Was Dracula a real person?

Published in 1897, Bram Stoker's Gothic novel “Dracula” launched an entire genre of literature and film about vampires, those sinister figur... read more

Vlad III, known as Vlad the Impaler (Romanian: Vlad Țepeș, pronunciation: [ˈ v l a d ˈ t͡s e p e ʃ]) or Vlad Dracula (/ ˈ d r æ k j ə l ə /; 1428/31 – 1476/77), was voivode (or prince) of Wallachia three times between 1448 and his death. read more

Though Dracula is a purely fictional creation, Stoker named his infamous character after a real person who happened to have a taste for blood: Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia or — as he is better known — Vlad the Impaler. read more

Born in Transylvania as the second son of the nobleman Vlad II Dracul, he took the name Dracula, meaning “son of Dracul,” when he was initiated into a secret order of Christian knights known as the Order of the Dragon. read more