Everything about Vlad Ii Dracul totally explained
Vladislav II (c.
1390 – December
1447), known as
Vlad Dracul ("Vlad the Dragon"), was a
voivode (duke) of
Wallachia. He reigned from
1436 to
1442, and again from
1443 to
1447. He was the father of
Mircea II,
Vlad Călugărul,
Vlad Tepes, and
Radu the Handsome. Mircea II and Vlad Tepes were by the same mother, and Radu the Handsome and Vlad Călugărul by another wife. All four of his sons at one time or the other would rule Wallachia. Vlad Tepes would go on to become one of the most notorious rulers in history, and the inspiration for the
novel Dracula, by
Bram Stoker.
Family
Vlad II Dracul was a member of the princely
House of Basarab, and son of
Mircea cel Bătrân. Although Vlad II was in favor of Catholicism, he's known to have murdered members of the rival princely
House of Dăneşti, a not-so-distant relation to his own father's House of Basarab, and gained power in Wallachia, upon returning from exile in Transylvania in 1436.
Order of the Dragon
Vlad II received the surname
Dracul in 1431, after being inducted into the
Order of the Dragon by
Sigismund, the
Holy Roman Emperor, as part of a design to gain political favor for the Catholic Church and to aid in protecting Wallachia against the
Ottoman Empire. The Order itself had been founded by Sigismund, as King of Hungary, in 1408.
Ottoman campaign, ascending to the throne
In
1431, Vlad Dracul's half brother
Alexandru I Aldea took the throne from
Dan II, the latter having held it off and on since
1420. In 1436, following Alexandru I Aldea's death from illness, Vlad Dracul assended to the throne.
In 1442, the new King of Hungary,
Vladislaus of Varna, broke the peace with the Ottoman Empire and launched the
Varna campaign, under the command of the King's general
John Hunyadi, in an effort to drive the Turks out of
Europe. Hunyadi demanded that Vlad II fulfill his oath as a member of the Order of the Dragon and a vassal of Hungary: Vlad was commanded to join the
crusade against the Turks, but declined to do so.
Pope Eugene IV absolved Dracul of his promise, but demanded that he send his son Mircea II instead (it is likely that Vlad II had originally denied the request in an effort to prevent his sons from being convoked). The
Christian army was destroyed in the
Battle of Varna; Hunyadi escaped the scene, and was blamed by many, including Mircea II and his father, for the debacle. This marked the start of hostilities between Hunyadi on one side and Vlad Dracul and his eldest son on the other.
Mircea II assended to the throne in 1442, as Vlad Dracul was in the Ottoman court negotiating for support from the Ottomans in an effort to better defend his rule against Hunyadi. In
1443, Mircea II was ousted from the throne by an invading army led by Hunyadi, and was forced to flee. Hunyadi placed
Basarab II, son to Dan II, on the throne. However, Basarab II held the throne for only a short time, losing it within a year to Vlad Dracul, supported by armies of the Ottoman Empire. Vlad Dracul had made a
treaty with the Ottomans insuring that he'd give them annual tribute, as well as sending Wallachian boys to them yearly to be trained for service in their armies. He also had left his two sons, Vlad Tepes and Radu the Handsome as captives.
Mircea II supported his father, but didn't support his politics with the Ottoman Empire. Mircea II led Wallachian forces in a successful campaign against the Ottomans with the full knowledge of his father, but with no support or opposition from him. An able military commander, Mircea II successfully recaptured the
fortress of
Giurgiu in 1445. However, in yet another treaty with the Ottomans, his father allowed the Ottomans to again have control of the fortress in an effort to retain their support of his having the throne, and in an effort to keep his two captive sons safe.
Death
In 1447, John Hunyadi again led an invading army against Wallachia, much due to the allied stance Vlad Dracul had taken with the Ottomans. Vlad Dracul was assassinated along with his son Mircea II, according to some sources, on Hunyadi's orders. Mircea II was blinded and buried alive by the
boyars and merchants of
Târgovişte.
Vladislav II is placed on the throne by Hunyadi, but is only able to hold it for one year. Vlad Tepes, until that time a captive in the Ottoman court, but who had been trained in military tactics by the Ottomans, was placed on the throne with the support of the Ottoman army. At the time, Vladislav II was away fighting in a campaign in the
Danube alongside Hunyadi. However, Vlad Tepes had no loyalty to the Ottomans. The younger Vlad and Hunyadi eventually put their animosity aside and became allies, due to common political interests and similar anti-Ottoman sentiment.
Children
Vlad II fathered at least three sons:
Although Vlad II was a successful general, accomplished ruler, and ordained medieval royalty, he's best remembered as the father of
Dracula.
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