Vlad The Impaler, The Real Dracula – A Gruesome History Fact File For Kids

Quick warning for the faint of heart before we get started; Vlad the Impaler had some pretty gruesome habits, some of which will be described in the words below. So, if gory things make you feel a bit queasy, now’s the time to find a different blog to read. I’m sure we’ve got some articles on nice things like puppies and sunflowers somewhere…

But if gory things are your bag (and you’re confident you’ve fully digested your lunch), then scroll on down to find out about this ruthless bloke.

Vlad III Dracula, also known as Vlad The Impaler

Full Name:

Vlad III Dracula (“Dracula” means “son of Dracul”, Dracul being Vlad’s dad).

Also known as:

Vlad the Impaler (a gold star to anyone who can guess how he got this nickname without reading ahead).

Born:

1431 in Sighișoara, Transylvania - which is now in modern day Romania.

What did he do during his life?:

Vlad spent most of his life battling against the Ottomans and other enemies to get his kingdom back after his father was murdered.

What is he well known for?:

Vlad became infamous for the nasty way he punished his enemies.

Seriously, now’s the time to turn back if you’re not keen on gross stuff. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Vlad had some pretty brutal practices, most of which are just too extreme to go into here. Vlad tortured people he didn’t like by skewering them with a wooden stake dug into the ground and leaving them there to die. This gruesome habit gained him his gory nickname of “Vlad the Impaler”.

One time, when he was retreating from a battle, he reputedly left the battlefield filled with thousands of impaled victims. Why? To scare his enemies so much that they didn’t chase after him.

Book cover that shows one of the first images of Dracula signed off by Bram Stoker - spot any similarities?

Is Vlad a vampire?:

Famous author, Bram Stoker, is said to have taken inspiration from Vlad the Impaler for a novel he was writing about a particularly vicious vampire. He called the novel Dracula. And so the myth of Count Dracula the vampire began.

Are Vlad the Impaler and Count Dracula, the famous vampire, the same guy?:

There are certainly similarities between Vlad and the Count. For starters they were both born in Transylvania. Also, they share the same name; Dracula. But then my cousin’s called Peter but that doesn’t make him Spider-Man. I can’t see cousin Peter swinging through the streets of Barnsley saving the locals from bad guys. Not with his bad knees.

More importantly, both Vlad the Impaler and Count Dracula have a shared love of cruelty, playing games with their victims and doling out brutal punishments. Is that enough to suggest that Vlad is actually a vampire? Enough to support the idea that such a vicious tyrant from history could still be roaming the earth today, in an undead form that cannot be killed? I’ll leave that to you to decide.