The Foreign Ambassadors
There are at least two versions of this
story in the literature. As with the story of the two monks, one version is
common in the German pamphlets and views Dracula's actions unfavorably while the
other version is common in eastern Europe and sees Dracula's actions in a much
more favorable light. In both versions ambassadors of a foreign power visit
Dracula's court at Tirgoviste. When granted an audience with the prince the
envoys refused to remove their hats, as was the custom when in the presence of
the prince in Wallachia. Angered at this sign of disrespect Dracula had the
ambassadors' hats nailed to their heads so that they might never remove them.
In the German version of the story the
envoys are Florentine and refused to remove their hats to demonstrate their
superiority. When Dracula asked the ambassadors why they wouldn't remove their
hats they responded that such was not their custom and that they wouldn't remove
their hats, even for the Holy Roman emperor. Dracula immediately had their hats
nailed to their heads so that they might never come off and had the ambassadors
ejected from his court. In Germany and the West, where the concept of diplomatic
immunity was at least given lip service, this was held to be an act of barbarity
against the representatives of a friendly power.
In the version of the story common in the
east, the envoys are Turkish. When ushered into the presence of the prince, the
Turks refused to remove their Phrygian caps. When questioned they answered that
it was not the custom of their fathers to remove their hats. Dracula then
ordered their hats nailed to their heads with three nails so that they might
never have to break such an excellent tradition. The envoys were then sent back
to the sultan. In the east this was held to bee a courageous act of defiance in
the face of the power of the Ottoman sultan. It should also be noted that the
nailing of hats to the heads of those who displeased a monarch was not an
unknown act in Eastern Europe. Apparently the princes of Moscow when faced by
unpleasant envoys occasionally used this method.
Much of the information we have about Vlad III comes from
pamphlets published in Germany and Russia after his death. The German pamphlets
appeared shortly after Dracula's death and, at least initially, may have been
politically inspired. At that time Matthias Corvinus of Hungary was seeking to
bolster his own reputation in the Holy Roman Empire and may have intended the
early pamphlets as justification of his less than vigorous support of his
vassal. The pamphlets were also a form of mass entertainment in a society where
the printing press was just coming into widespread use. The German pamphlets
painted Dracula as an inhuman monster who terrorized the land and butchered
innocents with sadistic glee. The Russian pamphlets took a somewhat different
view. The princes of Moscow were at that time just beginning to build the basis
of what would become the autocracy of the czars. They were also having
considerable trouble with disloyal, often treasonous boyars. In Russia, Dracula
was presented as a cruel but fair prince whose actions were directed toward the
greater good of his people. Despite the differences in interpretation the
pamphlets, regardless of their land of origin, agree remarkably well as to
specifics. The level of agreement between the various pamphlets has led most
historians to conclude that at least the broad outlines of the events covered
actually occurred.
Romanian verbal tradition provides another
important source for the life of Vlad Dracula. Legends and tales concerning the
Impaler have remained a part of folklore among the Romanian peasantry. Many of
the tales contained in the pamphlets are also found in the verbal tradition,
though with a somewhat different emphasis. Among the Romanian peasantry Dracula
is remembered as a just prince who defended his people from foreigners, whether
those foreigners be Turkish invaders or German merchants. He is also remembered
as somewhat of a champion of the common man against the oppression of the
boyars. Dracula's fierce insistence on honesty is a central part of the verbal
tradition. Many of the anecdotes contained in the pamphlets and in the verbal
tradition demonstrate the prince's efforts to eliminate crime and dishonesty
from his domain.
There are several events that are common to all the pamphlets, regardless of
their nation of origin. Many of these events are also found in the Romanian
verbal tradition. Specific details may vary among the different versions of
these anecdotes but the general course of events usually agrees to a remarkable
extent. There are about nine anecdotes that are almost universal in the Dracula
literature.
<< Back to
"German stories about Dracula" page
