Annette Ranald's Blog: Annette's History Reads - Posts Tagged "dracula"
Why we do NOT need another book or movie about Vlad as a Vampire--really!
I could title today's post any number of things. Why I don't read other people's historical fiction? I'm so sick of vampires I could spit up? Really! First it was all the Anne Rice Stuff. Then all the True Blood and Twilight stuff. Now, there's a new movie coming out about Dracula in 2014 "Dracula Untold", and I'm ready to scream. We don't need more books about vampires and we sure as heck don't need another book/movie throwing Vlad's legend to the bats again.
I picked up this book because I thought it would be a story about Vlad III Tepes of Wallachia, not about Vlad as Dracula, let alone Count Dracula. Only a few chapters in, and you know there's a vampire on the loose. You only hope that it's high-jacking the legend that it's not HIM again. Well, off we go into the modern-day descendant of Dracula who find she can't escape the family curse till she finds grandpa and kills him--again.
I'll say one thing for this book. It did clear up one question I'd always had about Vlad. Who was the King of Hungary? And what was his beef with Vlad? The King in question was Mathias I Corvinus (1443-1490). Americans don't know who he is but in Hungary, he's their George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Teddy Roosevelt all rolled into one. He brought the concept of codified law, a standing army, standardized coinage, to Hungary. He sleeps under one of the Carpathian Mountains and, one day, he will rise again when Hungary has need of a hero. He's also beloved in Romania, where he was born in Transylvania. He's mentioned in the Romanian National Anthem along with another of Vlad's frenemies, Stefan of Moldavia.
So what was the beef between Corvinus and Vlad? It was visceral, it was personal, it was family, it involved misplaced loyalties and, yes, the Order of the Dragon. Both Vlad II Dracula and John Hunyadi, Corvinus Father, were members of the Order of the Dragon, sworn to protect the Holy Roman Emperor or the King of Hungary from being assassinated by the infidels, read Turks. When Vlad II made a truce with the Turks and sent his two young sons, one of whom was our hero, to Turkey, Hunyadi felt that the old man had violated his vow as a Dragon Knight and had also betrayed Hungary. Hunyadi had Vlad II assassinated and killed. The feud was on.
No good feud lacks a heroine, and there was one here. Vlad's second wife, who isn't named it Kostova's book but you get a big fat clue because her descendant is named Helen. It was Ilona Szilaghy, Matthias' half-sister or cousin, depending on how you splice the family tree. She may have been related to the Bathorys (now there's a fine, upstanding bunch). She also was deeply in love with Vlad, probably the only person in the world who did love him. My point is, there are hints throughout the book of this rich backstory based solidly in history, yet the author chose to go down the well-worn path of Dracula the Vampire. Why?!?
I picked up this book because I thought it would be a story about Vlad III Tepes of Wallachia, not about Vlad as Dracula, let alone Count Dracula. Only a few chapters in, and you know there's a vampire on the loose. You only hope that it's high-jacking the legend that it's not HIM again. Well, off we go into the modern-day descendant of Dracula who find she can't escape the family curse till she finds grandpa and kills him--again.
I'll say one thing for this book. It did clear up one question I'd always had about Vlad. Who was the King of Hungary? And what was his beef with Vlad? The King in question was Mathias I Corvinus (1443-1490). Americans don't know who he is but in Hungary, he's their George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Teddy Roosevelt all rolled into one. He brought the concept of codified law, a standing army, standardized coinage, to Hungary. He sleeps under one of the Carpathian Mountains and, one day, he will rise again when Hungary has need of a hero. He's also beloved in Romania, where he was born in Transylvania. He's mentioned in the Romanian National Anthem along with another of Vlad's frenemies, Stefan of Moldavia.
So what was the beef between Corvinus and Vlad? It was visceral, it was personal, it was family, it involved misplaced loyalties and, yes, the Order of the Dragon. Both Vlad II Dracula and John Hunyadi, Corvinus Father, were members of the Order of the Dragon, sworn to protect the Holy Roman Emperor or the King of Hungary from being assassinated by the infidels, read Turks. When Vlad II made a truce with the Turks and sent his two young sons, one of whom was our hero, to Turkey, Hunyadi felt that the old man had violated his vow as a Dragon Knight and had also betrayed Hungary. Hunyadi had Vlad II assassinated and killed. The feud was on.
No good feud lacks a heroine, and there was one here. Vlad's second wife, who isn't named it Kostova's book but you get a big fat clue because her descendant is named Helen. It was Ilona Szilaghy, Matthias' half-sister or cousin, depending on how you splice the family tree. She may have been related to the Bathorys (now there's a fine, upstanding bunch). She also was deeply in love with Vlad, probably the only person in the world who did love him. My point is, there are hints throughout the book of this rich backstory based solidly in history, yet the author chose to go down the well-worn path of Dracula the Vampire. Why?!?
Annette's History Reads
I enjoy reading and writing about history. I've loved history all my life and read a ton of books. Now, I'll share a few of them with you. I also want to take you along with me in this new and strange
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