Vlad the Impaler's Early Life (Research Paper Sample)

VLAD THE IMPALER
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Vlad the Impaler
Vlad the Impaler’s Early life
Vlad, also known as Vlad Tepes III was a prince of Wallachia, Hungary. Vlad was born in what is today called Romania in a place called Sighisoara, Transylvania. He was born during the winter of 1431 to his father Vlad II Dracul who later became the voivode of Wallachia. His father was a military governor who had been appointed by Sigismund, a Holy Roman Emperor. He was also a member of a secret family, Order of the Dragon to which he served as a knight with the goal of upholding Christianity and defending their empire against the Islamic Turks. Vlad the Impaler was born of Vlad II Dracul and the Moldavian princess, Cneajna who was his second wife. Vlad the Impaler spent a larger part of his early life in the place of his birth, citadel of Sighisoara under the care of his mother. During the time of his birth, Vlad’s father and mother were living in exile. They lived with Cneajna’s family alongside wives and children of boyars who were also living in exile. He had two brothers Mircea, the eldest and Radu with whom he lived. His father mainly participated in the fight and struggle to claim the Wallachian throne. This meant that most of the time his father was away from the family.
The Impaler’s father was not contented with serving as a military governor. He worked tirelessly to dethrone Alexandru who was the prince of Wallachia. As a result of his father’s involvement in the war, Vlad had no access to education until the age of five years other than what his mother had to offer. It was until 1436 when his father claimed the Wallachian throne by killing his rival, the Danesti that he was able to acquire real education. He received the typical education offered to the sons of noble people across Europe. At the age of five, Vlad was adopted into the secret fraternity to which his father had been a member and through which he had succeeded in his war. He was tutored in his apprenticeship to knighthood by an elderly boyar who participated in the battle of Nicolopolis, fighting against the Turks. This was to arm him with the skills of peace and war that were considered a prerequisite for every Christian knight. He became of the same order that his father had previously held, the Order of the Dragon.
After assuming the throne, Vlad II was required to pledge allegiance to the king of Hungary and to withhold his responsibility of defending his empire from the Turks. However, he tried to assume neutrality in 1442 with regard to the invasion of the Turks into Transylvania. Earlier, Vlad II Dracul had been questioned due to his position as the prince of Wallacian which was a King of Hungary’s vassal and still being of the Order of the Dragon where he had sworn to fight the infidel, the Islamic Turks. Vlad II, the impaler’s father chose to pay tribute to the Turkish Sultan; an absolute betrayal to the Hungarians. The 1442 battle ended with the Turks as the losers. This put Vlad II Dracul in the receiving end of vengeful Hungarians for his disloyalty to the King and breaking of his oath as a member of the Order of the Dragon to act against the infidels. This forced him to go into exile with his family.
During this time, the Ottomans were becoming considerably stronger than the Hungarian, Wallachia. In 1443, the Turks invaded Wallachia. The Turks helped the Impaler’s father to reclaim the Wallachian throne on condition that he would send a group of boys from Wallachia to the Turkish Sultan every year. In the following year, Vlad II Dracul sent two of his sons Vlad III and Radul as part of the yearly contingencies to show his commitment. He remained in Wallachia with his eldest son Mircea, until 1447 when he was assassinated. Mircea also died alongside his father after the boyars and merchants buried him alive.
First reign (1448)
After the death of Vlad II, the leader of the Varna Campaign, Hunyadi placed to the Wallachian throne a Danesti clan member. However, in 1448 the Turks supported Vlad III as their preferred heir to the throne of Wallachia. Vlad III successfully seized the Wallachian throne through the Turkish support. Unfortunately, his reign lasted for only two months since Hunyadi forced him to surrender the throne.
Second reign (1452-1462)
After surrendering the throne, his successor Vladislov II adopted pro- Turkish policies that did not appease to Hunyadi. Hunyadi turned to Vlad III and forged an alliance with him so he could reclaim the throne. He put aside the differences he had with Vlad III’s father and protected him as he prepared to retake the throne though by force. In 1453, the Ottomans declared their strength by toppling Constantinople, which led Hunyadi to broadening his scope to accommodate the insurgent Turks. In 1456, Hunyadi attacked Turkish Serbia and lost while Vlad III invaded Wallachia and reclaimed the throne by killing Vladislav II. Vlad III held the Wallachian throne until 1462 and it is during this period that he committed most of his atrocities. However, in 1462, the Ottomans invaded Wallachia with a very enormous army and Vlad III had to flee to Transylvania. He went seeking for help from the Hungarian King, but instead of offering him help he locked him up. Vlad III remained as a prisoner for a number of years until he finally gained support of the King of Hungary, who helped him, reclaim the Wallachian throne for the third time in 1476).
Third reign (1476)
Vlad’s third reign was short lived as he was under attack f...