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Vlad Drakul: The Monster In Bram Stoker's Dracula

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Vlad Drakul was born in approximately 1430 in the town of Sighișoara in central Romania. His first of three reigns as Prince of Wallachia began after he briefly seized the throne from his half-brother, Alexander, in 1448. Drakul was quickly unseated and spent eight years plotting to retake the throne, which he did again in 1456. In a battle with the Turks he was taken prisoner and regained the throne a third time after his release in 1476. Vlad Drakul was arguably the most famous vampire to ever live, known even to Muggles although they dismiss much of his story as simply a reign of cruelty. Rather than bite the necks of random victims, Drakul used his authority to imprison his dinner first. Then when he got hungry, he carried out an execution by impaling a prisoner and drinking from the wound, cementing his reputation as a tyrant while simultaneously creating a cover story for how the victims died. Drakul was a virulent anti-Christian who often targeted members of the clergy. Among his victims were two monks and their donkey. It is unknown if Drakul also drank the blood of the …show more content…

Taking advantage of the newly-invented printing press, the Council began circulating anonymous pamphlets, starting in German and spreading to other parts of Europe, describing Drakul as a "vampire," but including a mix of true and false information. For example, the Council included that vampires can be warded off with garlic in the hopes that superstitious Muggles would take it seriously and take steps to protect themselves, but the Council also made up some details to make vampires sound like fairy tales, such as that vampires can fly and (possibly to appease the Church) that vampires cannot bear to look at

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