Making History Come Alive Newsletter offers The Tru Guardians of Dracula's Castle by our colleague Michael Thomas Leibrandt
As international travel finally seems to return to normalcy after the Coronavirus Pandemic, many people are interested in trips to see locations where their favorite movies and TV shows are filmed. The historic landscape of Romania is an example of one of these destinations with the recent Netflix series, Wednesday which is inspired by The Addams Family and was mostly filmed in Romania. Romanian history has served as an inspiration for other author’s as well.
It is widely believed that Irish author Bram Stoker’s fictional villain (Count Dracula) is based on Vlad Tempes, Voivode of Wallachia, and second son of Vlad Dracul. Also known as Vlad the Impaler. Also known as Vlad III. Also known as Vlad Dracula, son of the Dragon.
Vlad had in total 3 reigns between 1448–1477. His rule was legendary for brutality and vicious treatment towards his foes and political opponents, many of whom he impaled on large spikes, as a warning to his enemies. Today, Vlad Tepes is a national hero among many Romanians for stopping the Ottoman army advance across ancient Wallachia, now present-day Romania.
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Vlad Dracula and his brother Radu were held hostage by the Ottoman Empire in an attempt to gain the loyalty of their father Vlad Dracul, who was murdered after a Hungarian invasion of Wallachia in 1447. Vlad’s second cousin, Vladislav II was installed as the new Voivode. Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II after failing to secure his loyalty by sending two envoys (Vlad Dracula impaled them both) planned to install his brother Radu in place of Vlad III.
By the time that the original Dracula “the Un-Dead” manuscript was found in a Pennsylvania barn in 1980 including 102 missing pages, it also was presumed that Bran Castle located in Brasov, Transylvania was the inspiration for Stoker’s Castle Dracula.
Vlad Dracula never lived in Bran Castle, however.
One day on a hunting expedition, Vlad Tepes stumbled across the ruins of the originalPoenari Castle (or the Poenari Citadel) located in the Arefu Mountains. Constructed by the Wallachians under Voivode Voda (the founder of Wallachia) in the 13th Century, it was occupied as a primary stronghold of theBasarab rulers. The Castle has only one direct approach, a climb of 1,480 steps up Mount Cetatea. Very little is known about the construction of the main, original three-tier tower.
Vlad Tepes immediately recognized the strategic importance of the Citadel and used his imprisoned enemies to rebuild its walls as well as Castle Arges, on the left and lower plateau. At the first sign of danger, the Vlad III could retreat into his mountain fortress, protected by Poenari’s almost almost inpenerable position.
Almost inpenetrable.
Legend has it that Vlad’s first wife upon learning of an approaching force that was attempting to siege the Citadel, threw herself from the fortress walls into the Arges Riverbelow after remarking that she would rather have her body rot and be eaten by fish than be captured by the Turks. It is said that her blood ran into the river’s tributary, turning the water red and thus naming it “the Lady’s River.”
While the Citadel was under siege in 1462, the Ottoman Turks were able to get artillery onto a nearby hillside to attack the castle. Vlad Dracula was able to flee through mountain passages and escape.
According to a letter from Stephen III of Moldavia, Vlad Dracula and his advisors were ambushed and killed in December of 1476. His head was sent to Mehmet II as a trophy. His body was buried in the Snagov Monastery. In a 1933 excavation of the monastery, the presumed location of Vlad Dracula’s tomb was opened, but the body of Vlad the Impaler was not found.
Today, the Poenari Castle is not guarded by vampires, werewolves, or a “blue flame.” It’s newest caretakers strike an equal amount of fear in the hearts of men, however.
Back in 2017, a few of the more than 6,000 Romanian Brown Bears and their cubs have took up residence around the Citadel. Both authorities and tourists have had close encounters with the Bears. The castle itself (now in a restoration process) is hoping to re-open to visitors by late 2024.
Is this ancient monument that has long served as an inspiration to a mythical past still haunted by a vampire, the soul of ruthless Wallachian ruler, or a combination of both reincarnated into one of the deadliest mammals on earth? Perhaps all three.
The continued interest and intrigue of this ancient tale will leave us all to continue to wonder, speculate, and hopefully — to visit.
December of 2024 is scheduled to be the releaseof the re-make of the 1922 silent film Nosferatu, the first vampire film starring Max Schreck.
Michael Thomas Leibrandt lives and works in Abington Township, Pennsylvaniaw