Although the rule of Vlad the Impaler Dracula was a short one, it was a period full of events and bloody conflicts that ended in cruel punishments as the breaking on the steak death, the breaking on the wheel or the beheading … so that Vlad the Impaler Dracula succeeded in acquiring numerous enemies who made all effort to backbite the brave, just and in the same time cruel leader. As he had numerous conflicts with the Saxons of Sibiu and Brasov, these ones sent stories meant to backbite him both at the court of the Hungarian King Matei Corvin and at the court of the German Emperor, wherefrom the stories spread throughout Europe.

With the invention of Gutenberg, the printing press, the number of brochures containing stories about Vlad the Impaler Dracula amounted rapidly. According as the historic epoch is left behind, the texts are adapted and added to, as being products of imagination, far for real facts. For example the brochures: “About the malefic tyrant Dracula Voda “, “A wonderful story about a great tyrant Dracula Voda ” (Bamberg edition 1491). Stories about Vlad the Impaler Dracula were even written in verses, a poet named Michael Beheim wrote a poem named ” About the tyrant named Dracula Voda ofValahia “, which was widely spread in the entire Europe.Manuscripts about Vlad the Impaler Dracula were discovered in Slavic language in a monastery in Russia, written by an unidentified author, named “Story about Dracula Ruler”, a more indulgent story regarding the cruelties of Vlad the Impaler Dracula, describing mostly his courageous deeds in fighting against the Turks.Here are some stories confirmed by both the writings of the Byzantine chronicles and by the writings of the Turks or Germans.

1.  Some soles came in front of Vlad the Impaler Dracula, sent by the sultan Mohamed II (The Emperor of the Turks). They took off their turbans, leaving the Turkish caps on their heads. Vlad the Impaler Dracula asked them why they were not taking the caps off, they answered that it was a custom in their country to leave the caps on. Vlad the Impaler Dracula ordered that the caps be nailed onto their heads, not to take them off at all, and sent them back to the sultan to inform him on “never to send his habit to other rulers “.

2. A story tells about two Catholic monks coming from Hungary to Valachia to visit Vlad the Impaler Dracula in his castle. Vlad received them in a yard full of people on steaks and asked about their opinion on him. The monks were informed about the cruel reputation of the ruler, and they answered differently: “The first said that the world saw him as a great tyrant, and what he did was wrong because a ruler should be merciful, and the people on steaks were just martyrs “. In exchange, the second one praised him, by telling him “he was sent by god to punish the bad people and mercy the good ones “. Vlad the Impaler Dracula ordered that the first monk be put on a steak, while the other was given 50 golden coins, and told “You are a wise man “.

3. Believing in the effectiveness of his laws, Vlad the Impaler Dracula left a golden cup in the central market of Targoviste. The cup could be used by thirsty travelers, but it had to remain there.According to history, the cup has never been stolen and it was left almost unused.

4. Another story refers to the way in which Vlad the Impaler Dracula got rid of the beggars of the country. He announced throughout the country that all old, sick people or poor people should come to the court. A crowd of poor men, cripples and tramps gathered together, waiting for his mercy. He got them all into a big house, gave them food and drinks, until they all got enough. Then Vlad came and asked them: “Do you want to live with no care at all and never miss anything in this world? ” they all answered they did. Then he went out, locked the doors, and set the house on fire. He also told those who witnessed the atrocity: “I did this so that they wouldn ‘t be a burden on other people any more, so that there wouldn ‘t be any poor man in the country, only rich men. And secondly, I set them free, so that nobody would suffer from poverty or helplessness on this world”.

5. During one of his trips through the country, Vlad the Impaler Dracula saw a peasant wearing a torn and dirty shirt. He asked this one if he had a wife and if he had planted linen last year. The peasant answered he did have a wife and enough linen. Then Vlad entering his house and seeing his young and healthy wife, gave the order to cut her arms as a punishment for laziness, and then put her on a steak.

6. Once, while he was having dinner surrounded by the bodies of a crowd of people on steaks, he noticed one of his fellows hiding his nose out of smell. Then Vlad the Impaler Dracula ordered instantly that his fellow be put on a higher steak, so that he wouldn’t sense the smell anymore.

7. Another story tells about a Polish member of the gentry sent as a sole by Matei Corvin, the Hungarian King. The sole is invited by Vlad the Impaler Dracula to join him to dinner in the middle of bodies on steaks. There was a huge, high and golden steak in front of them and Vlad asked the sole if he knew why he had prepared that steak. The sole answered that it was maybe for a nobleman who made a mistake and deserved a more honorable death. When the ruler told the nobleman the steak was prepared for him, this one answered: “My lord, if I’d done any dreadful mistake, do what you want, becauseyouare the right judge, and you won’t be guilty for my death, I will bear the entire guilt”. Vlad the Impaler Dracula laughed, set him free, gave him gifts and addressed to him: “You will surely be a great sole, because your master has taught you how to talk to the great rulers “.

The name „Dracula”,”Dracul” comes from “Dragula”,”Dragul” and was very popular during the first period of the XVth century. Michael Bocignoli from Raguza uses frequently in his writings from 1524, the name „Dragul”, when he talks about Vlad Tepes: “It was once (in Valahia), a man they call the leader-named Dragul, a very wise and skilfull man in war….”

Another document from XVth century says something else. The historian Ducas, when talking about Vlad Dracul, the father of Vlad the Impaler, said he was called : “Dragulios, as he was his name, because he was mean and malicious in his own way; the name Dragulios means malicious and bad”. The version of the Slavonic story about Dracula starts like this: “ It was in the Montain Land a Christian Leader of orthodox way, with the name of Dracula in the Romanian language, and in our language deamon, that was wery bad. He lived his life, as he was called ”.

The name “Dracula” he had inherited from his father Vlad Dracul.Vlad Tepes was called many nicknames from Trakle, Trakel, Trakole, Drakol, Drakole (in the german stories and at author Beheim), Dracula (at the authors Callimachus, Bonfini, Dlugosz, Fr.Roverella, N.Olahus), Dragulla (in the letter to Venice 1462), Dragul (Dragulus) – at author Bocignoli, Draculea sau Drakulya (as he called himself), Dragulia (in the letters of Mathew Corvin), Dracul (as it is called by Dan, the enemy or the Bishop Nicolae de Modrussa in 1459-1460).

Draculea was a popular name around XV century, in the Romanian country. It was a nickname given by people to Vlad Dracul and also for two of his sons: Vlad (Tepes-the Impaler) and Radu (The Hansome). The other countries have adopted the name “Draculea”, through Saxons living in Transylvania, or the sounth-danubian population. The adopted name “Draculea” had a good meaning at the beginnings, but between (1459-1462) it changed into a bad meaning and Vlad the Impaler included it in his own signature in latin language.

The origins of his image are being pointed out by the nickname he was given “Tepes”, as he is known in the Romanian history. The nickname appears first in the Turkish chronicles of the XVth century and XVIth century. He is named as kaziklu bey (the prince that impales). Vlad was given this nickname because of the cruel method he had chosen to execute the war prisoners, the convicts and the adversaries.Vlad Tepes was a descendent from the Dragon Order, kwnown as The Draculestilor Order.

In german language the Dragon Order is called Drachenorden and in latin is called Societatis draconistrarum. It was a like any other knightly orders of the time, having as a rolemodel the “Order of St.George” built in 1318. Like his father, Vlad Tepes was a member of the Dragon Order. A proof of this is the signature he used to sign on official documents of the time: Dracula. Along the centuries this signature gained unexpected meanings.

The name Dracula was rapidly spread in all Europe of that time. In the Turkish language it was known under the name of Kazîclî; the Pec Bishop called it Dracole; Dan a knight who wanted the Romanian throne called him Dracul; in the Serbian annals before 1462 appears as Dracula; in the german story until 1462 appeared as Dracal or Dracao; the bishop Nicolae de Madrussa called him Dracul; the Venice Senat – Dragulia sau Draculia; the Hungarian king Matei Corvin –Dragula; bishop Erlau- Dragula sau Dragule. On purpose or not, the name of Vlad Tepes together with his behaviour brought him a great fame. His special skills and qualities along with his actions brought him a special place in the Romanian tradition not as a bad character but as a Robin Hood character. He was unmercifull with the rich people that broke the law and a good friend to the poor people.

For the Romanian land peasants he was the national hero that served their cause. He became famous because of the so called german stories that tried to denigrate the great leader. He is presented here as an antichrist, a criminal, a cannibal (an engraved stone shows him in the middle of the a spike forest waiting for his subjects to serve him human organs). This campaign was coordonated by the hungarian king Sigismund de Luxemburg, who had to justify the desertion of the crusade against the Ottoman Empire, as he was given important help from the Roman Pope.

As Vlad Tepes had organized himself a campaign against the Ottoman Empire, well seen by the Pope, Sigismund’s action was received very well. He paid for some false writings against the Wallachian leader.This falses include: The manuscript from Viena, incorporated in the Chronichle of Thomas Ebendorfer, the comments of Enea Silvio Piccolomini, the next to be Pope under the name of Pius the II (1458-1464), the verses of Michael Beheim. From all the documents, the verses of Michael Beheim from 1462 – 1463 :“Von ainem wutrich der hies Trakle waida von der Walachei” (About a tiran under the name of Dracula from the Romanian land) seem to be the most complex with 1070 verses. It is a synthesis of the German stories about Vlad Tepes, having a very powerful and eloquent ending. 950 of the verses describe the cruelties of him and in the other verses the horrible betrayal that led rightfully to his arrest.
Being at the wrong time in the wrong moment Vlad Tepes was transformed from a great political and military personality of his time into a criminal of the history.The concept of “vampire” has the meaning taken from prehistoric times when the man being a hunter discovered that when an animal is killed and his blood draines from his veins, his life ends.The blood became in the mind of the hunter the source of life.

That is why some tribal members used to drink the blood of the animals killed, in order to reclame their vitality. This practice was extended until the midlle ages, where the predjudices of the Christian church turned this ritual practice from the life to the dead, and so the vampires appeared.As one of the most frequent fenomenon of the world history, the vampires had left their “fingerprint” on history since antiquity. From the egiptian culture, from the greek culture (the first wife of Zeus, Lilith, was considered to be a vampire), and from the jewish culture until the far East to the Japanese (where are the vampire animals), the vampires have fascinated and intrigued the human society.