Vlad II Dracul
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| Vladislav II | |
 A contemporaneous portrait of Vlad Dracul.
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| Born | c. 1390 Romania |
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| Died | December 1447 (aged 57) Bălţeni, Wallachia |
| Other names | Vlad Dracul |
| Title | Prince of Wallachia |
| Term | 1436 – 1442; 1443 – 1447 |
| Predecessor | Alexandru I Aldea, Basarab II |
| Successor | Mircea II, Vladislav II |
| Religious beliefs | Roman Catholic |
| Spouse | Vasilissa/Cneajna of Moldavia An unknown noblewoman |
| Parents | Mircea the Elder Maria Tolmay (concubine) |
Vladislav II (c. 1390 – December 1447), known as Vlad Dracul ("Vlad the Dragon"), was a voivode (duke) of Wallachia. He reigned from 1436 to 1442, and again from 1443 to 1447. He was the father of Mircea II, Vlad Călugărul, Vlad Tepes, and Radu the Handsome. Mircea II and Vlad Tepes were by the same mother, and Radu the Handsome and Vlad Călugărul by another wife. All four of his sons at one time or the other would rule Wallachia. Vlad Tepes would go on to become one of the most notorious rulers in history, and the inspiration for the novel Dracula, by Bram Stoker.
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[edit] Family
Vlad II Dracul was a member of the princely House of Basarab, and son of Mircea cel Bătrân. 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.
[edit] Order of the Dragon
Vlad II received the surname Dracul in 1431, after being inducted into the Order of the Dragon 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, in 1408.
[edit] Ottoman campaign, ascending to the throne
In 1431, Vlad Dracul's half brother Alexandru I Aldea took the throne from Dan II, the latter having held it off and on since 1420. In 1436, following Alexandru I Aldea's death from illness, Vlad Dracul assended to the throne.
In 1442, the new King of Hungary, Vladislaus of Varna, broke the peace with the Ottoman Empire and launched the Varna campaign, under the command of the King's 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 II 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 II 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.
Mircea II ascended to the throne in 1442, as Vlad Dracul was in the Ottoman court negotiating for support from the Ottomans in an effort to better defend his rule against Hunyadi. In 1443, Mircea II was ousted from the throne by an invading army led by Hunyadi, and was forced to flee. Hunyadi placed Basarab II, son to Dan II, on the throne. However, Basarab II held the throne for only a short time, losing it within a year to Vlad Dracul, supported by armies of the Ottoman Empire. Vlad Dracul had made a treaty with the Ottomans insuring that he would give them annual tribute, as well as sending Wallachian boys to them yearly to be trained for service in their armies. He also had left his two sons, Vlad Tepes and Radu the Handsome as captives.
Mircea II supported his father, but did not support his politics with the Ottoman Empire. Mircea II led Wallachian forces in a successful campaign against the Ottomans with the full knowledge of his father, but with no support or opposition from him. An able military commander, Mircea II successfully recaptured the fortress of Giurgiu in 1445. However, in yet another treaty with the Ottomans, his father allowed the Ottomans to again have control of the fortress in an effort to retain their support of his having the throne, and in an effort to keep his two captive sons safe.
[edit] Death
In 1447, John Hunyadi again led an invading army against Wallachia, much due to the allied stance Vlad Dracul had taken with the Ottomans. Vlad Dracul was assassinated along with his son Mircea II, according to some sources, on Hunyadi's orders. Mircea II was blinded and buried alive by the boyars and merchants of Târgovişte. Vladislav II is placed on the throne by Hunyadi, but is only able to hold it for one year. Vlad Tepes, until that time a captive in the Ottoman court, but who had been trained in military tactics by the Ottomans, was placed on the throne with the support of the Ottoman army. At the time, Vladislav II was away fighting in a campaign in the Danube alongside Hunyadi. However, Vlad Tepes had no loyalty to the Ottomans. The younger Vlad and Hunyadi eventually put their animosity aside and became allies, due to common political interests and similar anti-Ottoman sentiment.
[edit] Children
Vlad II fathered at least three sons:
- Mircea II
- Vlad III, also known as Vlad the Impaler or Dracula (Son of the Dragon)
- Radu the Handsome
Although Vlad II was a successful general, accomplished ruler, and ordained medieval royalty, he is best remembered as the father of Dracula.
[edit] External links
- Vlad II's rather reliable genealogy
- Vlad II's somewhat debated pedigree etc - e.g, his descent from Mongol warlords is not a confirmed historical fact
| Preceded by Alexandru I Aldea |
Prince of Wallachia 1436-1442 |
Succeeded by Mircea II |
| Preceded by Basarab II |
Prince of Wallachia 1443-1447 |
Succeeded by Vladislav II |
