People by Country Quiz: Vlad the Impaler | 10 Questions

Answer: Kaziglu Bey

There are many arguments on the name 'Dracula'. The name is undoubtely related to Dracula's father's sobriquet 'Dracul'. Drac in Romanian means devil and 'ul' is the definitive article. Hence, 'Dracul' literally means 'the devil.' The ending 'ulea' means 'the son of.' Under this explanation Dracula becomes Vlad III, son of the devil.

The connoisseurs who support this explanation usually argue that Vlad II earned his devilish nickname by his crafty,however clever, political tactic.

Answer: Transylvania

Dracula was born in Transylvania, at the time when it was ruled by Hungary. He was born in the town of Sighisoara, the second son of Vlad Dracul, the Prince of Wallachia. The country of Wallachia was a principality, indicating that it was ruled by a prince, rather than a king. Dracul was a member of The Order of the Dragon.

The Order of the Dragon was a group of Slavic leaders who were dedicated to defend the Christian faith by fighting the Turks of the Ottoman Empire. At that period of history Wallachia was on almost continuous wars.

Answer: On three separate occasions.

He first took the throne in 1448 with Turkish support and he ruled for only two months (October-November) before being driven out by a member of the Danesti supported by Hungary. Dracula lived in exile for several years. He returned to Wallachia and kill the Danesti prince, Vladislov II, to claim again the Wallachian throne with the support of Hungary. Dracula reigned for second time from 1456 to 1462. During that period Dracula had his greatest battles against the Turks and also committed his most grisly crimes.In 1462 Dracula went to Transylvania to ask the assist of the King of Hungary when a Turkish army engulfed Wallachia.

The Hungarian king, instead of offering his aid, imprisoned Dracula. Dracula managed to regain the esteem of the Hungarian king and in 1476 he once again invaded Wallachia. Dracula possessed the throne in November 1476 until December 1476 when he was killed in a battle against the Turks near Bucharest.

Answer: A golden cup

In Dracula's domain, there was a significant lack of thieves as they knew that there was a stake for each one of them. That cup could be used by anybody, the only restriction was that it had to remain on the square. Historic sources state that it was never stolen throughout Dracula's reign.

Answer: Vlad and Radu

Vlad and Radu spent up to six years under this dangerous deal. Vlad would have been about eleven years old at that time, while Radu would have been about seven. It is believed that they were held for part of the time at the fortress of Egregoz, located in western Anatolia, and later moved to Sultan Murad's court at Adrianople.

The younger, Radu, a handsome boy who appealed to the future sultan, cooperated better than Vlad. That might be the reason of the detestation and rivalry that arose between the brothers later. No serious physical harm has been stated during the years of captivity, though it appears that the psychological impact on Vlad was very strong.

After their release in 1448, Radu chose to remain in Turkey. But Vlad returned to Wallachia to find that his father had been killed and his older brother Mircea buried alive by the aristocrats of Targoviste.

Answer: The fortress was surrounded by the Turks.

Though this cannot be verified by historical documents, it is said that as she approached the window and she saw myriad fires in the valley, she thought that all was lost, and without waiting for her husband's decision, she climbed up on the wall of the fortress and threw herself into the Arges River.

Answer: Ilona

It seems that Corvinus made an aggreement with Vlad to help him regain his throne. To strengthen the bond, Vlad was offered a royal bride. Vlad's wife was left with his three sons after his death. Mihnea, the eldest, was from his first marriage. He had two sons by his Hungarian wife -- Vlad, and a second whose name is unknown. Only Mihnea succeeded in gaining the Wallachian throne and ruled from 1508 to 1509.

It is believed that he could be a comparable successor to his infamous {father;} known as 'Mihnea the Bad,' he had the reputation of cutting off the noses and lips of his political enemies.

He was killed in 1510 on the steps of a church in Sibiu.

Answer: Because the death was slow.

Impalement was and is one of the most horrible ways of dying conceivable. There was usually a horse attached to each of the victim's legs while a sharpened stake was slowly forced into the body. The end of the stake was usually oiled and care was taken that the stake not be too {sharp;} else the victim might die too rapidly from shock. Normally the stake was inserted into the body through the buttocks and was forced through the body until it came out from the mouth. Death by impalement was slow and painful. Victims sometimes endured for hours or days.

It appears that Vlad was determined at times to change it in ways that would ensure the longest possible period of suffering for the victim.

Answer: A national hero

The name of Dracula was never linked with the myth of the vampire, outside of Stoker's novel. Although he was famous for his atrocities, in Romania, Dracula is remembered as a national hero who resisted the Turkish conquerors and defended Romanian national autonomy against the powerful Hungarian kingdom.

Answer: He was buried in a monastery.

Some sources claim that he was beheaded, and his head was taken back to the Sultan in Constantinople and displayed as a trophy. According to the tradition, his body was taken by monks to the Snagov Monastery and buried there close to the altar, in recognition of the fact that he had supplied funds for the monastery years earlier.

However, excavations on the site during the early 1930s failed to reveal a burial site. Some suggest that he was buried elsewhere on the monastery site where indeed remains were found but have since disappeared.

Others say that he is buried near the altar, but at a greater depth than was excavated. Yet others suggest he may have been buried in a different monastery altogether. No one knows for sure.