History of Vlad Tepes

Vlad the impaler was a historical figure upon whom Bram Stoker partially built the title character of his novel of his novel Dracula.

 The name Dracula was applied to Vlad during his lifetime it was derived from Drac, a Romanian word that can be interpreted variously as ‘Devil’ or ‘Dragon’.

The actual date of Vlad’s birth, is unknown, but was probably late in 1430. He was born in Sighisoara: a town in Transylvania. Soon after his birth, his father was invested with the insignia of the Order of Dragon. During his reign, Vlad moved to Bucharest and built it into an important fortified city with strong outer walls. He built his castle in the foothills of the Transylvanian Alps.

His end came at the hand of an assassin at some point toward the end of December 1476 or early January 1477.

The location of his burial site is unknown, but a likely spot is the church at the Snagov monastery. A tomb near the altar thought by many to be  Vlad’s resting place was empty when opened in the early 1930s. A second tomb near the door, however, contained a body richly garbed and buried with a crown.