THE REIGN OF VLAD II DRACUL

Vlad II was born in 1392 or 1394 as the son of Wallachian voivode Mircea the Elder, known for his strategic victory at Rovine in 1394 and his participation in the crusade at Nicopolis in 1396. He was married twice – first to a Hungarian noblewoman, and then to Princess Marina of Moldavia. He had several sons, of whom three went on to be voivodes: Vlad III ‘the Impaler’, Radu ‘the Handsome’, and another Vlad ‘the Monk’. Another son was killed together with Vlad in 1447.

At the turn of the fifteenth century, Wallachia enjoyed a period of relative stability and prosperity and was trying to hold its ground between the two powers of the area. The first Ottoman attack in Transylvania took place in 1395, and more followed from thereon. Usually, the Ottomans attacked north of the Danube between April and October and had the right, according to peace treaties, to cross through Wallachia. Wallachian rulers were