, was born in late 1431, in the citadel of Sighisoara, Transylvania, the son of Vlad II or Dracul, a military governor, appointed by Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund. Vlad Dracul was also a knight in the Order of the Dragon, a secret fraternity created in 1387 by the Emperor, sworn to uphold Christianity and defend the empire against the Islamic Turks. Transylvania, along with Moldavia, and Wallachia, are now joined together as Romania. The name Dracul can be interpreted in two ways, the first translation from Romanian would be “Dragon”, but it sometimes also means “Devil”. Vlad was not called Tepes, which means “”spike” in Romanian, until after his death; instead, he was known as Vlad Dracula, the added “a” meaning “son of”, so essentially, throughout his life, he was known as the “son of the Devil”.
