Vlad the Impaler - The True Story Behind the Vampire Legend
From Stonedhenge: History and High Thoughts · 01:13:40
Show by Travis and Tom
Happy Halloween from Stonedhenge! Today, we are tracing the real, horrifying history behind the world's most famous monster: Dracula. We are taking a trip to 15th-century Eastern Europe to learn about Vlad III of Wallachia, better known as Vlad the Impaler. In this special Halloween episode, we explore how a medieval ruler became so terrifying that we are still making horror movies about him 550 years later. We cover: Wallachian Politics: Why ruling between the Kingdom of Hungary and the expanding Ottoman Empire meant living between two violent landlords who kept burning down your house. The Royal Hostage: How Vlad's childhood as an Ottoman hostage shaped his worldview, while his younger brother, "Radu the Handsome," definitely had the better PR team. The Order of the Dragon: The real reason Vlad was called "Dracula," and why his father's Christian chivalric order basically sounds like a Dungeons & Dragons supplement. The Dinner Parties from Hell: Why you should absolutely never accept a dinner invitation from Vlad, especially if he starts asking how many princes you've survived. Medieval Propaganda: How much of his legend was real, and how much was just 15th-century enemies running a massive smear campaign. In the studio: Travis mispronounces more Eastern European cities, and Tom realizes that impalement doesn't just mean putting heads on spikes. Listen to StonedhengeHistory for people who hated history class. 💨🎙️
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