Prince Vlad Dracula V, or Vlad Tepes (‘tzepa’ meaning "SPIKE"); The very mention of the name of this vicious ruler once placed fear and dread into an enemies heart and mind, thus giving him the psychological advantage long before the battles of his country had begun. Vlad Draculas’ legacy was set into stone as a brilliant strategist and a fierce, sadistic leader. It was obvious from the start that he believed in generating fear to produce discipline; Could you imagine being a foot solider of the Turkish army marching into Wallachia (now part of Romania). And once there seeing the burned and dismembered corpses of those men who fought before you, each one impaled on long poles, stretched across miles and miles of enemy real estate. However, Vlad Dracula did not reserve his cruelty to his enemies. A few items of note are below:

1) He once had his mistress’s stomach to be split open to prove her pregnancy.
2) He had the Turbans of visiting ambassadors nailed to their heads, when they refused to remove them in his presence.
3) He once burned a whole group of beggars alive in a barn; He justified the matter by claiming he was just eliminating a form of pestilence.
4) When a Boyar complained of the screams and stench from the impaled Turks, Dracula had the Boyar impaled as well, though on a higher stake, above all others.

Dracula built a castle at the headwaters of the Argas River. It was partly destroyed by the Turks in 1462 and the Prince had to flee for his life. He went northward and was taken prisoner by Hungarians. For the next 12 years, he was a prisoner.Dracula was released in 1474 as the Turks mounted a new offensive into Europe. He died during a battle against the invaders in 1476.

Vlad Dracula was not really a vampire, but thanks to Bram Stokers novel "Dracula" the once great prince is now eternally connected to the legend. Vald Dracula (Dracul meaning "Son of the Devil" or more acutely "Son of a Dragon" & Dracul "a" meaning son of Dracul) was a proud, diligent man who’s deeds, honor, and sadism were legendary. His father was a member of the Order Draconis, established by Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund, the king of Hungary.