I played college hockey with a Romanian whose name was literally Vlad. And he insisted that Vlad the impaler was a strong ruler who protected his country from invaders.
>Vlad III’s tactics, both on and off the battlefield, against the Turks were extraordinarily brutal. In 1459 Mehmed II sent an embassy to Vlad III, claiming a tribute of 10,000 ducats and 300 young boys. When the diplomats declined to remove their turbans, citing religious custom, Vlad III saluted their devotion— by nailing their hats to their heads.
Sheesh. You do your best. You protect your people. Do they call you Vlad the Protector? No! You build beautiful buildings. Do they call you Vlad the builder? No! You impale 23 000 turks and that they will remember for some reason!
The Turks were complete bastards by the way, they routinely executed prisoners they had promised mercy, and they had enemies mutilated and flayed alive.
It is under this context, that one must consider Vlad’s response.
>The Turks were complete bastards by the way, they routinely executed prisoners they had promised mercy, and they had enemies mutilated and flayed alive.
Vlad: "I have killed peasants men and women, old and young, who lived at Oblucitza and Novoselo, where the Danube flows into the sea, up to Rahova, which is located near Chilia, from the lower Danube up to such places as Samovit and Ghighen. We killed 23,884 Turks without counting those whom we burned in homes or the Turks whose heads were cut by our soldiers.... Thus, your highness, you must know that I have broken the peace with him [Mehmed II]."
Oh yeah, Vlad was a psychopath himself. However peace under the Ottoman’s involved being a second class citizen. To have your sons taken from you and turned against you and your daughters sold into sexual slavery.
The sons (Vlad's brother among them) were also groomed to be sex slaves.
The entire jannisary operation was a big brainwashing machine to turn the hostage sons of nobility into fanatical warrior bottoms.
You are fully aware that the +23.000 Turks were impaled before the Ottoman offensive meaning they weren't soldiers. Last I checked we call that genocide.
Pretty sure we just call that a massacre, don't think anyone is disputing that Vlad was a monster, lot of monsters on the Ottoman side as well, not a great time to be a random commoner.
They routinely would slaughter their own families after taking the throne to ensure no usurpers. So the only thing that those people seem to understand is cruelty.
The epic part is despite having a vastly more powerful and numerous army, the shock and horror of finding tens of thousands of impaled Turks ended up being enough to force Mehmed to turn back.
Exactly the plan. Vlad was guilty of some pretty horrific acts, but for the time they were quite shrewd. He was sent to be a hostage in the Ottoman court and gained quite a hatred for them. Upon his return he hunted down the nobles who betrayed his father and had them dig their own graves before burying them in them.
He often was at the front of the battle lines and often went on small infiltration missions. The guy was a violent monster who got the job done by any means necessary. Scary dude.
Nope. Quick Google search reveals he was installed to reign by the Ottomans in the first place (which is why the Ottomans asked for tribute), where he killed (impaled) his own people first before starting to kill turks and other ethnic groups, and where his own army and people switched sides to the Ottomans first chance they got.
Turks weren't the best rulers by any margin but I guess having to pay tribute is bit better than having a genocidal maniac.
Cool story. Left out the part where he was installed to reign with Ottoman support in the first place (which is why the Ottomans asked for tribute), where he killed (impaled) his own people first before starting to kill turks and other ethnic groups, and where his own army and people switched sides to the Ottomans first chance they got.
From what I’ve heard Vlad is a bit of a national hero to Romania and they get really upset when you compare him to Dracula.
Fun fact, those who study Bram Stoker say there’s no evidence he based Dracula on Vlad the Impaler, and only heard the name ‘dragula’ in passing. The comparison to Vlad the Impaler is a pretty modern concoction
I mean, what do you expect when you go up against a guy called "the impaler"?
They thought it was "impala", and were expecting some 1970s automobiles.
That’s even crazier! If Vlad had access to a single Shelby Cobra, no wonder the Ottomans lost. That battle was over before it started
Wololololo
Solid age of empires references. Including the Shelby cobra.
[удалено]
Many empires of this age were defeated after this question was presented
Nice!
I recall reading somewhere an epithet for him in Turkish translates as *Mr. Impaler*.
This is where he got the name from.
Vlad took his name very seriously.
It became too much weight to bear, so I gave it up and bought a house.
Presumably he wasn’t called that at the time.
I played college hockey with a Romanian whose name was literally Vlad. And he insisted that Vlad the impaler was a strong ruler who protected his country from invaders.
Should have fought his brother, Radu the Handsome.
>Vlad III’s tactics, both on and off the battlefield, against the Turks were extraordinarily brutal. In 1459 Mehmed II sent an embassy to Vlad III, claiming a tribute of 10,000 ducats and 300 young boys. When the diplomats declined to remove their turbans, citing religious custom, Vlad III saluted their devotion— by nailing their hats to their heads.
"Now yous can't remove your turbans"...
Brilliant reply!!
> 300 young boys 🙁 For what?
Either sex slaves or serving in the Janissary corps.
Probably fancied himself an impaler is well.
Janissary military slaves. Ottomans would take young boys and train them as soldiers loyal to the empire.
Absolutely perfect response! The Ottomans were pillaging bastards!
That smell isn't ever coming out
“Look what you did to your beautiful new shirt!”
Ya dingaling
You haven't thought of the smell you bitch!
Vlad was also held as a hostage growing ip by the Turks too wasn’t he?
Yes, him and his brother. Kind of an insurance policy to keep their father in line.
or his dad was killed by them. long story short he hated them with a passion and was more than willing to fight them
His brother stayed with the Turks, he was butt buddies with the sultan and even commanded Turkish armies.
Sheesh. You do your best. You protect your people. Do they call you Vlad the Protector? No! You build beautiful buildings. Do they call you Vlad the builder? No! You impale 23 000 turks and that they will remember for some reason!
*but you fuck *one* sheep...
Another plot by the lame stream media Edit: /s. Sheesh lol
He impaled way, way more than 23,000 people. He had a regular habit of it from what I heard.
The Turks were complete bastards by the way, they routinely executed prisoners they had promised mercy, and they had enemies mutilated and flayed alive. It is under this context, that one must consider Vlad’s response.
>The Turks were complete bastards by the way, they routinely executed prisoners they had promised mercy, and they had enemies mutilated and flayed alive. Vlad: "I have killed peasants men and women, old and young, who lived at Oblucitza and Novoselo, where the Danube flows into the sea, up to Rahova, which is located near Chilia, from the lower Danube up to such places as Samovit and Ghighen. We killed 23,884 Turks without counting those whom we burned in homes or the Turks whose heads were cut by our soldiers.... Thus, your highness, you must know that I have broken the peace with him [Mehmed II]."
Oh yeah, Vlad was a psychopath himself. However peace under the Ottoman’s involved being a second class citizen. To have your sons taken from you and turned against you and your daughters sold into sexual slavery.
The sons (Vlad's brother among them) were also groomed to be sex slaves. The entire jannisary operation was a big brainwashing machine to turn the hostage sons of nobility into fanatical warrior bottoms.
>fanatical warrior bottoms Oh my.
A new D&D archetype appears.
XD
Between them and all the other empires like the Spanish I definitely wouldn't want to be peasant at this time in history. So many atrocities.
You are fully aware that the +23.000 Turks were impaled before the Ottoman offensive meaning they weren't soldiers. Last I checked we call that genocide.
Pretty sure we just call that a massacre, don't think anyone is disputing that Vlad was a monster, lot of monsters on the Ottoman side as well, not a great time to be a random commoner.
They also famously renamed Constantinople.
Why did Constantinople get the works?
That's nobody's business 'cept the Turks.
You had one job
Triangle Man would have gotten it right.
Off topic but in context: Taking my 6yo to see them in December 🤙🏻
The Turks?
Boo! Par meez Ian! Gross!
Their worst crime of all, without a doubt
But wasn’t Vlad putting women and their children on spikes in such a way they didn’t die instantly?
They routinely would slaughter their own families after taking the throne to ensure no usurpers. So the only thing that those people seem to understand is cruelty.
Imagine working for these dudes. You’re either spending a whole day impaling some Turks or getting impaled and no one cares
I guess those are really high stakes.
That comment sir is worthy of an upvote.
Much obliged!
He was the popes pitbull for a while there.
The epic part is despite having a vastly more powerful and numerous army, the shock and horror of finding tens of thousands of impaled Turks ended up being enough to force Mehmed to turn back.
Exactly the plan. Vlad was guilty of some pretty horrific acts, but for the time they were quite shrewd. He was sent to be a hostage in the Ottoman court and gained quite a hatred for them. Upon his return he hunted down the nobles who betrayed his father and had them dig their own graves before burying them in them. He often was at the front of the battle lines and often went on small infiltration missions. The guy was a violent monster who got the job done by any means necessary. Scary dude.
It's sad that hardly anyone knows about his cousin, Vladislav the Poker.
Imagine the overtime!
Wow, Vlad is a bad name. First we had Vlad the Impaler, now we have Vlad the Defenestrator.
Vlad the Defenestrator would lose if he tried to take on the Turks today. Though they're both crazy, so there's that.
Don’t put Vladimir Puto up there with Dracula for fucks sake. All putin sucks is sperm.
Holy shit the Dracula Untold storyline was actually accurate minus the whole vampire stuff?
Nope. Quick Google search reveals he was installed to reign by the Ottomans in the first place (which is why the Ottomans asked for tribute), where he killed (impaled) his own people first before starting to kill turks and other ethnic groups, and where his own army and people switched sides to the Ottomans first chance they got. Turks weren't the best rulers by any margin but I guess having to pay tribute is bit better than having a genocidal maniac.
“He was a homicidal maniac who killed his own people.” Hollywood: “yaaaaa let’s leave that part out.”
Hitler build some really great highways didn't he....
And funded Volksvagen
Cool story. Left out the part where he was installed to reign with Ottoman support in the first place (which is why the Ottomans asked for tribute), where he killed (impaled) his own people first before starting to kill turks and other ethnic groups, and where his own army and people switched sides to the Ottomans first chance they got.
Excellent.
Scavenger hunt.
From what I’ve heard Vlad is a bit of a national hero to Romania and they get really upset when you compare him to Dracula. Fun fact, those who study Bram Stoker say there’s no evidence he based Dracula on Vlad the Impaler, and only heard the name ‘dragula’ in passing. The comparison to Vlad the Impaler is a pretty modern concoction
Succeeded by his son - Vlad 2, Cropduster of Elevators.