November 26, 1476 - Vlad III , otherwise known as Vlad the Impaler , became the ruler of Wallachia for the third time.
Vlad III is the 15th century prince on whom Bram Stoker based his gothic novel of 1897 ' Dracula '.
Vlad was born between 1428 and 1431, probably in Sighişaora, Transylvania .
His patronymic, ' Dracula ', Means Dragon , derived from his father's belonging to the order of the dragon.
In 1448, Vlad he ascended the Wallachian throne for the first time, but had to abdicate in the autumn of the same year. However, he regained the throne in 1456 and remained the Prince of Wallachia until 1462 .
In 1462, the Ottomans, under Mehmed II (the sultan who conquered Constantinople ), invaded Wallachia , but they were rejected by Vlad thanks to a "terrorist" tactic: he had about 20,000 people impaled and exposed outside the city of Targoviste as a deterrent to the Ottoman forces.
While winning a couple more victories against the Ottomans, Vlad he was soon short of cash and sought the help of the Hungarians, but was ambushed and thrown into prison. he He was released from captivity after 12 years.
The sudden death of Radu in 1475 he gave to Vlad the possibility of reclaiming the Wallachian throne once again in 1476 , but died the same year in a battle against the Ottomans.
In Western Europe, Vlad III is remembered as a tyrant who took the sadistic pleasure of torturing and killing his enemies.
In Eastern Europe and especially Romania, however, he is celebrated as a national hero who defended his country against Ottoman invaders.
Europes first and oldest royal and secular order of chivalry, the Order of Saint George , was founded by the Angevin King of Hungary, Charles I , in 1326. Although its founding charters have been preserved to this day – or an updated version of them – with its great seal, we know hardly anything abo