A biography of the 15th century Prince of Romania, Vlad Dracula, on whom Stoker based his fictional character. It covers his career as ruler of Wallachia, terrorizer of Transylvania and crusader against the Turks, and examines how closely he compares to his fictional counterpart. This biography shows "Vlad the Impaler" to be a man as extraordinary in his political and crusading abilities as he was in his evil. He was considered a hero by the Pope and by Romanians whom he liberated from the Turks, and generations of Russian Turks studied accounts of his political genius and used his regime as a model for their own. Yet Vlad is remembered first for his crimes, excessive in both nature and number. He kept a vastly superior Turkish force from attacking his capital by constructing an infamous "forest of the impaled". Only in the context of his times - times of plague, of the beginning of the Renaissance, of literally cut-throat politics and conflict between East and West - can one understand fully the many faces of Dracula. In this book the authors offer a view of Dracula and his influential era.

A biography of the 15th Century Prince of Romania, Vlad Dracula (1431-1476), nicknamed the Impale and on whom Bram Stoker based his fictional character. It covers his career as ruler of Wallachia, terror of Transylvania and crusader against the Turks and examines how closely he compares to his fictional counterpart. It shows 'Vlad the Impaler' to be a man as extraordinary in his political and crusading abilities as he was in his evil. Considered a hero by the Pope and his fellow Romanians whom he liberated from the Turks and generations of Russian Turks studied accounts of his political genius and used his regime as a model for their own. Yet despite all these things Vlad is remembered chiefly for his crimes, excessive in both nature and number. The 'Impaler' got his name for protecting his capital from the Turks by constructiong "a forest of the impaled". Only in the context of his times - a time of plague, the beginning of the Renaissance, of cut-throat politics and conflict between East and West - can one understand fully the many faces of Dracula. In this definitive biography covering Vlad Dracula's life and subsequent legend, readers will discover that life can truly be more terrifying than fiction.

Dracula - the fifteenth century Romanian prince, also known as Vlad the Impaler [Tepes], is one of the most fascinating personalities of medieval history. Even during his own lifetime, his true story became obscured behind a veil of myths. As a result, he has been portrayed as both a bloodthirsty tyrant - which degenerated down through the centuries into the fictional vampire of the same name created by the Irish author Bram Stoker at the end of the nineteenth century - and as a national and Christian hero who bravely fought to defend both his native land and all of Europe against the Islamic threat posed by the Ottoman Turks. The printing press had first come into use just prior to the beginning of his principal reign, allowing information to be more widely disseminated throughout the continent. This created a public appetite for sensational stories and one might argue that Vlad was one of the earliest victims of "fake news." A series of pamphlets circulated throughout Europe, already during his lifetime, intended to tarnish the reputation of the Wallachian prince, who had bravely confronted the Ottoman threat. This served to create a justification as to why funds received by the Hungarian king from the Pope to finance a new Christian crusade against the Turks had been diverted to other purposes. This is just one of the mysteries explored in the many studies contained in this volume. This book includes a wide range of studies on the life and times of Vlad III Dracula by leading historians and scholars from around the world. It presents a diversity of viewpoints, allowing the reader to understand the different historical perspectives with which Vlad is viewed in modern historiography. It also includes a wealth of supplementary materials, essential for anyone interested in learning about the life of Vlad the Impaler: translations of important documents concerning his reign; a genealogy of the family of Vlad the Impaler, translations from Turkish and Byzantine chronicles referring to the controversial Wallachian prince; a chronology, and an extensive bibliography of works on the life and times of Vlad the Impaler. Dracula: Essays on the Life and Times of Vlad the Impaler is an attempt to penetrate behind the myths surrounding the real Dracula and to uncover the true story of this legendary historical figure. *** This collection of studies is edited by Dr. Kurt W. Treptow, author of one of the finest monographs on the subject: Vlad III Dracula: The Life and Times of the Historical Dracula. Included are works by leading American, British, and Romanian scholars on Vlad the Impaler, including Constantin C. Giurescu, Veniamin Ciobanu, Matei Cazacu, Kurt W, Treptow, Radu R. Florescu, Raymond T. McNally, Stefan Andreescu, Eric D. Tappe, Grigore Nandris, Alexandru Dutu, David Prodan, Nicolae Stoicescu, Anton Balota, P.P. Panaitescu, George D. Florescu, and Constantin Rezachevici.

General Ioan Emanoil Florescu modernized the Romanian army in the second half of the 19th century, following the union of the Romanian principalities but predating the war for Romanian independence. This title stresses the role of General Florescu, whose model for modernization was primarily the French army.

The true story behind the legend of Dracula - a biography of Prince Vlad of Transylvania, better known as Vlad the Impaler. This revised edition now includes entries from Bram Stoker's recently discovered diaries, the amazing tale of Nicolae Ceausescu's attempt to make Vlad a national hero, and an examination of recent adaptations in fiction, stage and screen.