Vlad II Dracul
Vlad II (also known as
Dracul or
The Dragon; cca.
1390 - December
1447) was a
voivode, or
prince, of
Wallachia. He reigned from
1436 to
1442, and again from
1443 to
1447.
He was a member of the princely
House of Basarab, and son of
Mircea cel Bătrân. The rulers of Wallachia were officially
vassals of the
King of Hungary, as well as
margraves with the responsibility of protecting commerce and trade routes from
Transylvania to Wallachia for the
Roman Catholic Church. Although Vlad II was in favor of Catholicism, he is known to have murdered members of the rival princely
House of Dăneşti, a not-so-distant relation to his own father's House of Basarab, and gained power in Wallachia, upon returning from exile in Transylvania in 1436.
Vlad II Dracul received his title "Dracul" from his induction into the
Order of the Dragon. In
1431, he was created a member by
Sigismund, the
Holy Roman Emperor, as part of a design to gain political favor for the Catholic Church and to aid in protecting Wallachia against the
Ottoman Empire. The Order itself had been founded by Sigismund, as King of Hungary, the previous year.
In
1444, the new King of Hungary,
Ladislaus of Varna, broke the peace with the Ottoman Empire and launched the
Varna campaign, under the command of the Kingdom's governor-general
John Hunyadi, in an effort to drive the Turks out of
Europe. Hunyadi demanded that Vlad II fulfill his oath as a member of the Order of the Dragon and a vassal of Hungary: Vlad was commanded to join the
crusade against the Turks, but declined to do so.
Pope Eugene IV absolved Dracul of his promise, but demanded that he send his son
Mircea II instead (it is likely that Vlad had originally denied the request in an effort to prevent his sons from being convoked). The
Christian army was destroyed in the
Battle of Varna; Hunyadi escaped the scene, and was blamed by many, including Mircea and his father, for the debacle. This marked the start of hostilities between Hunyadi on one side and Vlad Dracul and his eldest son on the other.
In
1447, Vlad Dracul was assassinated along with his son Mircea (according to some sources, on Hunyadi's orders). Mircea was buried alive by the
boyars and merchants of
Târgovişte. Hunyadi placed his own candidate, a member of the Dăneşti clan, on the throne of Wallachia. This member would latter be assassinated, prompting
Vlad III to once again begin the battle his father could not win, the battle for the throne of Wallachia. (The younger Vlad and Hunyadi eventually put their animosity aside and became allies shortly before the latter's death, due to common political interests and similar anti-Ottoman sentiment.)
Although Vlad II was a successful general, accomplished ruler, and ordained medieval royalty, he is best known for the exploits of his son,
Vlad III, better known as
Dracula or
Vlad the Impaler. Vlad II had at least two other sons,
Mircea II, Dracula's elder brother, and
Radu the Handsome, Dracula's younger brother. Little is known of Radu.
"Dracula" loosely translates as "Son of Dracul," although history will likely remember Vlad II mostly as the "Father of Dracula". An alternative translation of Dracul is
devil, in addition to
dragon. The former connotation, if indeed present, would not have been meant as demeaning, but rather as similar to the aura of fierceness granted to
Edward, son of
Edward III of England, by his nickname, "The Black Prince".
*
Vlad II's rather reliable geanealogy*
Vlad II's somewhat debated pedigree etc - e.g, his descent from Mongol warlords is not a confirmed historical fact
