by Fabrizio Fiorenzano
Who was Vlad Tepes of Wallachia?
Naples has always been considered one of Italy’s most mysterious cities, rich in esoteric traditions and incredible, fascinating historical and archaeological discoveries that make it one of the most attractive and intriguing cities in Europe.
One of these mysteries has to do with the alleged tomb of Vlad Tepes III of Wallachia, known as the Impaler and better known as Draculea, which means son of the dragon and who inspired the fictional character Dracula, the vampire created by Irish writer Bram Stoker. The setting for this story is the church of the Monumental Complex of Santa Maria la Nova in Naples, which was built in 1279 by Charles I of Angiò.
There are various interpretations and reconstructions of Vlad Tepes’ life, and if we were to try to understand which one is closest to reality, we would risk going mad, so I will stick to the reconstruction that is considered to be the most reliable.
That reputation for bloodthirstiness that inspired the novel Dracula
But who was Vlad III really? He was a highly skilled but also bloodthirsty Romanian military and political leader, born in Sighisoara in November 1431 and probably died in January 1480 in Bucharest.
He was idolized and distinguished himself by opposing the Turkish invasion, fighting to defend his people in Romania and defending Christianity from the Ottomans. His myth and fame spread throughout Europe to the Holy Roman Empire. He was given the nickname ‘The Impaler’ because of his cruel habit of torturing and killing his enemies by impaling them. Tepes in Romanian means ‘pole’.
Depicted in these terms, Vlad III personified the figure of an absolute hero, gifted with great military intelligence but also with a marked degree of cruelty.
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