Vlad Tepes III,
Voidvode of Wallachia

Vlad III, also known as Vlad Tepes, or Vlad Dracula (Draculae), but most commonly known as 'Vlad the Impaler' was a voivode of the Wallachia region of Romania thrice between 1448 until his death in 1477.

When mentioning Dracula there are always a myriad of opinions concerning him: a tyrant, a hero, a slaver, a monster. For me, Vlad Tepes is a fascinating figure I love sinking my teeth into. Maybe it's something about the moustache? Regardless, this page will serve as a home for any of my opinions about him. Read at your own peril (I am very pretentious).

"Listen to them, the children of the night. What music they make!"

Vlad and the Romani
The Romani ethnic group were held as slaves by Vlad as he suspected them of possessing exceptional strength in the battlefield (citation very much needed here, read it in a book probably). There are records of him having forced Romani to devour their own after watching them be boiled, then ordering them to continue the act or face the Ottomans. Despite such displays of cruelty, it is unlikely than any other ethnic group at the mercy of Vlad would have been spared similar fates. The Romani just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, although the emancipation of Romani people only started in the mid 19th century, and the stigma surrounding Romani people and gypsies persists. Whilst most outsiders to Romanian culture think that the idea of Vlad Tepes being a national hero is most strange for his vicious torture methods, maybe it's not so unsurprising considering the ethnicity of the people his torture was most often done to. It's like they say: never ask a woman her age, never ask a man his wage, and never ask a European their opinion on the Romani.

Bloody Tears
According to recent research Vlad Tepes may have cried tears of blood. After examining the peptides and proteins from letters containing Vlad's fingerprints, researchers were able to get a glimpse at his health. Analysis concluded that he may have suffered from an inflammatory respiratory or skin disease and the pathological conditon hemolacria. Hemolacria has a variety of causes, some of which are hereditary, others being inflammation or high blood pressure, and is characterised by the presence of blood in tears. Whilst I'm sure this conjures up a lot of gothic imagery for people, the researchers acknowledge that the letters analysed would have come into contact with other people via its transportation. However, Vlad is the one who wrote these letters, so it is most likely that the material collected and examined is his. I wonder what the contemporary ideas of hemolacria's aetiology was though? Divine punishment? Evil spirits? Or was the blood of those slaughtered on the battlefield overflowing in Vlad's veins?