Travel in Romania
An authoritarian cruel voivode, he
impressed his contemporaries who gave him the nickname of Tepes (the Impaler)
inspired from his torture and execution system – Teapa (the stake). However, he
was not the inventor of this system, used on a large scale especially in the
Ottoman Empire, and some parts of Europe.
He was also known as Dracula, a name that
became due to an abundant literature the prototype of a bloody tyrant. In fact,
this was his father’s name, Vlad Dracul (with the origin in the Dragons Order, a
chivalrous Order of that time). As a consequence, he became the Devil’s son,
Draculea, Dracula. The Saxons from Transylvania, who were menaced to lose their
privileges by the protectionist policy of the Wallachia voivode, spread the
tales on Tepes cruelties. We can consider, anyway, that Vlad Tepes was a man of
his times, since the cruelty was one of the methods used by the rulers to rich
their goals.
Regarding the internal policy, Tepes tried
to eliminate the corruption and to get safety of the roads and of the goods. His
political measures were oriented to strengthen the central authority, which
induced the conflicts with the boyars, some of them extremely violent since the
voivode killed some of his opponents. Instead of using the military support
offered by the boyars, Tepes called the population under arms to fight against
the Ottomans. In the Princely Council he attracted more the boyars of small or
middle ranks, from less known families.
After he strengthened his internal powers,
the voivode denied the payment of the tribute and started his campaign against
the Ottomans in the south of Danube (1462). In response, a 100,000 people-army
headed by the Sultan Mohammed the 2nd, the conqueror of Constantinople, himself,
attacked Wallachia. Famous due to the courage proved by the Wallachian voivode
is the night attack upon the sultan’s camp, in order to kill him. Unfortunately,
the attack failed in this regard but it induced the panic. Later, Tepes
retreated himself in Transylvania, waiting help from the King of Hungary Mathias
Corvin.
In general, when we think of Vlad Tepes,
we have in mind a few places: Bucharest, Snagov, Bran, Sighisoara. In real life,
Vlad Tepes was much more dynamic, covering many areas of the country. We will
try to connect these places with the main monuments seen by the voivode in his
long campaigns in the coutry.
1) Suceava
2) Geoagiu
3) Sibiu
4) Turnu Rosu
5) Bucuresti
6) Cisnadie
7) Turnu Magurele
8) Giurgiu
9) Rucar
10) Balcaciu
11) Medias
Vlad Tepes (Vlad the Impaler) was the
second sun of another Wallachia Voivode, Vlad Dracul (1436-1442, 1443-1447) and
Mircea the Old’s grandson. He was the Voivode of Wallachia for three times: in
the autumn of 1448, between 1456 and1462, and in November – December 1476.
Between 1442 and 1448, the Ottomans, on the custom of those times, kept him
prisoner. The voivode on the throne had to send one of his sons in
Constantinople as a warranty for his obedience. For a while, he was exiled in
Moldavia and Transylvania (1449-1456), waiting for the best moment to take over
the throne of Wallachia. He was related with the Voivode of Moldavia, Steven the
Great, who was his cousin. When he left the throne in 1462, Tepes was caught and
imprisoned in Buda, on the King of Hungary Mathias Corvin order, until 1475. His
last reign in Wallachia was short, the boyars preparing a coup against him. He
was 45 years old when he died killed by Turks with the help of the boyars and
the future Voivode Basarab Laiota.
Other places/ monuments related to Vlad Tepes name
12)
Campulung
13)
Comana
14)
Fagaras
15)
Hunedoara
16)
Poenari
17)
Sighisoara
18)
Snagov
19)
Targoviste
20)
Tismana
