From the plot of books and films about the vampire Dracula we learn that the Wallachian voivode was an excellent warrior and fierce defender of his lands. Was this really the case?
Vlad Dracula ruled an extremely unlucky land that formed the border between the Ottoman Empire and Europe. At one point it got to the point where he had to defend himself against the twice larger army of Sultan Mehmed II. However, the fierce voivode found a way and won!
How did Vlad the Impaler gain his fame?
Was Dracula an outstanding strategist? Is it true that he personally took part in the battles, and the soldiers absolutely obeyed his will? And finally - did he manage to murder Sultan Mehmed II himself?
Difficult times
It all started when the Sultan demanded from Dracula the traditional tribute of five hundred youths and a large sum of money. They were to be converted to Islam and included in the Turkish administration - such a practice was used regularly in the Ottoman Empire, and the vizier Mahmoud Pasha was formerly a Christian. Meanwhile, the voivode of Wallachia did not agree to send his subjects behind the Danube - he had successfully blocked the Turkish invasions for a long time and waited for the Pope's signal to start the crusade.
Vlad Dracula has defended his lands against a much more powerful enemy!
Dissatisfied with the actions of the reluctant ruler of Wallachia, the sultan decided to capture him by trickery. Dracula was invited to the city of Ports, seemingly so that he could personally pay the tribute in gold and people. The clever Impaler, however, saw the Sultan's intentions and, using a trick, captured those who were supposed to capture him. He later ordered them all to be piled under the palace in Trigoviste . It might seem like a rather blunt signal for the Turks to give the Wallachians a break - but Dracula decided to go one step further ... As we read in Matei Cazacu's book "Dracula":
Wlad's revenge did not end there. Crossing the frozen Danube, the voivode divided his troops into several parts and made devastating raids in the area of about 800 kilometers - from Kilia to Rahova, lying near the Jiu River.
Burnt Bridge Tactic
What might seem to be an act of bloodthirsty revenge was in fact a tactical dimension. Dracula's forces were unable to withstand the power of the Ottoman army in the field, but unleashing chaos over such a large area could be confusing to the Turks. In fact, Wlad had to separate his people, creating a multitude of small troops striking fast and fleeing before the enemy could assemble a defense
The second important issue was the destruction of the hinterland owned by Mehmed II in the villages on the eastern side of the river. Akinjists and Martolosses - mercenary soldiers serving the Empire were headquartered there. People living in the area by the river also provided the Turks with food.
Summing up his action in relation to the king of Hungary, Wład calculated that he killed 23,883 people, not including those burned in houses . It is not surprising that in such a situation Mehmed II went to Wallachia to defeat Dracula.
Cheeky Voivode
Mehmed had an army of about 60 - 80 thousand men and 40 ships sailing on the Danube. Meanwhile, Dracula had only 31,000 people, 6,000 of whom had to be sent to the defense of Kilia, which was simultaneously attacked by the troops of Stephen the Great from Moldova. So it turns out that Vlad's forces were two or even three times smaller.
On June 4, 1462, the army of the Ottoman Empire crossed the Danube with the only remaining bridge in Vidin. The Turks found themselves on the plains of Wallachia. The weather was bad - witnesses reported that this summer the heat was burning mercilessly, making the armed march difficult.
Although he is still a symbol of the cruel man to this day, he was in fact a great leader
The Turks had no idea that ... Dracula himself was among them! The voivode, disguising himself as a merchant, using his excellent knowledge of the language and customs, infiltrated the enemy camp . He learned the plan of the camp and the number of soldiers. When he found out everything, he summoned about 7-10 thousand of the bravest horses, saying let the one who is afraid of death not come with me, but stay here .
Dracula waited three hours after sunset and headed for the Turks. With torches in their hands, blowing horns, Vlad's punishment soldiers were to cause as much confusion and losses as possible. Meanwhile, the voivode himself found the command tent, where he hoped to find Mehmed II. He broke in and killed the Ottoman leaders, however - perhaps because of the prevailing darkness - instead of the Sultan, he beheaded the viziers Mahmud and Isaac. Dawn was getting closer. Dracula, not fully fulfilling his mission, ordered to retreat.
Soldiers perfect
During Dracula's invasion, the Turks, of course, managed to capture some of his soldiers. However, they did not reveal the hiding place of Vlad the Impaler to the Sultan, even under the threat of torture and death. According to the Chalkokondyles records, one of Dracula's men testified that
[…] he cannot say anything out of fear of the other. And although he was told that he would lose his life [...] he replied that he was ready to die at any moment, but would not dare to reveal anything.
Meanwhile, Theodor Kuricyn, Ambassador of Ivan III, described such a situation from Dracula's camp after returning from the night rally:
Those who returned with him from the fight, [Dracula] questioned personally. If he was wounded from the front, he rewarded him with honors and made him a knight. And those who had been wounded in the back were impaled with their backs, saying:'You are not a husband, but a woman!'
After that fateful night, the Sultan stopped more often and each time surrounded the camp with a stockade. He finally reached Dracula's headquarters, where he found a forest of people impaled on stakes :there were captured assassins who were to capture Vlad, as well as captured soldiers. According to the description of Chalkokondyles (probably slightly exaggerated), there were about 20,000 dead. The same author also writes that the Sultan
[...] said only that he could not take the country away from a man who was capable of such things and was able to use his authority and his subjects in such an extraordinary manner.
Mehmed gave up the siege of the city and wandered around Wallachia, constantly harassed by Dracula's horse raids. His trip turned out to be a total failure. The sultan's people only managed to appropriate about 200,000 head of cattle. So it turns out that Mehmed achieved virtually nothing:Dracula still ruled his land, and his army was able to defend itself. There was therefore nothing left but to return across the Danube and try the political struggle, which the Sultan did. However, this is a topic for a completely different story.