Brothers Vlad and Radu, sons of the Vlahian
voivode Vlad II Dracul, grew up in the Ottoman court as princely hostages, educated in
the same Muslim spirit as their friend, young Mehmed II, the future Ottoman Sultan.
-- As he matured, Vlad served with distinction with the elite Janissaries and was praised for
his soldierly qualities, but his roughness and fearless resistance to becoming a Muslim made
him subject to brutal punishments. Vlad hasn’t forgotten this… even years after he deserted
the Ottoman court to join the Hungarian ranks.
Wishing to dominate the last increment of the
Danube River, the crescent of Islam clashes with the cross of Christianity at Belgrade, in July of
1456. Led by Sultan Mehmed II, the Ottomans are defeated and forced to make a humiliating retreat.
But after years of conflict the Hungarian army also suffers great losses in men and materials
creates a window of opportunity for young Vlad…
Placed in charge of protecting the Transylavian
border, Vlad uses his position to exploit the military power vacuum left by the decimated armies
and marches into Vlahia ahead of a small mercenary force, but is soon opposed by the incumbent
Vladislav II near Targsor. The two leaders choose to decide the battle with a knightly
duel and, amidst cheers from the two armies, Vlad wins the duel and kills Vladislav, then
proceeds to march unopposed to the Vlahian capital of Targoviste. There, he crowns himself
as voivode of Vlahia in August 1456 – his divine right to the throne confirmed the following
night by a spectacular comet in the night sky.
Wasting no time, Vlad hires his own uniformed
mercenary army and moves to consolidate his power, and reform the country.
He enforces taxes on the boyars, much to their dismay. Furthermore, he
eliminates those plotting to kill him, and even goes after powerful boyars responsible
for the killing of his father and brother. Their estates are confiscated and given to the
peasants who, in exchange, are to be trained during post-harvest months for military service.
Vlad rids Vlahia of people who “pollute” the land. Thieves are impaled, beggars, homeless and the
plague-infested are burned alive in barns. In Vlad’s opinion, they “depart earthly
sufferings for a better afterlife”.
He further centralizes his realm by building
fortresses and churches and expands the capital of Targoviste, and other cities. He also
creates a princely Order by naming best soldiers Viteaz (meaning “Brave”). These knights
become the new nobility who support only Vlad.
He undertakes road constructon to enhance
domestic and international trade revenue.
Gives subsidies to handymen to open
their businesses and encourages the middle class with tax enhancements.
Installs customs posts at the borders, forcing foreign merchants to pay taxes when
traveling through or doing business in Vlahia.
For all intents and purposes Vlad rules
his realm with confidence and an iron fist and he soon goes after his rivals…
By 1458, Vlad’s Vlahian army beings raiding Saxon-dominated Transylvania, bringing carnage to
communities which shelter many of Vlad’s rivals to the crown. He orders suspected traitors to
be impaled in full view of the residents and attempts to burn the monumental Black Church of
Brasov. He also regains posession of Bran Castle, once owned by his grandfather.
Needless to say, by 1460 the Saxon establishment in Transylvania is furious, but
their bitter complaints about Vlad’s cruelty fall on deaf ears of King Matthias. The unhappy
merchants seek their own justice by deciding to eliminate the Vlahian voivode and replace
him with Dan III, one of the men behind the murder of Vlad’s father and brother. But it soon
proves to be a doomed venture as Vlad gets word of their operation and ambushes their army. Again
rising to the occasion, Vlad humiliates Dan III in a spectacular duel, then forces him to dig
his own grave in full view of his men, before he is decapitated and his followers impaled.
Further raids into duchies which refused Vlad’s rule, lead to the massacre of tens of thousands of
civilians. And by now the greatly displeased King Matthias realizes that his Transylvanian province
is threatened. An agreement is reached with Vlad: the Saxons agree to return all of Vlad’s rivals
and dissidents, pay 15,500 forints and supply soldiers. In exchange Vlad promises to stop
the Ottomans from entering Transylvania.
With most of his rivals dead and his northwestern
border secured, the Vlahian voivode projects his power further by building a new Vlahian
capital closer to the Danube. Located in the marshes of the Dambovitsa river, Bucuresti is
surrounded by natural moats infested with leeches, snakes and mosquitoes – good natural deterrents
for any invading army. From his new capital Vlad hopes to unite all Vlahs into one kingdom and,
confident of his power, he provides military aid to Prince Stefan who is attempting to take
the throne of Moldavia, dutifully keeping the oath of loyalty he had given to his cousin.
In response to Vlad’s collaboration with Stefan, an Ottoman force embarks on a campaign of
pillage and destruction in southern Vlahia. After their fast raid, the Ottoman retreat is
slowed by the plunder and prisoners. Before they can reach the Danube, the Ottomans are
intercepted by Vlad’s cavalry… Only a few Turks live to cross the Danube and tell the tale…
Considering the Ottoman raid to be a violation of the treaty he has with Sultan Mehmed, Vlad
refuses to pay yearly tribute and to pledge vassalage – now he faces the mighty Ottoman
army, but he hopes that the crusade called by Pope Pious against the Ottomans will
relieve some of the pressure on Vlahia.
But with European Kingdoms embroiled in
intrigue and warfare against each other, hardly anyone commits to the Christian cause,
and by 1461 the Pope’s call for a crusade rings hollow. Left to face the Ottomans
alone, Vlad agrees to pay tribute and to send young boys to be trained as Janissaries.
Around this time, one of Vlad’s most trusted and valuable allies, Michael Szilágyi, is captured in
Bulgaria by the Ottomans. Considered to be a spy, he is brought to Constantinopole where he
is tortured and eventually sawed in half.
Soon after, a 10,000-strong Ottoman contingent
enters Vlahia to collect the tribute and the new recruits, lead by the commander of
Nicopolis, Hamza Pasha. Seeing the large force, Vlad suspects that Hamza’s real mission is to
capture him. The Vlahian voivode reacts and attacks the approaching Ottoman contingent with
full force, annihilating them down to a man. He impales thousands of dead Turks around Targoviste
and sends Hamza’s head in a jar to King Matthias as proof of the Vlahian commitment to fight
the Ottomans, but despite this he receives no reply and no help from the Hungarian king.
Vlad spends the rest of 1461 training his army for war and fortifies Bucuresti with heavy
palisades and brick bastions, installing cannons along the fortification perimeter.
Aware that Mehmed’s armies are fighting in Anatolia, Vlad prepares to
raid Ottoman territory…
And in early 1462, while on route to cross the
frozen Danube, Vlahian cavalry stops not far from Giurgiu – one of the strongest heavily
fortified northern Ottoman military bases.
Dressed as a high ranking Ottoman
official ahead of his entourage, Vlad approaches the fortress on a snowy day and,
speaking in perfect Turkish, orders the garrison commander to open the gates. The sentries let him
in, believing he must be an important official as he is traveling with many bodyguards.
Upon entering, Vlad’s men silence the sentries and open the gates wide for the rest of
the Vlahian cavalry to rush in and take over the fortress. They slaughter the Ottoman garrison and
set their quarters ablaze after looting them.
What followed next would fuel the legend of
“Vlad the Impaler” – over the next two weeks his cavalrymen engage in raids that cover
800km (500miles) along the frozen Danube, all the way to the Black sea. Aiming to destroy
main bridgeheads that the Ottomans use to cross into Vlahia, Vlad’s army sacks Ottoman and other
non-Christian settlements on the Bulgarian Danube riverbank, and continue to raid south into
Ottoman territory over the next few months.
For the Vlahs living in Bulgaria since Dacian
times, these are blessed days – at least for a time they regained their freedom from the Ottoman
yoke. Countless numbers of them join the fight, either seeking revenge or because they believe
in Vlad’s mission. The news spreads like wildfire about the carnage left in the wake of Vlad’s
mini-crusade. The Vlahian voivode now hopes that more Christians will rally to his
banner to fight off the mighty Ottomans…
Word spreads across the Balkans and beyond
about the effectiveness of Vlad Tepes’ raid into Ottoman territory. Using his knowledge of
the empire’s military organisation, something he learned during his time in the Ottoman court,
Vlad selectively targets vital Ottoman military infrastructure in northern Bulgaria, crippling
their capability to quickly respond to Vlahian attacks. He destroys crossing points into Vlahia ,
sacks those fortified cities that serve as bases, pillages and burns key towns that have military
duties and store agricultural supplies as well as other provisions for the Ottoman army.
Economic damage and chaos spread far and wide as countless thousands of civilians
perish at the hands of Vlad’s horsemen.
But now, more Turks are coming.
Mehmed II recently concluded a highly successful campaign against an anti-Ottoman
alliance in Anatolia , extending his rule on the peninsula, and achieving the ultimate goal
of his campaign by conquering Trebizond , the last of the Byzantine Greek cities.
Back at his palace, while tending to the administration of the empire, news
reaches Mehmed about the carnage caused by Vlad Tepes in Bulgaria. Large groups of
the Turkish population are fleeing south, bringing with them tales that the “Impaler
Prince” is on his way to Constantinople.
Mehmed decides to take matters into his own
hands, not least because the spreading of such rumors could turn Vlad into an undisputed hero
of the entire region and destabilize Ottoman rule in the Balkans. The sultan becomes even more
concerned after reports reach Constantinople that King Matthias Corvinus sent the experienced
Szekely mounted troops in support of Vlad’s war effort. If these reports are true, this would
mean that an alliance between Matthias and Vlad may have been formed against the Ottomans.
Mehmed further suspects that an even broader Christian alliance might be planning a crusade
against the Ottoman Empire, as Hungary increases their military presence in Belgrade and the
Pope sends vast sums of money to King Matthias. In return the king offers Hungary to be the host
of the western armies and promises to provide troops for the Christian cause… the Hungarian
king would eventually break these promises.
Despite not knowing Matthias’ real
intentions, Mehmed nevertheless diligently acts on the reports he received and
begins preparations for a major conflict.
Some contemporary sources place the number of
Ottoman troops in the hundreds of thousands, which are highly exaggerated and unrealistic
figures. For the purpose of this video we will use the accounts of the 15th century
Venetian envoy in Buda, Pietro di Tommasi, who writes that Mehmed mobilized a 60.000 strong
army, though modern research tells us that the number of troops was far lower. Mehmed assembles
such a large army expecting that in Vlahia he will be fighting against the joined armies
of Matthias and Vlad, which also requires the sultan to lead his troops in person.
But there are further factors which require Mehmed’s presence in Vlahia ... Vlad proved
to be a formidable foe, employing effective military tactics, logistical knowhow, as well
as diplomatic trickery, to devastate northern Bulgaria and eliminate a number of Ottoman army
contingents and garrisons. Mehmed has to take revenge against Vlad and reaffirm his image as
“protector of Ottoman lands”. Furthermore, a demonstration of Ottoman power near the Hungarian
border might discourage his biggest rival in the region from joining the planned crusade, and the
destruction of Vlad’s army would eliminate the only Christian country from the planned crusade
that took action against the Ottoman Empire.
Across the Danube, Vlad Tepes calls upon all
able bodied men to join the fight. The core of his army is comprised of around 2,000
experienced troops - his personal guard, foreign mercenaries and the Szekely horsemen.
The boyars, with their mercenaries and vassals, are able to field around 8,000 troops. The
remaining 10,000 are formed by soldiers under local leaders of smaller land holdings. In
total Vlad assembles around 20,000 troops, though here too modern research tells us
that the number of troops was far lower.
Believing that King Matthias will keep his promise
and will come to his aid, Vlad continues his agression against the Ottomans by destroying their
military and merchant shipping on the Danube, expecting help to arrive no later than April
before the ice on the Danube completely melts, which will allow the Ottoman fleet to sail up
the river from the Black sea. But April comes and goes, and Vlad realises he must adapt his plans.
The Ottoman army leaves Edirne in late April or early May. Mehmed plans to march west along
the Via Militaris to Plovdid and then north to Nikopolis, using army storehouses along the way
to stockpile provisions for the campaign, knowing that he might not be able to effectively supply
his army once he reaches the devastated areas in northern Bulgaria. Once at Nikopolis, from there
he plans to follow a commercial route that leads straight to Targoviste . Meanwhile, the Ottoman
fleet of some 175 ships is transporting more troops from the Black sea and plans to sail up
the Danube to support the crossing at Nikopolis.
Vlad knows that without Hungarian support he
cannot wage an open war against the vast military potential of the Ottoman war machine, and that the
only way to confront Mehmed’s numerically superior army coming from the south is guerilla warfare,
by focusing on operations that rely on speed, mobility, surprise and professionalism of
the troops. For this extremely difficult and demanding task, the Vlahian voivode can
count only on a small portion of his army.
From the remaining troops Vlad forms a mobile
expeditionary force and sends them to eastern Vlahia to hold off the Ottoman advance there and
relieve the siege of Kilia , a highly valuable strategic city, disputed between Moldavia,
Vlahia and Hungary, but also targetted by the Ottomans. Eventually, the Hungarian garrison
in Kilia stands firm and the siege fails, with the invaders suffering great losses.
Finally, the Ottoman fleet meets up with Mehmed on June 1st. While establishing
a bridgehead, Vlad and his cavalrymen ferociously contest the landing. But despite
inflicting heavy losses on the invading troops, by June 3rd the Ottoman vanguard manages to
cross the river, and Vlad retreats inland to avoid losses. The Ottomans complete the
crossing by the end of June 4th, the next day.
The sultan then divides his forces. Most of the
core of the army under Mehmed’s personal command marches towards Targoviste , together with
Rumelian sipahis commanded by Mahmud Pasha. On Mehmed’s far right is the second part of his
army, the akinji cavalry who guard his flank.
Due to the unusually hot summer Mehmed decides
to go through the thick Vlasia forest. Ottoman troops welcome the escape from the scorching heat,
but in the shade of the Vlasia forest lay hidden contingents of Vlahian troops. Multiple ambushes
and night attacks are launched against the long Ottoman line of march. Aware of how dangerous
these night attacks are, Mehmed slows down the march in order to keep the troops more compact
and starts stopping the march earlier in the day, so that camp defenses can be erected before
dark. With his night attacks Vlad successfully slowed down the Ottoman advance, as he plays
for time while waiting for his expeditionary force to return from eastern Vlahia .
Meanwhile, on the Ottoman right flank the akinjis run into deserted settlemens, the
population and livestock are evacuated north, as Vlad aims to deprive the invaders of any means
of supplies, leaving nothing behind. Back west, the main Ottoman army runs into logistical
problems of their own, as Mehmed’s chosen route towards Targoviste proves difficult, not
least because of the thick forest and poor road, but also because of vast marshy areas and
insufficient vegetation for animal consumption, not to mention the increased risk of
diseases in the torrid summer heat.
But finally, after about two weeks of marching
Mehmed halts his army and orders the camp to be set up on the banks of the Ialomița
river, south of Targoviste . At last, Ottoman troops can enjoy an endless supply
of fresh water. To raise morale, the sultan orders musicians to play invigorating tunes.
All seems to be under control and much needed sleep could not have come at a better time for
Mehmed’s troops. But the serenity will not last…
Organisation of the Ottoman camp in many ways
mimics their formation on the battlefield, a fact that Vlad is keenly aware of. Sipahi
cavalry of the Porte is in the center, Janissaries in the front-center,
Anatolian sipahi cavalry on the left, Rumelian sipahi cavalry on the right, and the Azab
irregulars on the flanks in front of the cavalry. The camp’s defenses consist of earthworks
– palisades – chains – and lookout posts, with the center being most fortified and
additionally protected by artillery pieces due to Mehmed’s presence there. Behind
the tents are horses and pack animals.
Lurking with his cavalrymen, Vlad finally makes
contact with his expeditionary force that returned from eastern Vlahia. He relays the plan to
his ‘captain’, possibly a boyar named Galesh, ordering him to flank to the Ottoman rear
from the east, while Vlad plans to flank the camp from the west, and they would meet
in the center to focus their attack on the Ottoman head quarters and the sultan himself.
Having issued orders for a synchronised attack from both flanks, Vlad orders his cavalrymen
forward. The task of outflanking is a delicate one because of the tremendous dimensions of
the camp – it would take the Vlahian cavalrymen around 4 hours to complete the maneuver.
Vlad rounds the Ottoman left undetected. But the troops in the tents on the Ottoman far left
are soon alerted, possibly because a small part of Vlad’s left flank hooked the Anatolian sipahi
camp. It is now only a matter of time before the rest of the camp is alerted to the attack and
Vlad knows that his actions now must be executed faster – if he hurries there is still a chance
to retain the element of surprise as it will take some time before news of the attack reaches the
rest of Anatolian sipahis and the center of the camp. The Vlahian voivode urges his men forward!
About 1 hour later, the Vlahian cavalry breaks through the camp defenses of the Ottoman
center. Vlad Tepes spearheads the attack towards the tents of the Ottoman generals
and the gold-red tent of Mehmed II. The surprise attack creates panic, catching the
Ottomans in the center off guard and on foot.
Vlahian cavalrymen hack their way through
the sipahis of the Porte, and start cutting the ropes that anchor leather tent canvases,
temporarily trapping many troops underneath, while in the darkness some of the Ottoman troops
attack each other in the confusion. Vlad and his men close-in on the center of the Ottoman camp
and smash into the Janissaries that managed to regroup and form a line to protect the sultan
thanks to their high professionalism. Momentum of the Vlahian cavalry charge drives a deep
wedge in their formation, getting ever closer to the sultan’s tent, but the Janissaries stand fast
and manage to contain the push of Vlad’s charge.
Amidst the fighting the Vlahian
voivode sees that to his right, his expeditionary force that was supposed to
attack from the east is nowhere to be seen. It is not clear why Vlad’s captain did not arrive
with the expeditionary force and contemporary accounts give us conflicting evidence.
It is possible that this Vlahian commander wasn’t profcient enough to execute the difficult
flanking maneuver and that he clashed with elements of the Ottoman right flank too early.
Another possibility is that the two Vlahian contingents couldn’t effectively coordinate the
attack at night while being tens of kilometres away from each other. It is also possible
that the Vlahian commander betrayed Vlad.
Whatever the case may be - The fact is: Vlad
attacked the Ottoman camp alone with his horsemen. And soon the gruesome hand-to-hand combat begins
to tilt in favor of the more numerous Ottomans. Outnumbered and bleeding from a head wound, Vlad
and his cavalrymen begin fighting their way out of the Ottoman camp. Vlad’s only option is to
retreat south-east, because the news of the attack still hasn’t reached the Rumelian sipahis
on the Ottoman right flank. Before sunrise, about 5,000 Vlahian and 15,000 Ottoman
troops lay dead on the battlefield.
As the Ottoman march continues, they are met with
a horrific sight, a field of dead Ottoman soldiers in their thousands, impaled and rotting in the
summer sun. Mehmed takes stock of the situation and decides to bypass Targoviste . He realises
that Matthias will not be coming to Vlad’s aid, and that he won’t be able to force an open
battle against the Vlahian voivode, so to continue towards Targoviste would only expose his
army to yet more ambushes and night attacks from the elusive Vlad Tepes . The sultan is aware that
the Vlahian voivode can keep outmaneuvering the less mobile Ottoman army and slowly bleed them dry
using guerilla tactics. The sultan’s assumptions prove true as Vlad delivers yet another major
night attack near Buzau , inflicting yet more losses to the invading army. Mehmed decides
to march towards Braila where his fleet awaits. The sultan also correctly predicts
that he can weaken Vlad’s political position by leaving behind Radu to take the throne
with the support of the akinji cavalry.
Radu indeed quickly wins the support of
the greater boyars by giving them many privileges and he soon takes control of voivodal
residences in Bucharest and Targoviste , as well as voivodal lands, subjects and trade
routes in the south of the country. This secures fiscal stability for Radu, enabling
him to establish his rule by August 1462.
In the meantime Vlad retreats into northern
Vlahia . Without the support of the greater boyars, it is unclear what is the reach
of his authority at this point. However, he still holds two important trade routes,
the “Red Turret Pass” and the Bran Pass, both strong defensive positions. The
voivode knows that the akinji will finish their pillaging and retreat back to Bulgaria
before winter, which will leave Radu exposed, and he intends to ask for support from King
Matthias to depose Radu. In November, Vlad and Matthias meet at Brasov , but the Hungarian king
refuses to aid Vlad, knowing that if he supported an attack against Radu, the Ottomans will perceive
this as a declaration of war. Enraged, Vlad decides to attack Radu without Hungarian help.
In late November of 1462, Vlad heads through the Bran pass. At the Oratia fortress he is ambushed
by Jan Giskra, a Bohemian mercenary commander, now in the service of Matthias. The King
orders Vlad’s arrest in order to prevent the outbreak of a new war.
With Vlad imprisoned, his brother Radu’s rule is secured and
Vlahia is now firmly in the Ottoman grip.