Vlad the Impaler: A Life From Beginning to End

by Hourly History

Vlad the Impaler The character Count Dracula is well-known throughout the world. He is a dark, seductive, pale man wearing a cape. His gaze is quite literally captivating, and he has the strength of ten men. The story, written by Bram Stoker in 1897, has been retold hundreds of times, but is there a historical figure upon whom the character is based? Is there really a Dracula? Many scholars argue that Vlad III Dracula, also known as Vlad the Impaler, is the real Dracula. He was known in western Europe for his cruelty, most especially his penchant for impaling his victims. He is said to have killed somewhere between 40,000 and 100,000 people during his crusade to stop the Ottoman Empire from expanding into eastern Europe. He was equally harsh on the people he ruled and is said to have taken great pleasure in torturing his victims. Inside you will read about... - Vlad's early life and family - Rise to power: Vlad's first reign - War with the Ottomans, Vlad's main reign - Vlad's imprisonment, third reign, and death - Vlad Dracula's legacy - Vlad the Impaler in fiction: Count Dracula His story, however, is much more complicated than the oft-reported details of his atrocities would imply. He lived in a time of conflict where many were equally as cruel, and he is viewed as a hero in Romania where he is remembered as a protector of his people. This eBook tells the story of his life and times, and discusses his connection to the fictional Count Dracula, in a succinct, compelling manner, which makes for an entertaining read that is packed with historical information.

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, Historical, War, Horror, Medieval

42 pages, Paperback

Published October 3, 2016

About the author

At Hourly History, we focus on publishing history books that are concise, straightforward and take no longer than one hour to read.

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Reviews

[Heideblume · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sono sempre stata attratta dai cattivi nelle storie, ma questo volumetto restituisce il quadro semi-completo di una figura che potrebbe non essere stata peggiore dei suoi contemporanei. Probabile anche che sia stato vittima delle maldicenze di Mattia Corvino, che poi lo tradì per ambizioni politiche personali. E' interessante notare come la sua reputazione "umana" sia contrastante - nell'Europa orientale è considerato un eroe che fece tutto nel modo giusto, per l'Europa occidentale invece è un pazzo psicopatico e violento - mentre sono tutti d'accordo che come militare era un genio. Uno stratega da desiderare come alleato e da temere come avversario.

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

The man, the vile worm, and the legend. The legend of Dracula is only loosely based on stories of Vlad the Impaler's bloodlust. Unlike the legend, Vlad is recorded to be short and stout, and to have a particular thing for female chastity while going on to father illegitimate children.

His sons had children of their own who went on to be cruel rulers. In spite of legends, he was of rather short stature and never owned anything in Transylvania, although the ghosts of his atrocities still haunt the land.

Most are familiar with his preferred method of impaling but he is also recorded doing many other extreme forms of physical and psychological torture. He once invited the homeless of his kingdom to feast and then proceeded to lock the doors, light the building on fire, and take credit for "solving hunger".

This account points out that many of Vlad's war actions were no different from other rulers in Europe in the time of the Middle Ages because he was protecting his people, however many of his methods were particularly "turned up" and he seemed to take pleasure in the atrocities. When he was held prisoner and captive in a cell, he resorted to torturing and killing mice and rats. This guy definitely had those serial-killer sociopathic genes. His brother Radu did not posess the same qualities. He took a different approach to ruling as he surrendered to the Ottoman empire, aquiesced, and converted to Islam.

His main reign as Prince of Wallachia lasted from 1456 to 1462, a period which coincided with the Ottoman wars in Europe, and more specifically, with the conquest of the Balkans.

Total ick!

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

There wasn't much I already didn't know about the Prince of Wallachia but some things were totally new to me. I was always drawn to Vlad because of his fierceness and principles. As this book describes, the Western Europe succeeded in blackening and darkening his legacy but at the end of the day, he was also just the same as 99% of the rulers who dominated Europe at the time; cruel, vicious and unforgiving.

The book is well structured based on his life events. It also has a section about his role in the literature, which is much debated but still forced down the throat of the viewers. The only irritating part was the repetitive info in the conclusion section. No harm done though.

I believe he was a sadistic ruler when it came to his methods of punishments, specially the description of impaling was unbelievably cruel. But I suppose it was more merciful than Turks sawing people in half, burning people's eyes with hot rods and burying them alive and bronze bull and Leather Peeling of of Romans. So why is Vlad made the devil of all devils? I guess as the book also says, the painting of Eastern European devil by the Western Europeans, lead by yet another power hungry Eastern European, Corvinus, in order to cover betrayal and personal gains played a massive part in it.

I also think, the whole Dracula drama of Stoker and mixing Vlad up with the whole Transylvanian undead hangama is a definite mutilation and a rape of the Wallachian prince. How far does a mere meaning of a word goes is beyond imagination. The dragon became the devil and poor Vlad became an icon in the modern literature for all the wrong reasons.

For me, Vlad will always remain as a patriot and a brilliant war strategist. Just imagine if he had more man power at his disposal. It takes a lot to be commended by the enemy as a worthy assailant, specially at a time like that, one thing really struck me. It also takes will power and courage to resist his captors and keep his principles alive. The whole demonizing of Vlad Dracula is an unacceptable heresy in my eyes.

Book #39 of 2022.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

[Stephanie (Bookfever) · Rating 5 out of 5]

"There is no doubt that Vlad III Dracula made his mark on history. He was a harsh ruler and a cruel adversary, but it is also true that he was a gifted strategist. He was also, at times, an honorable ally."

To be honest, there wasn't much in this book that I didn't already know about Vlad the Impaler (also known as Vlad III, Vlad Tepes and Vlad Dracula.) But luckily that didn't take away any enjoyment in this book as I love reading about this controversial person in history. The few things I didn't know about him before reading this book were really interesting. It would also be perfect for readers who want to read and learn more about Vlad III.

To be clear, Vladd III is NOT Count Dracula. Bram Stoker only took his name and based his character of Dracula on Vlad III, although even this is being questioned still. We don't actually know if he indeed used the Impaler as inspiration aside from the name.

I've always been pretty intrigued by Vlad the Impaler and his complex personality. So this book was pretty compelling to me. My favorite chapter by far was 'War with the Ottomans, Vlad's main reign.' The Ottoman Empire also happens to be a favorite subject in history of mine. I always enjoy reading about it and the connection with Vlad III.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys reading about history, Vlad the Impaler, the Ottoman Empire or this era in history in general. With only 48 pages it's a quick and easily read book.

[Anca Zelenca · Rating 4 out of 5]

A piece of romanian history

I've enjoyed this book about Vlad the Impaler. It describes a small part of romanian history. In my opinion is about honor and bravery, about alliances and treasons, about war and cruelty. Those were harsh times, and who knows how would this world look like today if things would have happened differently?
I've liked the way the book is structured and that it draws a clear line between true facts and fiction. Where possible, I would have liked to see more common names instead of "official" naming. For example Stephen lll of Moldavia is Stephen the Great.
For sure I will read more of Hourly History's publications.

[Raven Lancaster · Rating 1 out of 5]

Poorly written

This book didn't tell me a single detail I didn't learn in a documentary on the History channel over twenty years ago. I guess this is a book for someone who knows nothing about the man. However, I give it one star because it felt like each chapter was written by a different person and no editor bothered to read it before just slapping it all together and calling it a book. The chapters were quite redundant to the point of being annoying. Overall it was quite disappointing.

[Kang · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cruel leader to some and heroic leader to others. Reading history books will show you almost nothing is black and white. I wish the book was longer, I wanted to know more about this time period. Also, more on what could have caused him to become the man he grew up to be. A lot of it I assumed has some to do with his time in captivity within the Ottoman Empire. Brutality from this era seemed to be the norm, but this guy took it to another level. Vlad was surprisingly to me a great strategist and soldier. The way Vlad was ability disguise himself as the enemy to get the upper hand is very impressive.

[MKF · Rating 1 out of 5]

A very condensed biography on Vlad the impaler. We all know the horror stories and the author repeats those stories in here. My problem is the strange obsession with the violence and gore. He lists certain forms of torture used by Vlad in one of the chapters then repeats them later on in the book. He also explains the process used to impale a person and includes it twice in the book. These issues is why this book only gets one star.

[JediMasterPercy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.1

Interesting. Short. The author is thorough in his research. Even highlights that everything we read could be wrong.

Really the most interesting parts are learning about Wallachian and Moldavia in the mid 1400s. Turns out the world was a messed up place around then. Would not recommend visiting.

[Katrin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another hourly history book! Those are great. Particularly enjoyed this one about a very intense character. Hero, sadist, leader, impaler, loyal and ruthless. So many attributes attached to him. He is a fascinating figure and I do not tire reading about him. I liked the historical aspect which was emphasized here. I could do with a bit less of gorey details but ok. All in all a good introduction, makes me want to Google more about his death theories..

[EvilWebBoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vlad the Impaler: A Life From Beginning to End by Hourly History
I enjoy reading the Hourly History books when I need a quick read between non-fiction books.
In real life He seems scarier than the character Dracula by Bram Stoker.
When I read the reasons for impaling and how it was done it scared the crap out of me.


more

[Dunebat · Rating 4 out of 5]

While lighter in detail than many articles I've read about good ol' Vladislav, this book does offer a decent overview of his life and legacy (especially for a book that co$t me nothing) and even had a few little factoids I hadn't seen elsewhere nestled in the text.

[Darren-lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Valéria]

he is my new historical crush <3

[Z King · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly informative and great for research purposes.

[Diego Feliu · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to start this review by saying that before reading this historical book about Vlad the Impaler, I also first read the Hourly History book about the Byzantine Empire and then read the one about the Ottoman Empire but only until the chapter that culminated in the conquest of Constantinople before pausing that and jumping into this book immediately. The main reason for that is that I wanted to better understand the history of the region and major figures that would be around during Vlad the Impaler's lifetime and the short but detailed format of the well written Hourly History series served as an excellent way to do that. So, in a way, I decided to experiment and turn this into a sort of loosely connected trilogy of history books. And I really, really enjoyed it that way. I have been interested in learning more about Vlad the Impaler since I recently watched the Dracula Untold movie and given that I have never been very knowledgable about Eastern European history from this era, I am pretty sure this method made me appreciate his life story more.

The compilation of historical information flowed really well here as the author narrated Vlad's tale and while there are some parts that are dedicated to explaining the reasons he has been associated with the Dracula character, this book mostly talks what is known about the actual man. And what is known is this complex figure who lived in an extremely violent period in history is both terrifying and inspiring. Was he cruel and violent? Without a doubt and there were certain things he did that made me nauseated. And yet, it's understandable that so many of his countrymen saw him as a hero back then; a feeling that has endured to this day. His people were quite literally facing an existential threat and even those who survived were in imminent danger of losing their ancestral way of life to the Ottoman Empire and their holy war. For all his cruelty, he was fighting for them and was very effective against an enemy force that was much better equipped and vastly outnumbered them. One begs to wonder what may have happened if this very competent tactician had had more men and resources at his disposal when he needed them most but one thing is clear: there is a reason so many of his enemies were terrified of him despite having a much smaller army.

Overall, this was an excellent historical account of a ruler that can easily be abhorred but also admired at the same time. And, despite all the legends that have spawned from this man, if even half the tales about his fierce life are true, then he makes a decent case for being more violent with purpose than most old vampires from the stories I know about that lack a strong purpose lack a strong purpose for thgeiur violence. And that is more incredible than fiction.

[Paul Haspel · Rating 4 out of 5]

*A Gripping and Informative Biography of the Infamous Vlad the Impaler*

"Vlad the Impaler: A Life From Beginning to End" by Hourly History is a captivating and well-researched biography that delves into the life of one of history's most notorious figures. This concise yet engaging book provides an in-depth exploration of Vlad III Dracula's life, shedding light on the man behind the legend.

The book is divided into manageable chapters, each focusing on a distinct period or aspect of Vlad's life. Hourly History's narrative flows smoothly, weaving together historical facts, anecdotes, and context to create an immersive reading experience.

Balanced Perspective*: The author presents a nuanced portrayal of Vlad, avoiding sensationalism and myths. This balanced approach humanizes the historical figure without diminishing his brutal reputation.
Historical Context*: The book expertly situates Vlad's life within the complex web of 15th-century European politics, providing clarity on the intricate alliances and conflicts that shaped his world.
Engaging Writing Style*: Hourly History's prose is clear, concise, and engaging, making the book accessible to readers with varying levels of historical knowledge.

*Vlad's Early Life*: The author sheds light on Vlad's formative years, revealing the influences that shaped his personality and future actions.
The Impaler's Reign*: Hourly History meticulously chronicles Vlad's rule, highlighting his military campaigns, administrative reforms, and notorious punishments.
Separating Fact from Fiction*: The book skillfully distinguishes between historical records and the myths perpetuated by folklore and popular culture.

Limited Primary Sources*: As with many medieval historical figures, primary sources are scarce. The author acknowledges these limitations, but some readers may find the reliance on secondary sources frustrating.
Lack of Maps and Illustrations*: Including maps, family trees, or images would enhance the reader's understanding of the historical context and Vlad's world.

"Vlad the Impaler: A Life From Beginning to End" is an excellent introduction to the life and times of Vlad III Dracula. Hourly History's engaging narrative and well-researched content make this book a compelling read for:

1. History enthusiasts
2. Medieval history buffs
3. Fans of biographies
4. Anyone intrigued by the Dracula legend

While some may find the lack of primary sources or visual aids limiting, this concise biography provides a solid foundation for understanding the complex and fascinating life of Vlad the Impaler.

If you're interested in medieval history, biographies, or the Dracula legend, this book is a must-read. For a more comprehensive understanding, consider pairing it with additional resources, such as primary sources or specialized studies on the Ottoman Empire or Eastern European history.

[Thom Swennes · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Balkans, a region lying northwest of Turkey, chiefly containing the countries of Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria has always been a hotbed of conflict. It was here in on June 28, 1914, in the city of Sarajevo that the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was assassinated, eventually leading to the First World War. In later years, when the Communist dictator Josip Broz Tito died, Yugoslavia was soon cast into a civil war, divided by ethnic lines. This region and its peoples have a long history of war, inner strife, and turmoil. Their southern neighbors, the Turks of the Ottoman Empire, coveted the lands to the north and war was a constant bedfellow.
Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia, was born in 1431. He was to become the ruler of this area in present-day Romania, north of the River Danube, three separate times. He fought the Turks and practically all of his neighbors at one time or another. His affinity for impaling his prisoners (and anyone else that upset him), by forcing a pointed (but not too pointed) pole through the anus or vagina, righting them and letting gravity and their own body weight finish the job. He employed a number of other unspeakable methods to achieve his goal of scaring away future invaders and transgressors. I grant you that Vlad’s methods were both cruel and inhumane, but weren’t much different from those employed by his neighbors. Vlad’s infamy stems from an entirely different and unexpected quarter.
The Irish author Bram Stoker wrote a story that would unveil a world of perpetual darkness and forever strike fear in the hearts and minds of man. Count Dracula is purported to be based on this Middle Age devil, known as Vlad III Dracula.
The book openly admits that the relationship with this Prince of Wallachia and Bram Stoker’s vampire are based on supposition and pure speculation. Today, an account of Vlad’s treatment of his enemies is horrific but in fact, at the time, it was no worse than other rulers. Dracula has lifted him from the bloody pages of Balkan history and given him lasting infamy. The volume of turmoil and violence, before, during, and after his life, makes the book both hard to follow and swallow (without gagging).

[Ritoban Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

This took a couple of hours to finish and was obviously a good read. Keeping the spoilers at bay, this is a documentation of Vlad Dracula III the Voivode of Wallachia, also an inspiration for the Bram Stoker's notorious Character, Count Dracula.

The book serves the readers with crisp informations about the events of the life of Vlad III. The Ruler is known to be the cruelest of cruel beings ever walked the earth and is also titled as Vlad The Impaler, or Impaler Lord, for his most gruesome method of punishing his foes. Well, we already know that, but when you keep on reading the book, you'll get to know why he was written as the most villainous figure and why he is still a hero in his country's folklore.

We, as people believe facts which are easy and fun to read, and think very less about the authenticity of the facts, this book tries to debunk that, and does so perfectly I believe.
If one is tolerant of the religious issues happened in the past then this read is more for the ladies and gents who prefer to read history.

Being a Bram Stoker fan and played numerous games on vampires I have always been curious about Vlad Dracula, the character which inspired such a genre. I believe this book puts His image to justice. Is he a Hero? do you still consider him a Villain? that is up to you, but I believe he is a friend, who kept his word, and fought for his countrymen. Rest is upto the readers to decide.

Now who should read this book? Not everyone is fond of Historical events, so here is a list for it, you should definitely try this if you are

a person interested in horror stories,
a person interested in history and medieval era,
a person who wants a quick read while in a commute for two hours,
a person who wants to read different topics regardless of genre.

I hope this review was free of spoilers and would draw your mind to this Book.

Thank you.

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

   I picked this up because it was free on Kindle and fulfilled one of the achievements in the 2022 Year End Kindle Challenge.
   It reads as a straight-forward, no fluff account of what we know (and what we can only make guesses at) regarding the life of Vlad the Impaler, presumed inspiration for Bram Stoker's Dracula. The contributing author(s) at Hourly History traced Vlad, as the title suggests, from life to death, noting important moments, events, and relationships/connections in his life. There was only minimal speculation which sounded more like it came from sources than the author(s). As it promises, it does all this in less than an hour's worth of reading time. However, the last chapter is pretty much a copy/paste of lines rehashing what was said in the previous chapters, and so unnecessary. However, if you are looking for scholarly reliability, not a single source is cited in a bibliography, merely generalized in-text, then this is not where to turn. If you're just looking for a bite-sized overview and are willing to overlook a lack of sources, then this would fit the bill.

[Shivani · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am glad this book was available for free. I am even more glad that the Hourly History lives up to its name-of delivering history in an hour or so, that is.

I wanted to venture into the non-fiction category and history had always been my favorite area of study, some ages ago. A recommendation of this author was well placed on the ebook store and I decided to give it a shot. While editing is not one of the book's strong points, it's pretty concise and meticulously partitioned. Even the lines between facts and fiction have been drawn quite explicitly. A person having minimal knowledge of Dracula and its origins would surely find multiple points of note. It wraps up with a neat conclusion section.

While discussing the mystery around Vlad the impaler's death, the author writes-
In the end, it makes no difference. Vlad the Impaler has, in a sense, risen from the dead.
Such a perfect expression. We have indeed immortalized him by our works-so many of the past, so many more to come.

[Carolina Casas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay

If you are looking for a quick summary of his life, look somewhere else. It is a good way to pass thirty minutes of your time. Like other intros, it starts off good but unlike those, it ends up being a sensationalist. instead of dispelling the legends and myths surrounding Vlad III, this short book spends the last chapters, including the conclusion, giving some credibility to the more outrageous parts of Vlad's story.
There are plenty of efforts of excusing his enemies. Not so much this brutal Prince. Even though the author of this book admits that what makes Vlad unique isn't his method of killing and dealing with his enemies, but rather the number of people he killed in battle and punished for minor offenses; a lot more time is spent discussing the black legends about him and that they could be true.

[Royce Ratterman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short-and-sweet historical overview filled with interesting details and information. Read for personal research. I found this book's contents helpful and inspiring.
Overall, a good book for the researcher and enthusiast.
Non-Spoiler Excerpts:
"Unlike his fictitious counterpart, who is often portrayed as tall and handsome, Vlad III Dracula was described as a short man who was stocky and strong. He was said to have a long, straight nose, a thin face, and green eyes with bushy, menacing eyebrows. He wore a mustache and had swollen temples that increased the bulk of his head. He also reportedly had a thick neck. His appearance, like his behavior, has also been described as cruel."
"He is estimated to have killed somewhere between 40,000 and 100,000 people."

[James Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vlad Tepes, ruler of Wallachia three times. Cruel beyond belief. Fighter against the Ottoman invaders and therefore beloved by some of his people. Vastly outnumber by the invaders, prisoner, free man, murderer.

Birth date unknown. Birth mother unknown. Exactly where born unknown.

Those who were enemies of any kind could find themselves impaled on poles that were made somewhat dull on purpose. This method resulted in the death of some 40,000 to 100,000 people. Used biological warfare. Set people on fire. Boiled people alive. Roasted some people.

The book goes into all of this and ties it in to the legend of Dracula as seen in popular books, film, etc. Very interesting.

[Amara · Rating 1 out of 5]

Repetitive. And way too rushed. If you know nothing about the history of this era, you're screwed. Too many names thrown out at you with no background. Too many geographical locations with no mention of where each is. Too many Vlads and you should stick to one name for each, not use a different name for each Vlad each time. Luckily, I'm pretty well versed in this era or I would've been completely lost.

Guess I won't be reading any other Hourly History shorts. Sad, because that's a great concept.

[Miguel Arvelo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oftentimes reality is better than fiction... HH's summary of Vlad III Dracula, the Impaler Lord is one such case

Wether a fan of Bram Stoker's novel, the Japanese manga Helsing, the video game franchise Castlevania or just vampire lore in general we are in one way or another with the historical character of Vlad the Impaler. Hourly History captured the highlights of this historical figure and produced an intriguing and easy to read summary that allows the reader to have a good idea of who Vlad Tepes was. An excellent read for anyone interested on the lore of Dracula.

[The Ravishing Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

The first two chapters were meh... Kind of boring, however by chapter three, I was all in. Solid book, I did not know of all of the atrocities committed by Vlad the Impaler, nor did I know that Dracula may have been based in an actual person. I did not like that so much information was missing/ unknown. I also did not like how the first two chapters seemed so crammed with information that it did not seem to flow. I am looking forward to reading the other short stories and see how they compare

[Maha Ishtiaq · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not fully satiated but well you can never truly learn every detail about the seeming monsters. A fast read with chronological build up of Vlad's brooding personality.

I feel there are missing details of his first wife's death in keeping his honor and how vengeful he became afterwards, for that I shall dig more. I am really trying to find that soft spot this beast of a man could be considered a human over.

*Count Dracula and Vlad the Impaler are two separate entities. Count is fictional inspiration drawn from the actual Impaler*

[Evalyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was rough. I read a couple of reviews that complained of the dryness but that honestly didn't bother me and I really don't find it dry. My problem is that it isn't really a well written paper - there is a lot of repetition to fill out the 41 pages to get to an "hour" length read; there isn't a single source listed ANY WHERE; and the construction of the arguments and the overall progression of writing is messy. The info was interesting but overall, just a meh read and definitely could have been better.