On This Day In History: Vlad III Dracula Regained Throne Of Wallachia For The Third Time – On Nov 26, 1476

AncientPages.com - On November 26, 1476, Vlad III Dracula (1431-1476), ruler of Wallachia, returned from a decade-long exile to take the throne for the last time.

The man was named Vlad by his father, Vlad II, and he also received his nickname, "Dracula" (the "Son of Dragon"). The elder Vlad had taken an oath to preserve the Christian faith in 1431 and joined the Order of the Dragon.

He was known for the brutal treatment of those seeking to challenge his leadership.

However, Vlad is still regarded as a national hero in his home country, Romania and Bulgaria. He was considered a brutal yet fair ruler.

Vlad was born in Transylvania, then part of the Kingdom of Hungary, and spent most of his early years in the arms of the Ottomans. He was held as a guarantee of protection against the Sultan's attacks on Wallachia.

Forced to learn the ways of his sworn enemies from a young age, Vlad felt bitter about his captors, his family, and his younger brother Radu.  His sibling, also sent to the Sultan, gained favor among the Ottomans for his willingness to cooperate. Radu was released, converted to Islam, and allowed into the Ottoman royal court.

Vlad would later be installed on the throne of Wallachia by the Sultan's armies after Hungarian king John Hunyadi had killed his father. He maintained his grudge for the rest of his life.

These years shaped Vlad's character and had a significant influence on Vlad. They. The Turks often beat him for being stubborn and rude. He developed a well-known hatred for Radu and for Mehmed, who would later become the Sultan.

In 1456, Vlad managed to regain the throne of his homeland while King Hunyadi defended Serbia from the Sultan's advances. Eager to provide stability in his war-ravaged land, Vlad created trade restrictions and boosted grain exports to keep the ordinary people from rising against him. He also ordered the murder of nobles he suspected of disloyalty and installed those he knew would remain on his side.

In the meantime,  the Ottomans were on the march again.  Though Vlad initially managed to repel Mehmed's armies, his brother Radu would take the crown on September 8, 1462.

Vlad fled to Hungary in search of aid from his allies. Instead, he was imprisoned, but according to diplomatic letters and writings, his time in prison was short.

On November 26, 1476, Vlad retook his homeland for the last time, with the help of the Hungarians and his cousin, Steven the Great of Moldavia.

Weeks later, he was dead.

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