Vlad the Impaler: The True Story of Dracula (History Documentary)
This is the incredible story of Vlad the Impaler from his youth in Wallachia and childhood as a hostage to his wars against the Ottoman Turks and his great passion for impaling his enemies.
Vlad Dracula was born into a time of great conflict between the Christian kingdoms of the Balkans and Central Europe and the Ottoman Turks who were determined to conquer them.
Vlad III Dracula was the son of a Voivode of Wallachia yet he had to fight all his life for his throne and his people.
Please note this is not about Bram Stoker’s Dracula or vampires of any kind - just the real history of Vlad Țepeș and his wars against the Saxons of Transylvania and the Ottomans.
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Video Chapters
00:00 The Life of Vlad Dracula
01:40 Dracula's Father
07:45 Dracula's Childhood
18:47 Becoming Vlad the Impaler
29:10 Vlad's War Against the Saxons
40:25 The Ottoman Invasion of Wallachia
51:52 The Death of Vlad the Impaler
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48:10 a repeat in the edit
Vlad Dracul and his brother were of opposite religions and both had plans for Transylvania. This could have been a great movie; I can feel Prince of Egypt vibes from this. Why don't people talk about that instead of showing Vlad as a vampire?
Vlad kendi halkına dâhi zulmeden bir katildi. Hitlerden daha kötü bir adamdır. Sultan Mehmet ona çok sabretti. En sonunda kafasını kestirdi. Bugün fanatizm sebebiyle Romanya'da ulusal kahraman. Türkler kötü Vlad melek. 😄 Türkler mert ve savaşçı düşmanlara saygı duyar. Örneğin Arnavut İskender Bey gibi. Ama Vlad öyle biri değil. O bir cani
@@MinimalistTheatre333 They actually did make a movie but it was awful and ridiculous indeed. Regarding the vampire story , it was the saxons who portrayed him as a vampire( a character from their folklore) because he took some of their wealth away. Bram Stoker also loved to portrait him as a vampire in attempt to discredit Transylvania and the Austro-Hungarian empire in general which was by his time a growing competitor to the British Empire.
That was good, I enjoyed watching this. It was something I knew little about. Well done.
The real Vlad is so much more interesting than the fictional character.
Agreed!
The fictional character would respond to you simply with "bite me..."
I find history is often like that.
yeah and less way more scary than any horror I've seen. And my babysitter let me watch American Werewolf in London when I was 8yrs old which was absolutely terrifying to a little kid who still thought wrestling and Santa Claus was real. I had nightmares and trouble sleeping for days seeing moonlight shadows barely light up the room. I had to have some light instead of pitch darkness but it madeit worse
I've always admired the man.
I absolutely died when I realised you'd used Sebastian Stan as Radu in his portrait.
Well he is Romanian born
@@davomate1000 nope was turcic iranic from avară khagans and khazar kipcak kagans house of Basarab there is only turcic tatars and gypsy turcic iranic in Dobrogea and bulgaria
@@davomate1000 was khazar my friend house of Basarab turco iranic mix
Found this pretty quick after i paused for answers🤣🤣💀
@@vertigohotel9302 You wrong, I live in Dobrogea and the majority are Romanians, er have some Turkish and Gypsies but that's a small minority.
A true history character, a true national hero 🇷🇴 a true leader. Unique. Legend, and legends never die. May your soul rest in peace Prince Vlad! You are among the greatest!
Incredible history. Vlad was brilliant. Talk about a guy that doesn't give up.
Embodiment of ruthless calculation & merciless execution, but mostly execution.
vlad was scum
@@LIONTAMER3Dthink it shows how he was treated by the ottomans and probably anger at his brother being on the other side
As a Romanian, born in the same city as Vlad, I can honestly say Dan knows way more about this than I do.
Was Vlad born in Sigishoara or I'm mistaken?
@@peternagy6067 Segesvár.No meanig Sigishoara!
@@peterpelenyi8251 No it's Sighisoara and will always be . Learn that 🙂
@@peterpelenyi8251 it’s Schäßburg if you wanna be precise
@@peterpelenyi8251 take your Hungarian ass back home, love from Transylvania Romanian land ❤️
Vlad calling for a duel is a badass decision. No way to demonstrate leadership than to do the deed oneself.
We should force warmongering world leaders to do the same. The world will be a very peaceful place from one second to the next. 😅
With who
ur mum@@toinfinitybeyond437
The fact that he said "honor demands it' was the strong suit: how dare anyone malign him for slaying his foe under such circumstances? It's built-in damage control.
Smiling Vlad is such a treat to behold
Sinister.
What a legend
The history of Vlad the Impaler is perhaps one of the most fascinating stories in Medieval History. Vlad and Elizabeth Bathory are two of my favorites.
Both were among the first victims of newspaper smear campaigns
You may like the trilogy novels called the Blood Gospel trilogy.
Love Elizabeth Bathory 💕 Maligned by men who would steal her property and power!
@@buttercxpdraws8101 she murdered people
Vlad and Elizabeth were deliberately demonized to remain in history as bloodthirsty, as if they were ordinary criminals. Elisabeth was falsely accused of killing children in order to take her lands and everything she owned. Vlad was the exact opposite of what was said about him. His army fired on the Turks, never their own men. Vlad and Elizabeth were part of the Order of the Dragon of the Agathirs, not of Sigismund. Vlad and Elizabeth were Agathirsi.
Unrelated: about 20 years ago my mom was trying to push a chicken onto a skewer and impaled her hand, straight through. Miraculously, she somehow missed all the veins, tendons, nerves, everything. A couple of hours at the hospital and she was fine, other than the nifty scars she still has. And that's the story of how I learned who Vlad the Impaler was when I was a teenager, and why we still call my mom "Vlad" when she's cooking.
Hahaha! Good thing she didn't do an authentic Vlad impalement 😜
Wow 😳 almost the exact same thing happened to me once when I was just out of high school and living on my own for the first time. I was cutting up some frozen chicken breasts with a filet knife, and the knife slipped and went completely through the center of my left hand 🤚 barely missed the tendons and veins, but holy smokes did it hurt in the days afterwards as it was healing. Still have the scars. Not very big scars, but there’s one on each side of my hand. Lmao 😜 looking back, it was my own stupidity that caused it, but it’s an interesting story to tell around the campfire, or in the KZhead comment section 😉
Was your mom putting chicken on the stake... Or Turkey 🦃?😉
A least after his life's review?
🤨idk know if laughing would be appropriate--but duuude! Don't boss her around-jic!
I've never heard his story told so well. I had no idea he went through so much. I was on the edge of my seat watching this. It was like a movie. Amazing work. Well done!!!!
They could make a good horror thriller based on the true story.
@@LonelyCinderella123 Fr
@@LonelyCinderella123 The industry has been making movies about Dracula for decades.
@@marinazagrai1623True story ones? I've only seen vampire movies.
@@LonelyCinderella123 There's one only that's historic: Vlad Țepeș 1979. Can be found with subs of you google it. The actor that did the role of his life was also a talented painter. He has recently passed away in 2020. Seen that movie so many times and it's still makes My heart beat just as strong as when hearing Romania's National Anthem. Great performances.
A man that I cannot even describe my feelings towards. Unbelievably badass and so driven, so passionate. Passionate to the point of the most horrid cruelty, but so driven for his ultimately admirable goal. Truly a man of legend.
A bit like Putin today then. Enjoy your price rises.
@@thomasskeffington4539 nice job of putting words in his mouth 😅
@@thomasskeffington4539Putin didn't cause inflation
@@thomasskeffington4539 That's an insult to the Impaler.
@@sayuas4293 please don’t tell him.
He was indeed very loved by peasants. When it comes about the corruption in our society, you will hear Romanians still say to this day "Where are you, Tepes Lord?". It was a pleasure watching this, thank you!
Could leave a bag of gold outside and nobody would dare touch it.
@@brandondavis7777 You see how well that worked? As another example, certain states in the US have the death penalty and do you have any idea how few people are executed per year, probably 10 since there are endless appeals - usually about 15yrs, and then we know they need to be executed without a doubt!
Ruh hastasi bi psikopatla gurur duyamazsin
@@marinazagrai1623 Your logic is faulted to such an incredibly saddening degree.
I disagree; a murderer executed will never murder again. Cop off a thieves hand and they'll think twice about stealing again. Criminals should be punished,not coddled.
I have to say this is one of the best history channels I have ever watched. Dan Davis does a superb job of explaining things clearly, concisely, and chronologically. The use of maps and the icons moving about them really helps understand the movements of the armies and people's of the story. Absolutely, absolutely amazing. I can't wait to watch more of Dan's videos.
Trouble is his material is factually incorrect.
Agree . Well said.
@@larryneagu1180 where is your "correct" material?.....
I am from Hellas, and I always believed that he was a true hero and patriot!.. Betrayed by his own blood, thousands of times!.. He wanted his homeland to be strong, united and above all, free with honor and glory!. I always respected and admired him, now even more.. Thank you very much for the Tribute you did for him, It was an honor to see it..👏👏..
What you just said, yes, I second it!!!
Where were his Christian values?
@@SkylarMacloud-ri8dxcry ahmed
@@SkylarMacloud-ri8dxthey were bigger problems of ideology discourse than morality at the time. Defending the religion as a whole knew no means to an end and rightfully so on ALL sides/philosophies. Shallow thinkers bring up the irrelevant stuff such as yourself.
@@SkylarMacloud-ri8dxwould you be happy if he laid down and allowed his country to be overrun?
I like how foreigners go: "Vlad was so evil to his people!" While Romanians( all of them, not just Wallachians)go: " love the guy, that's ma boi!"
@Senna Cenna ???
@@ikengaspirit3063 Vlad was a medieval king in a country constantly threatened by an impressive and powerful empire. He was deeply effective and kept everything and everyone in check and he had the support of the nobility which says a lot since in Romania (split in regions that functioned as smaller countries back then) nobility had a habit of assassinating the "mad king" or ineffective kings. We couldn't afford to descend into chaos while we were constantly at war with the Ottoman empire. This is how we kept our culture intact. And this is why this king was assassinated on his way back from a battle and his body is still lost to us. We literally have no idea where he is. And his torture methods, weren't his. They were roman heritage.
@@irinagostin4071 indeed
@@irinagostin4071 Vlad was a medieval king ==> correction, he wanted to be king, despite not being chosen! "Under the Ottomans, Vlad and his younger brother were tutored in science, philosophy and the arts - Vlad also became a skilled horseman and warrior." His family was butchered by warlords of the land and opposing forces, not by ottomans! Ottomans raised him! he rebelled because his bro was selected as the rules. ottomans did not want nor need to capture/occupy wallachia. vlad 3 was just mad at everything he went crazy with everyone, including his own people. he wanted to rule the country at whatever cost to his own people. he himself burned the land and poisoned the waters in order to kill ottomans and whoever from his own people objected to him! he was a mad man, by all accounts, certainly not a hero to his own people! Ottomans raised army to invade wallachia only to stop this crazy mad guy who was killing innocent people left and right despite having no threat to wallachia other than his blood shot eyes for the throne!
@@mytester6208 LOL. Is that from the Turkish history book? Excuse me for not believing the point of view from a country that was the enemy at that time. Turks invading Wallachia to rescue it from the mad king! Ahahahahahaha, good one!
Vlad the Impaler is a national hero in Romania
He is.
doesn't even surprise me that a man infamous for impaling and torturing people would be considered a hero by Romanians.
@@MintyLime703 Why??
@@MintyLime703 As an exercise of imagination, picture being invaded and having to pay tribute in children, then we can see how you feel about the dude keeping the invaders back.
@@Rocsanna there was turcic iranic vs turkhis ottomans
I studied a lot about Vlad and what happened to his family. I totally understand what happened to his father and brother affected his life completely! It made him that strong brutal leader. He was an amazing individual.
Great job, dude, especially that smile you put on his face. Gave me chills. As both a vampire fan and an admirer of a guy who refused to bend the knee, this one is definitely going into my watch again list.
😂
I am simple man: I see Vlad, I click "like"
Having crossed over Asia from Mongolia in 2013, I came eventually to Romania, and Transylvania. The bus made its way through the hills during the closing evening, and with the sun setting on cumulus clouds, the steep valley sides, lengthening shadows, and crooked graveyard headstones, you really got an eery sense as if Dracula could be real.
When I saw Bran Castle in the summer sunshine I thought it looked very pretty and happy tbh!
@@SamuelHallEngland that because Bran as you know it was Queen Maria. Some time after Vlad. Like some hundreds years after. She comes from germanic royal family.
He was very real
@@lulura5667 No Queen Mary is the Princess of Wales.
@@SamuelHallEngland - Bran castle has nothing to do with Vlad Tepes - they just use it to fool the tourists - the real castle is the Poenari Citadel, unfortunately only a ruin with absolutely nothing to see there… except for the impressive view you have from up there, once you managed to climb up the approx. 1.500 steps…
Vlad Dracula will always considered a Noble godly Christian man, a man with no fear in the face of death, a champion of Orthodox Christianity ☦️
Here is a man that my city - Chicago - cries out for!
Romanian here: I commend you for your independent analysis and thorough understanding of the local, historical conjunctures that forced him to appalling acts that would gain him an ever-lasting notorious fame. Romanians respect and admire him for being a defender of the country’s interests, many even regret a ruler with a strong commitment to defend the simple people against disloyal governances (don’t get me wrong, not through impaling, of course).
I so agree with you
He was in his divine right to do whatever it takes to shake off occupation. Psychological warfare was part of the business given he didn’t have the resources of his enemy back in time. And besides the cruelty, he imposed a model. Fairness vs the never ending “diplomacy” seeking personal gain. That is what people look up to even today.
@@Dafterthought yes he was literally in a vice between the Hapsburgs & the Turks, constantly having to negotiate truces and keep the peace. He could've gotten a lot of help from Stefan The Great also, but sadly he never got it... Moldavia stayed neutral
@@sebastiangarla8558 family matters 😁
@@sebastiangarla8558 I am not aware of the Hapsburgs having any play in this matter. Where did you get this idea from?
Smiling Vlad is amazing
Vlad's ability to pull victories out of desperate situations is amazing to me. Definitely someone to admire.
He is villified today because he is judged by today’s standards. The defense of his own realm meant he was also keeping the Ottomans away from the rest of the European principalities/duchies etc without any help from any head of state (the territories mentioned). I never paid attention to any documentaries about him because he was not a myth as the West considers him, he was just a leader who tried his hardest to keep the ruthless Ottomans at bay.
@@marinazagrai1623 "... he is judged by today’s standards." You could make a similar argument about slavery. The moral relativism you use in defence of his actions can be used to excuse any number of atrocities.
@@garethedwards1926 Yeah… you can do exactly that, what you just said doesn’t negate his point lol.
@@garethedwards1926 Oh, just give up, you won’t win any arguments like this!
If you admire that monster, there is something wrong with you
This is one my favorite true history characters of all times!
Are these real people
This would make a stellar Netflix series.
The only problem is that Netflix is a neo Marxism promoter and they will never promote such a nationalist attitude except if they will chance the contain in them interest.
As long as it's historically accurate.
Vlad would be trans and his Moldovan friend would be a strong Black female. Together they fight for justice and try fabulous desserts. Stellar!
Netflix would ruin everything you like about this.
@@cormoranuud Too true!
No one talking about the perfect audio selection. Great video.
Thank you.
I am from Romania. I love the documentary! Great work! Thank you!
Vlad Dracula-100%Bulgarian descendent EVIDENCE SHOWS THAT DRACULA WAS 100% BULGARIAN Voevoda-Duke hIS PRIVATE DOCUMENTS AND HIM SELF IDENTIFIED AS BULGARIAN AS WALLASHCO -isn’t no WALLACHIA ALWAYS BEEN PART AS VASAL OF BULGARIAN IMPIRE EXACTLY AT THIS PLACE WAS CREATED BULGARIA ALL DRACULA DOCUMENTS WAS FINDED AND WRITTEN OF BULGARIAN LANGUAGE GOD TO UNITED AND SAVE BULGARIA
"A TRUE LEADER LIFTS OTHERS UP." - Vlad III Tepes.
The story is absolutely insaneeee. Listened to it as a bed time story and now Im wide awake in awe
It was surreal and an honor to have visited Romania and visit the castles Vlad was at and where he was born.
Thank you for your kind words!🙏 Peace from Romania!💙💛❤️
When times are rough because of corruption and lawlessness, we Romanians say: Cum nu vii tu Țepeș Doamne… Meaning: why don’t you come, Lord Țepeș
Lol pe bune? Sunt din sud si nu am auzit pe nimeni folosind expresia asta.
@@eEmm1 cum nu, este foarte populară.
@@adrian970 pe bune 😅
@@eEmm1 e din Scrisoarea a III-a de Eminescu si are si continuare:)) Cum nu vii tu, Ţepeş doamne, ca punând mâna pe ei, Să-i împarţi în două cete: în smintiţi şi în mişei, Şi în două temniţi large cu de-a sila să-i aduni, Să dai foc la puşcărie şi la casa de nebuni.
As a romanian I can say, you won a new subscriber
Vlad was a freedom fighter and a good Christian! I’m convinced of it
Good Christian 😂😂😂
I have watched so many Vlad the Impaler documentaries and by far this one is far more detailed, intricate and subtle in its delivery than any others which i have seen so far! Good work keep it up!
Thank you.
@@DanDavisHistory great job! I was very impressed too!
Well.... you know Dan was there right? That's how he knows more about it!
@@DanDavisHistory You should always have added Muslim before the word Turk!
This is not a documentary - and like any other so called one before it, perpetuates the same nonsense and ignorant poorly researched ideas. And as a Romanian I find this insulting. It should be scrapped as misinformation or labelled as “fantasy”. Production values are pretty low too. You should take it down.
Just a hypothetical exercise, but imagine if a man of his ability and will power had been the prince of a reasonably strong and stable nation. He managed to make life very difficult for much larger, well trained, and better armed invading armies. Without the horror of his youth and the instability of his position, he may have been a very different kind of ruler remembered for his bravery and tactical prowess rather than his brutality and extreme cruelty.
inhaler. May be true ,but the horror of his youth are what made him the monster he was. The level of Brutality in the region was far greater than anything we could imagine today. If you want to make an impression on somebody that lives through this kind of brutality on a on a on a regular basis then then the Patrick flagged the impaler Chuck that's the way you make an impression on people who live with brutality against them and brutality that they produced against others the only way to influence somebody like that is to take on The personality that bled the impaler was Taylor was a monster and he was a monster of his own choice. Moral of the story is if people know you are willing to fight and I mean a bloody gruesome fight that'll leave you alone that goes somewhere else.
He'd be Alexander the Great.
he would still be dead.
Agreed , in his position he was forced to be unconventional.
Fair.
I've been commenting more than usual on this video but I just have to say that the way Vlad challenged his enemy to single combat when he didn't have to filled me with so much respect and admiration for this man. "Imagine a king who fights his own battles." -Achilles
The man was a hero. As an American that appreciates his Romanian heritage. He was a hero. 🇺🇸❤ 🇷🇴
Okay he impaled 400 men and women through the ass, while they were alive. Like he felt that he needed to do something that was showy to deter a future actions taken against him, they were still people. And the women would have just been killed because they can produce heirs. But I don't. I doubt they had any like political power so seems like there's just ways to not impale them as well
Dan, this is the most in depth and fascinating look at Vald Dracula I’ve ever seen!
Thank you very much.
Yes it was great. So much I didn’t know.
Vlad is considered a great former leader, and a hero in Romania. His fight against the thieves and the Ottomans is legendary. As well as being known as a vampire. A defender of Christianity and eastern Europe.
Kroniichiwa, fellow Stan.
True sure 100 %
Facts 😏🧛🏽♂️ History has tried to do him dirty, but I totally get why his people love him so much, and he's seen as a hero to them. And lets keep it 💯 here: The psychological horror show of seeing thousands & thousands of impaled dead soldiers, is the stuff of LEGENDS. 😆⚰️ But it worked too, and probably saved a lot of his people, as the fearful Ottomans just ran away, rather than face whatever monstrosity did such crazy acts. It was military genius quite frankly....
I admire the way he defended his land against the Turks. Same as the Visigoth Kings of Spain, for driving the Moors out. Skål from Arizona
Defend Christianity by sticking babies on sticks
He's becoming my favorite historical person to learn about!
I mean you can't make this shit up! Winning battle after battle after battle after battle. Has to be one of the greatest military commanders ever. Don't think I've ever heard anything so riveting. Needs to be a multi season series! Outstanding chronicling
greatest military commanders ever. Romania gained independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1877🤣Outstanding
@@peter-df6wlThat was 400 years after Vlad died.
@@aspenrebelThat was 400 years after Vlad died. In 1417, Wallachia was forced to accept the suzerainty of the Ottoman Empire; this lasted until 1877 . Vlad was killed in battle before 10 January 1477🤔🤫
@@peter-df6wl didnt I say that?
@@aspenrebel "didnt I say that?" "greatest military commanders ever." What did he achieved?🤣 Wallachia was forced to accept the suzerainty
Lol Dracula actually pulled a "1v1 me scrub" against Vladislav. What a legend
A brave man in some dark times, this is the best description for Vlad III. I believe that he's a underrated personality(vampire stories aside)compared to others. Achieving so many things with an army so small is truly something, imagine if he had an army the size of his neighbouring states.
Yes it is
Europe would've been saved, maybe reconquer the old christendom back and Constantinople will still be Constantinople.
He could have taken Istanbul and took down the Ottoman empire, and almost did anyway, if he would have received help that he called for from other Europeans!!! Some things never change!!!!!
We need a Vlad III today
I found myself wondering why the christians didn't unite... christians were being political while the ottomans were fighting a religious war...seems relevant today as well...
There's an age-old expression that goes "to make an omelet, one must break a few eggs". I think that sums up Vlad's mindset well enough.
A few eggs?
One of the best novels I have ever read about Vlad Tepes is The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. It's an exquisite tale of the love of history, storytelling and culture.
Yeah it's wonderfully well written isn't it.
@@DanDavisHistory yes!! I have it on Audible and a hard copy.......have read/listened multiple times
Vlad Dracula-100%Bulgarian descendent EVIDENCE SHOWS THAT DRACULA WAS 100% BULGARIAN Voevoda-Duke hIS PRIVATE DOCUMENTS AND HIM SELF IDENTIFIED AS BULGARIAN AS WALLASHCO -isn’t no WALLACHIA ALWAYS BEEN PART AS VASAL OF BULGARIAN IMPIRE EXACTLY AT THIS PLACE WAS CREATED BULGARIA ALL DRACULA DOCUMENTS WAS FINDED AND WRITTEN OF BULGARIAN LANGUAGE GOD TO UNITED AND SAVE BULGARIA
@@iwantmoney5672Quick, you need a doctor. 😀😃🙂
@@iwantmoney5672 yeah ...right...
"Raised by the enemy." He gave as good as he got!
"How can I defeat a Prince capable of such great and terrible things???" -Sultan Mehmet II on seeing the forest of the impaled. The sultan took half of the army back with him to Istanbul and left Radu Cel Frumos and the janissaries with a steady supply of gold and gunpowder to deal with his older brother.
what else he could have done? he didn't return to Istanbul because he was afraid, he did what he needs to do and gave throne to a much more reliable local who actually trained like an Ottoman.
Vlad was just a King trying to keep the Khazars and Muslims from invading his country.
What an amazing man from history.
Knowing his actual life is just as unbelievable. Truly an amazing and horrific man.
I am glad he was who he was otherwise the Ottomans would have destroyed Europe... He stopped them. Greece went through enough and continued to as Turkey still pokes at them regularly. My ancestors fled Greece to live in freedom. The Ottomans took Greek, Armenian, Romanian and Icelandic boys ages 10-18 as slaves, converted them to Islam and forced them to fight in the Ottoman army against their own families/people's. They took Constantinople and made it into Istanbul. They converted the Hage Sophia a great Greek Orthodox church and UNESCO world heritage site into a mosque recently. They still treat the Greeks who live in Constantinople like 2nd class citizens.
Horrific more than anything. Even for the middle ages that's pretty psychopathic behaviour
@@annnee6818 not more psychopathic than the ottoman invaders or hungarians at that time. It is and forever will be our defender of Orthodox Christian faith. And you and others have no say about this story. We will make another Vlad who will crush the demonic agenda of a godless west in our land. This time i hope even the most evil will run and never come back. An eye for an eye do not make the whole world blind, it will make the keepers think twice before loosing that.
@@annnee6818 How else do you stop people who enslave your children, turn them into soldiers and send them against you?
@@annnee6818 Not really. The Turkish taught him to impale and kidnapped him as a child. They invaded his land and killed his people. Are you saying that countries shouldn't defend themselves?
Truth is way more interesting than fiction in so many cases, particularly this one!
Wallachia is on the wrong side of the Carpathians. As a small Christian buffer state facing the superpower of the age, Vlad had to play a very careful game. He did so brilliantly by getting inside the ottoman minds and destroying their will to fight.
Europe needs men like Vlad today
You had one called Nicolae Ceaușescu
As a Romanian all I can say is congrats on presenting the real Vlad behind the legend, thank you.
He was ruthless and often brilliant.
We should be all like that in the war agaisn't our enemies
@@midnightblue3285 And our enemies are here now, and more of them invading every day from the third world!!!!
@@jimsy7al I know, and we will fight no matter what happends and we will win and claim our stolen world
At the time Transylvania was part of Austro-Hungarian empire and Vlad Dracula-100%Bulgarian descendent finding EVIDENCE SHOWS THAT DRACULA WAS 100% BULGARIAN Voevoda-Duke hIS PRIVATE DOCUMENTS AND HIM SELF IDENTIFIED AS BULGARIAN AS WALLASHCO -isn’t no WALLACHIA ALWAYS BEEN PART AS VASAL OF BULGARIAN IMPIRE EXACTLY AT THIS PLACE WAS CREATED BULGARIA ALL DRACULA DOCUMENTS WAS FINDED AND WRITTEN OF BULGARIAN LANGUAGE GOD TO UNITED AND SAVE BULGARIA
This is wonderfully done. Thank you. HBO or Netflix really need to do a series about Vlad's life (without the Hollywood spin). It would make Game of Thrones look like the Teletubbies.
I don’t know…the Teletubbies are pretty creepy…
Netflix or amazon would definitely fuck it up. Dracula would be an obese black woman. His brother would be a gay lover to Mehmed II and they would feel obligated to spin the vampire thing despite it only being a thing after Bram Stoker
This is one of the best introduction of Vlad the Impaler documentary
Europe, the world needs more of a man like the impaler.
I admire this man for doing his best to avenge his family and protect his people against an obviously greater force, on multiple sides. Trauma was part of his character,but he did have noble aspects too!
he was killed by his brother that's family, hated by his people his people always fought him, and the greater force did not use the same method if they did it would have been a genocide think! no noble aspect even Christians feared and saw him as a psycho, he just wanted power with hint of terrorism.
Vlad was BRILLIANT against the savages of the Ottoman Empire. I love how he strategically stayed one step ahead and WON some epically historical battles against them
I was completely engrossed in this documentary. The research behind Vlad III Dracula's life and his conflicts with the Ottoman Empire is thorough and compelling. It's a vivid portrayal of a complex historical figure. Thank you!
Using Sebastian Stan as "the handsome" son was perfect!😂👌🏼
I just came here for that exact comment.
How?! *pauses for 2 minutes* How?!
This is the best one yet. Imagine a TV series with game of thrones type budget about these Characters at this time period and the events that took place. I don't even watch TV but I would for that.
How am I just now finding your channel?! ...and then, at the end you tell me that there are BOOKS?!?!?! Historical fiction about this era, these battles, the FALL OF CONSTANTINOPLE?!!! A SERIES OF BOOKS?!? This is amazing. Going to find your books now!
What a badass. Crazy to think noblemen in general back then conquered whole kingdoms, commanded battles and fought one on one duels to the death in their early twenties. I guess growing up incredibly religious and in a world where you regularly witnessed human life ripped away in an instant will make you quite hard and comfortable around death, including your own. I also wonder what impacted or inspired him to choose impalement specifically.
This is some of the best content on KZhead ever! I have watched this video more than ten times now. Thank you for putting so much effort into presenting this fascinating story.
Thank you so much, I appreciate it.
Wow! This was great. I can't believe all of the political machinations and reversals of fortune! All you ever hear about Vlad is the impaling, but after watching this I found him to be a much more sympathetic, and even heroic person. I was really looking forward to this one, and it was even better than I expected. Great job! Thanks for your time and effort.
Thank you very much Kevin.
this is how we romanians see him, a hero, not only the Impaler
@@Kalrak sure indeed
He's not the only one used to do things like that either maybe just the first and most extreme example.
In US schools they taught us propaganda. I had been taught stories by my Greek relatives and my father about the Ottomans but never taught about their horrible behavior towards Greeks, Romanians, Armenians, Icelanders. They took them as slaves particularly boys ages 10-17 and forced them to convert to Islam and to fight against their families in the Ottoman army. But I was never taught that in school. And if you read Wikepedia their writers make the Greeks appear as the racists and oppressors. I haven't checked lately but last time I did they totally altered history. So the new generation will have that impression of the Orthodox Christians being oppressive against the poor Muslims. Very sad
This was an incredible informative telling of the life of the now famous Vlad Tepes Dracule III Prince of Walachia. I applaud you for telling the complete tale and not veering into the fantasy stories of his being not only a Vampire but THE Vampire Count Dracula. Vlad was ruthless and his tactics were blood thirsty and which is what made him successful. His willingness to kill his enemies in a savage and theatrical display of horror. His tactics were insane but brilliant. However the name Dracula was given to him by his Father Vlad II who joined The Order of the Dragon founded in Hungry. In Romanian Dracul means Dragon but also means Devil. This name has linked him to the famous Vampire of Bram Stokers book. Although it seems like a very good match, Stoker did not base his character on the famous warrior leader. Although he had heard of him Stoker borrowed bits and pieces of history and Folk Lore are the base of his creation of Count Dracula. Bram Stoker never set foot in Romania. His inspiration came from old manuscripts and a book written by Emily Gerard titled "The Land Beyond the Forest". This book contained the Folklore of the area and explained the myth of the Vampire, who was far different from Stokers version. Apparently there is room for many monsters in our world, real and imagined. Prince Vlad Dracula III and Count Dracula can exist side by side as two separate horrors in their own time.
it's hilarious to see how many people are still confused to this day about the father (Vlad Dracul - the Dragon - named as such because he was a member of the order of the dragon) and one of his sons - Vlad the impaler. -who only impaled two ottoman messengers in his career. Impaling was an ottoman thing, and with a so-called army of just a few thousand peasants, Vlad the Impaler had literally zero logistic power to cut 20000 poles and impale more prisoners than his entire army. The other tow sons's were named Radu and - to mess things up - Vlad.
@@larryneagu1180 even when i was a little kid first learning of Vlad , i always thought to myself, there was no way he could have impaled a forest full of people. its a shame its still reported as fact, when everyone know it wasnt possible
Amazing how modern looking Radu was!!
The picture of the "rehabilitated Vlad" 🤣🤣🤣
One of my favorite historical figures. Thanks for making this
BY FAR the best Documentary on Vlad on the internet!!! I subscribed and I thank you, Sir!!!!!
Thank you. I was looking for an historical account of Vlad Dracula, without the vampire glam, and I found it here. I'm not going to condone his viciousness, but having the historical context really places his actions in an understandable framework. The history is so much more than "oh this crazy guy in the middle ages was such a sadistic $@*#, that's all you need to know, now go read Stoker."
I actually visited his castle in Romania when I was a little kid...it was fascinating...very well made video, it's nice to hear some real life stories about my country 🙂
You are welcome anytime
I've been to Bran castle in Brasov. Vlad never lived in that castle. His very humble home is a dilapidated ruin in a nearby street. He did impale a lot of people though. I can say that Transylvania is one of the most beautiful regions of Eastern Europe. There are wolves and bears in the forests but no vampires.
His actual "castle" is the Old Court historical center in Bucharest :) Because he ruled over Vallachia, not Transylvania.
how did it smell like?
Thank you for the video. My way of looking at Dracula has changed forever. From now on I will think of him as Dracula the Great.
A cruel military warrior. I now understand why his country regard him as a hero to this day.
thank you for this video! I have always been fascinated by this man and his life beyond just his namesake, but i’ve struggled to find much content which detailed his story and the surrounding context. I’ll gobble up all the Balkan medieval history content like an egg eater snake.
Btw, if you want I could translate it all in Romanian and you can add subtitles to it. România should send you a prize for this brother!! This is great work!! I am super grateful you did this. Dracula is my favorite king and my martial arts inspiration. Finally the world can see historical facts about him and not just delusional westernized stories. Thank you! God bless you! 🙏❤️
Thanks but english is the second spoke language in Romania. 😀
@@portariumihai Ce vorbești tu!? Asta doar pentru că nici Româna nu-i vorbită calumea. Is that why Romania has so many relentless waves of tourists!? Is that why Romania or Bulgaria or Armenia ar the same for anybody in the West!? I think yes. I think that is exactly why nobody know shit about Romania and nobody gives a f about it either.
Martial art?
@@hellomyfriends9740 He wasnt a painter, right!? We talking about a WARRIOR here.... martial comes from mars - the god of WAR... Know your shit. Dracula was also a member of the Order of The Dragon - a swordsmen club... martial artists with swords wahahahahaha Gizas... haters gonna hate.
@@shaothetao5398 I’m certain that hellomyfriend didn’t mean what you thought he ment, I didn’t know what you meant by martial arts.
Great story, never a dull moment in wallachia!
No sht nga that place was a slaughter house
@@LIONTAMER3D haha
@@thelivingdead1728 when you're "known for" anally impaling people to death as like, your "thing"...
Very well-researched and fine-made video this is. 👍🏻
Vlad Dracula was a powerful military tactician, a warrior, and a brutal sadist all at the same time.
I think comparing it outright to sadism is impacted alot by our modern views of morals. He wouldn't necessarily need to enjoy it as much as he might just have been a very hard and cynical warlord who wanted to keep his throne and striking fear into the enemy was the best way to do it. Death, seeing dead bodies and people die was a much more regular and common part of life, and killing your enemy or opposition was taken as a given. so I just don't think they saw killing itself as such a horrible thing, and once you move the goalpost, impalement (especially considering alot of it was probably done post mortem) would only be considered slightly more brutal
Vlad is one of the more interesting European heroes
actually he had turkic ancestry 😆
Vlad Dracula-100%Bulgarian descendent EVIDENCE SHOWS THAT DRACULA WAS 100% BULGARIAN Voevoda-Duke hIS PRIVATE DOCUMENTS AND HIM SELF IDENTIFIED AS BULGARIAN AS WALLASHCO -isn’t no WALLACHIA ALWAYS BEEN PART AS VASAL OF BULGARIAN IMPIRE EXACTLY AT THIS PLACE WAS CREATED BULGARIA ALL DRACULA DOCUMENTS WAS FINDED AND WRITTEN OF BULGARIAN LANGUAGE GOD TO UNITED AND SAVE BULGARIA
@@iwantmoney5672Romanian.Stop the bs and the documents weren't bulgayrian they were slavonic romanian.Bulgayrians always claiming romanians cause they have no big historical figures
This was perfectly done. It's easy to loose track of names in history docs but the narration over the maps is perfect.
Incredibly interesting great work
12:50 Love the Machiavelli reference.
Loved learning about the full story of Vlad, I also enjoyed learning about some of the other great men of this time such John Hunyadi and Stephen the Great.
Vlad, the prince, the dragon, the impaler, the protector! We Romanians view him as a hero and really don’t care how horrified others are with his deeds. He did what he had to do and he was incredibly resourceful. I think Romania would not exist today without the likes of him, Stefan, Mircea. He protc, he attac, he impale right through your reer-bac. And unrelated…poor Sebastian 😭💀 you did him dirty.
actually if the other side was as bad as him Romania would not have existed, so your lucky the other side where more human and forgiving, but if the ottoman treated the Romanians the same way it would have been a genocide, think!
@@amingee90 lmfao. Yeah, millions of slaves. The ottomans were really "human".
@@amingee90 Yeah spared as millions of slaves. Ottomans are known for genocide very much, Armenian Genocide is one such case.
I think the ottomans can thank themselves for his cruelty from what I've learned about his childhood...btw Corina I loved ur lil poem at the end!! 😂
Okay but I wonder if the contemporary generation of Romanians who actually lived under him felt the same way? 😐
Vlad is the king of shock and awe.
I really enjoyed this, thank you! Very well done.
This was beautiful, much better and more captivating than what my history teacher has taught me in school. Well done
Absolutely the best presentation on Vlad that I’ve ever seen. Bravo!
This was truly wonderful.
What a badass!! Great video.
Brilliant and insane war leader. The level of blood lust, drive ambition by this man is another level
I loved this guy. He may be the only other man in history other than David who had balls.
I mean, he was a serial mass murderer lol
Great video! I loved the picture you used for Radu 😂