Out of the Shadow of Count Dracula . . . When Vlad III was Sold into Slavery

Welcome back to this week's edition of Out of the Shadow of Count Dracula. Last week, we looked at what the Order of the Dragon - a special, noble, chivilric society that was designed to protect Christendom (in those pre-Church-split days #CoughCoughThanksHenryVIII #MartinLutherYouGetPropsToo, Christendom was solely Catholic and Orthodox) from Ottoman (Muslim) takeover.

We learned also how Vlad III got his infamous name - Dracula. His father, Vlad II, took the name to honor the Order of the Dragon when he himself entered. In those medieval Romanian days, Dracul meant Dragon. Today, language has shifted (as language does . . . I mean, can you imagine someone in Vlad's time talking like my teenage daughter? Bro, that new edict you issued is delicious, frfr). Today, Dracul in modern Romanian means devil. What a way to get your reputation on the wrong path just through the shifting sands of history and language translation fads.

This week, let's look at Vlad III's childhood and examine when and why his father, Vlad II, sold him into slavery. 

Vlad II

Vlad III was born to his father, Vlad II of Wallachia, House of Draculesti, and his mother Eupraxia of Moldova. She was said to be his second wife, though Vlad II took many mistresses, and still not much is known about his legitimate wife other than she was a Moldavian noblewoman. 

Vlad II had a slew of children, the oldest legitimate child being Mircea - who was set to rule when Vlad II could no longer do so - and then came our beloved and historically notorious Vlad III. His little brother, Radu, came next, then a daughter, Alexandra - who also is difficult to track down historiographically. A couple of illegitimate children are in the Draculesti mix as well, one being the eldest of all, Vlad the Monk (whose cruelty, in my research, surpasses even Vlad III's . . .) and another child named Mircea. Strange . . . lots of the same names, lots of different mothers. Oh well, it is what it is. 

Radu the Fair, or Radu the Handsome

Vlad II, pictured above, wanted to rule and live a life of luxury, and he didn't think twice about selling out to do so. Actually not selling out . . . but selling his sons. But which ones should he sell? Not Mircea the heir, no no no. How about the littlest legitimate ones, Vlad III (our Vlad) and his little brother Radu (pictured to the left). Vlad III was 11 or 12 when he was sold by his father into Ottoman hands, and Radu was only 7.

As we know from the English language, to sell means to give something to someone in order to get something in return. So what did Vlad's Dad get in return for selling his sons to an empire of known pedophiles?

Peace. He got peace.

The Ottomans promised to help Vlad II regain his rightful throne and furthermore, they promised not to attack Wallachia if Vlad II supplied them with two of his sons plus a yearly supply of gold, a deal to which he readily agreed.

Without a second thought, Vlad III and Radu were dealt away like pawns by their father, ruler of the Wallachia - and into the hands of an enemy who had a well-known lust for young boys. What makes this even more disturbing is that the practice of selling young boys to the Ottoman Empire in exchange for the Ottoman's promise not to attack was commonplace at the time, with many, many countries doing the very same thing. These young boys, sold into Ottoman slavery, were numerous enough to make an army. This army even had a name - the Janissary Army - made up of young, European boys who turned from their European ways and were now loyal to the Turkish cause.

What happened once the boys arrived to Tokat Castle in modern day Turkey? Find out more next Thursday, same time, same place. 

WeWriWa 1/26 - Defender of the Faith (Draculesti Dynasty #1)

Hello all! In addition to being Sunday, today is also the day Royal Rumble (the 13 year-old requires that we attend every WWE event that comes to the general vicinity) takes place in Houston and the day AFTER five of my six children had their very first flying lesson! Exciting! It seems we've planted the seed of aviation in all of my little daredevils children and will hopefully be getting some pilot lessons underway in the not-too-distant future.

Also, I would like to apologize. I signed up to blog last week, and had full intentions of doing so, until we learned that my aunt passed away from cancer in Odessa, TX. We rented an RV, loaded up the kids, and set out across the Lone Star State, and somewhere between the Brazos and the Pecos Rivers, blogging completely slipped my mind. Thank you for welcoming me back this week!

To get back to the other amazing WeWriWa participants, click here. 

Now . . . onward to my newest and most exciting project yet! Dracula! To get this proverbial party started, I'll begin with an excerpt from my reader letter. So without further ado, let's step out of the shadow of Count Dracula . . .

Back in 2009 when I began writing historical romance, on its own accord my work seemed to take an inspirational shift, which led (naturally) into more faith-based works, including my first Amish novel, Rebekah’s Quilt. Like the never-ending laundry pile produced by my family of eight, Rebekah’s Quilt morphed and multiplied with reckless abandon until it became book number one of a four-book series titled Rebekah’s Keepsakes. Suffice it to say, my work tends to take on a mind of its own and does as it pleases. Which pretty much describes in a nutshell how this book about Vlad came to be.

As a gal with a Bachelor’s degree in Medieval European History, I have an extreme fascination with the people of yesteryear and was thrilled when I learned that the infamous, bloodsucking Count Dracula was based on Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia, also known as Vlad Ţepeş, or Vlad the Impaler. Once I started research into Vlad and his life, I began to see him as a person instead of as a fictional character, and he was nothing like what legends described.

Vlad Drăculea III was fiercely Catholic, a third-generation Defender of the Faith, and a member of the Order of the Dragon, declared so by the Pope. His grandfather took their surname, Drăculea, to honor the Order of the Dragon since, in old Romanian, drăcul translates to dragon. Today, it translates to devil, which does no favors to Vlad’s legacy.

As a child, Vlad and his younger brother Radu were handed over by his father Vlad II, ruler of Wallachia, to be a prisoner of the Turks, whose practice of taking sexual liberties with little boys and young men was common knowledge of the time. This was a selfish move on King Vlad’s behalf, as he traded his sons into Ottoman hands to ensure himself a peaceful reign without Ottoman harassment and, worse yet, this practice of trading of little boys to the Ottomans in exchange for peace with the Turks was a common practice between many European countries and the Ottomans - not just Wallachia. . .
 

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There we have it. Ten sentences yanked from the first portion of my reader letter, thus setting the scene for this first-of-its-kind Dracula story. I hope you'll subscribe for updates for more behind-the-scenes Vlad drama which I uncovered while researching this series - and of course another excerpt from the untold story of Vlad next week! In the meantime . . . why not check out some of my fresh, new Amish romance releases? Because Vlad and Amish . . . they go together like . . . pickles and ice cream? Maybe . . . ? 

The Old Order Amish life offered in her hometown of Gasthof Village, Indiana is too restricting for spunky Katie Knepp after her return from Rumspringa. But is she really ready to turn her back on her devoted fiance Peter Wagler, on her twin sister Annie, and even her beloved parents? Katie has a tendency to act first and think later, and this time, she may pay for this with her life . . .

Katie's Plain Regret (Amish Journeys #1) 

Rebekah Stoll has everything an Amish girl in 1888 could ask for . . . loving parents, a handsome sweetheart, and a mess of little brothers who think the world of her. However, when an English stranger arrives at her simple homestead and sets her world - and that of everyone she loves - on end, everything Rebekah thought she knew is called into question. Even her faith.

Who can Rebekah trust when the line between the Amish and the English becomes blurred? 

Rebekah's Quilt (Rebekah's Keepsakes #1)

Out of the Shadow of Count Dracula

I have been researching a new book- well, let me rephrase that. If you know me I don't research just one book at a time, so in all fairness I can say that I have been researching a new series of books- about the medieval Romanian who inspired Count Dracula. Vlad Draculea III, also known as Vlad the Impaler.

In my research, I have uncovered (many, many, many) interesting facts that have changed the mental portrait I have of Vlad III, from one of a bloodthirsty, mindless heathen to . . . well, journey with me on this blog back to medieval Romania and see for yourself. (Clicking this link will take you to my Dracula page on this blog.) 

Next up . . . Vlad Draculea, Defender of the Faith.