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Was Dracula really a Hungarian Count? – photos, video
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Bram Stoker’s world-famous blood-sucker is introduced in the novel as a Hungarian (Szekler) count, living in his castle in the Tihuța Pass of the Carpathian mountains. But who is the historical figure? And was he really Hungarian?
The Order of the Dragon
The gothic novel was published in 1897 and tells the story of a wealthy count who would like to move from Transylvania to England to find new blood and spread the undead curse. Irish author Bram Stoker spent years researching European folklore and the stories of vampires. Dracula scholars believe that during this time he read somewhere the story of a cruel voivode who ruled Wallachia between 1448 and 1476 three times. He was Vlad III aka Vlad the Impaler.
Vlad was born in Segesvár (Sighișoara) around 1431 and was the second legitimate son of Vlad II who became the ruler of Wallachia in 1436. The name Dracula came after his father who was a member of the Order of the Dragon, a monarchical chivalric order founded in 1408 by Sigismund von Luxembourg who was King of Hungary and Emperor of the Holy-Roman-Empire. Vlad was proud of his membership so he wore it as a cognomen: Vlad II the Dragon. In fact, Dracula is the Slavonic genitive form of Dracul,
meaning “the son of Dracul (or the Dragon)”.
Not surprisingly, Vlad III was called Dracula already in the 15th century in diplomatic reports, and popular stories referred to him, which probably inspired Bram Stoker as well.
Impaling instead of blood-sucking
To ensure his father’s loyalty towards the sultan, he and his younger brother were held as hostages in the Ottoman Empire. After János Hunyadi, regent-governor of the Hungarian Kingdom invaded Wallachia and killed his eldest brother in 1447, he tried to get the throne with Ottoman help; however, he was defeated. Finally, in 1456, he managed to occupy the country with Hungarian help, and
Vlad The Impaler was son of DACIA.
Son of Dracula. Wallachian
There is no such thing as Romanian or Romania, it’s a 19th century fantasy. Dracula of course belongs to Hungary as well as Transylvania which is under “Romanian” occupation at the moment.
Oh yeah, I heard the complex language, archaeological findings and mentions by Herodotus and other Greek and Roman works were all made up too 🙂 Romania and Dacia are just myths.
Is it a little bit of both? Dracula was Hungarian in the book and movies but based on Vlad who was Romanian?
Dracula was Hungarian in the book and movies but based on Vlad who was Romanian? So no, he was not based on a Hungarian Count he just was one.