The Most Sadistic & Bloodthirsty Man of The Middle Ages…

When most people think about Transylvania it conjures the image of Dracula and the world dreamed up in Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel - a world of gothic castles, shapeshifting bats, and vampires. Some people even think of Transylvania as a mythical place like that of Middle-Earth or Narnia, only much creepier. But Transylvania is a real place in what is now modern Romania, in Western Europe, and Dracula was a real person known to the world as Vlad III or Vlad Tepes, meaning the Impaler. Welcome to Medieval Madness.
0:00 Introduction
0:45 A Traumatic Childhood
3:12 A Show of Power
5:22 The Art of Impalement
7:13 The Blood Thirsty Tyrant
8:17 Hero and Villain
Narrated by James Wade
Written by Lisa E Rawcliffe
Edited by Jamit Productions
Thank you for watching.
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Copyright © 2023 Top5s All rights reserved.

[@jacobgard9404]

Some thing to note was a lot of his horrific crimes were written by his enemies who tried demonizing him either because he was orthodox and not catholic or by the merchants he kicked out. Like the instance of him dipping bread in the blood. Edit. Just added extra details.

[@AlmostEthical]

Apparently, he impaled to intimidate a much larger enemy and to enforce law, but everything else was added. Impaling is plenty bad enough, though.

[@claudiamanta1943]

The dipping bread thing… It must be a misssss-stake 🐍 Sssso sssorry, I meant ‘steak’. Or maybe it was a Christian thing to do, raising people’s spirits up on an economy (kinda) cross 😈

[@alexandrub8786]

​@@AlmostEthicalnot when you do to murderers who "island hope" between villages and hide in the forests while 10% of your taxes go as tribute to Constantinople.

[@kellykane7586]

I would Love to believe that most of Vlad's story is embellished...but sadly the core of it is likely fairly accurate

[@MrsABC7997]

To be honest, for his time, this man was a military genius, politically ahead of his time, and objectively ruled his country very well. His methods were by the standards of the day actually very moderate. There were many worse things being done in other parts of the world at that particular time!

[@SakuraAsranArt]

Yes, he's considered a national hero in Romania.

[@mrfren2115]

I think his punishments were nothing special but the scale of them were. Vlad had a better head on his shoulder than this channel presents.

[@wanderson163]

Yes, his character is much better explained in the documentaries on the channels ‘The People Profiles’ and ‘Dan Davis History’

[@mikeys7536]

He was smart. He did what he needed to do to survive in a savage time and place.

[@mmv10]

He was still barbaric regardless of his military prowess and only because others were practicing such methods it does not make it ok!

[@ciprianlazar4504]

life is hard when you are the neighbour of the ottoman empire!

[@falgalhutkinsmarzcal3962]

Lifeis harder when you are an old person living under Vlad the impaler

[@filiasolis5495]

I was born in Transylvania. Beautiful place I love it. Still a mysterious, wild place in Europe. Vlad stems from the draconian blood line being also the ancestor of almost all European royal families we know today. They are still bloodthirsty but do their bloodshed hidden while smiling in tabloid pics.

[@nataliep501]

Thanks for the insight 😮

[@raymond_luxury_yacht]

Because they are lizards?

[@filiasolis5495]

@@raymond_luxury_yacht Draco/draconian means dragon so I suppose they could be lizards

[@Nerathul1]

wut

[@fraserihle4847]

@@raymond_luxury_yachtyes. Without a doubt. Secret lizards 😂😂🤦‍♂️

[@BackToBasicsbrian]

As someone who knows a couple Romanians, they all say people think he was crazy but at the time they worshipped him as a hero and he ruled mostly "fairly".

[@alexandrub8786]

It doesn't help that most narratives in the west come from saxons that had their monopolies broken by him. Imagine hearing about all the right that american workers got at the end of the 1800' from the rubber barons, they would just call that "government tyranny" and how "families would die of famine (because we couldn't send kid in mines or to do dangerous jobs or lock them workers in flamanle building that catched fire)".

[@alinvid6098]

As a romanian myself I can tell you that is pretty stupid... not many of us think he was crazy... he was a fair man who hated crime and he wanted to get rid of evil people... that is why he had such severe punishments. He was a very brave leader and millitsry genius but like all our Romanian rulers he was betrayed

[@BackToBasicsbrian]

@@alinvid6098 you give me the vibes that you are actually Moldovan, not romanian 🤣

[@alinvid6098]

@@BackToBasicsbrian no. I am Romanian and I live exactly in "județul Bihor" the area of Transylvania, but the Myths are wrong, Vlad Țepeș ruled over the "romanan country" "Țara Românească" witch is a separate area, I give you the vibe ? Wtf does that mean ? Have I insulted you with something ? I don't think I have... so I don't know how I "give you the vibe" of anything else but being polite. Btw Vlad Țepeș didn't do all that is said in this video, he didn't kill the elderly, the weak and the unfaitful women... that is just propaganda made by his enemies trying to make him look like a demon. But he did kill the killers cut the hands off of thieves and stuff like that witch is relatively just. We have a saying here in Romania regarding his reign: "You could leave bag of gold in the market square and come back after 3 days and you would find it there in the same place, nobody would touch it." That is the way he ruled by fear but most people followed his rules. In the future try not to imply stupid things like you said, I mean I have done nothing to offend you and yet you question weather I am from Romania or not... that was rude of you, I have no wish to demonstrate I am telling the truth and I don't really care if you believe me or not. Have a nice day !

[@Transilvanian90]

As a Romanian from Transylvania this subject interests me particularly; I'm glad MM covered Vlad but there's a few errors worth noting. A couple of small ones (Transylvania isn't western europe, and those were boyars, not lawyers); one that's more disputed, but the nailing of hats to envoys has multiple versions, the most common being that he did it to Muslims wearing Turbans, not Italians (which would make sense as he was at war with the Ottomans, not Italians). Also a lot of the most extreme examples of cruelty given (murdering the sick and elderly, for instance) smells of propaganda more than fact, of which there was lots going around courtesy of Vlad's German enemies. Overall he did a great job of curtailing Boyar power and of holding off the Turks for some decades.

[@alexandrub8786]

Yeah but you see the saxons heard the story and thought Saxon1:"How can we dethrone Vlad to get back our monopolies in Wallachia with this." Saxon2:"Let's replace the turks with italians or catholic monks." S1:"Hans,you are a genius. Hans start that printinting press again." "A spune brașoave" is means "lying" for a reason after all.

[@incognitoburrito7558]

muslims dont wear turbans...only sikh men do

[@grapeshot]

Yep, maniac extraordinaire, even though in Eastern Europe, some see him as a hero. The Turks called him Kazikli Voyvoda( Impaler Lord)

[@2shy1151]

Pointy Papa Vlad?

[@jamesshore3191]

The Ottoman's calling this man brutal is the height of irony.

[@zeynepb9365]

ottomans werent cruel though

[@jamesshore3191]

@@zeynepb9365 Well that's incorrect. Maybe relatively but even then... Mehemed's slain siblings and their slain children, the sacked population of Constantinople, and those 2000 beheaded Hungarian prisoners of war, among SO MUCH more, would probably disagree with you on that one.

[@karkovice10]

I've heard the story of Vlad Tepesh many times before, but you seem to give a new perspective on the legend. I've learned a thing or two with this video! 🙂

[@infinitejest441]

Vlad was a mad lad.

[@valentinkambushev4968]

Honestly, he is a pretty normal guy when it comes to the Middle ages. He might look monstrous today, but not in the Middle ages.

[@FelixstoweFoamForge]

Hey? Normal? Vlad was a contemporary of Richard the Third. All Richard did was behead his political opponents. Yeah, medieval rulers could be brutal, but this guy was proper mental. Literally. He's supposed to have solved the beggin problem by inviting all the beggars to a feast, locking them in, and burning the building down. This is not the act of a man without a few deep-rooted psychological issues.

[@Sectarian.]

No he was not. This is a faulty perception of the middle ages. People weren't lunatics back then. Such cruelty would horrify almost any normal medieval person.

[@frogglen6350]

He literally murdered kids for giggles

[@tommyvictorbuch6960]

That depends on where in the world you are.

[@grease.mv7993]

It is truly important to take a break from the retrospective viewing of history

[@elaztec.aztecca]

What a gruesome vindictive dude!!! Brutal and decidedly feared man that definitely knew how to make a statement!!!

[@raymond_luxury_yacht]

Stakement surely?

[@claudiamanta1943]

And you know all this… how? The sources might have been biased.

[@Bazdavies1]

He was noted for inventing the Kebab.

[@MAXIMUSMINIMALIST]

Ouch

[@esomethingoranother3718]

For a 15 minute video he did a really good job explaining Vlads life

[@19dec1981]

The very first image at 0:01 is my city of Cluj, in Transylvania. „Clavdiopolis, Coloswar vulgo Clavsenbvrg, Transiluaniæ ciuitas primaria“ an engraving by Georg Houfnagel (1617). Cheers from Transylvania

[@SusannahDyro-gd1nx]

My family is Romanian and my great aunt would tell us stories about him and she was proud, because she was from the old country 😅

[@gknip0]

I loooooooove your channel SO MUCH

[@LadyCoyKoi]

My all time favorite Historical figure. Without him Europe would've been an Islamic continent and we would not have the Enlightenment or other Western marvels we take for granted. Please keep in mind... in a way without Vlad 3rd Dracula we would still have slavery, as England was the first nation ever to pass laws outlawing slavery. If Europe became Islamic in the Renaissance and Enlighten eras we would still have slavery to this day. Dracula pushed them Muslims back and hard; whereas most other Eastern European nations folded. Say all the nasty you want about Dracula, but without him most of History would not occur they had and we would not be sitting peacefully in our rooms watching Medieval Age documentaries on KZbin. Dracula had more impact to History than given credit, and no, I am not a Romanian. Just someone who studs History and sees the connections that led to todays. world and appreciate figures who alter the course of history and the future. Even to this day we still have slavery in most of Islamic nations, so Dracula did us in the West a huge favor by keeping that sheet over there and not let it pass through. We could really use a modern day version of Dracula right now, especially dealing with these grapists and pedos.

[@Pltlght2571]

Hahahahahahaha, romangutan historical sci-fi. Vlad kept switching sides, simultaneously betraying both his overlords, the Ottoman Sultan and the Hungarian king. Until the Ottomans removed him, he fled to Hungary and Matthias Corvinus imprisoned his ass. He was an absolutely insignificant, treacherous nobody.

[@MrsABC7997]

Yes! Vlad has gotten an extremely bad reputation & he certainly doesn't deserve it.

[@TexanTemplar]

​@balazsszazi2571 switching sides as needed to preserve your country isn't wrong. Romania is on the map and a Christian country. Vlad won.

[@SakuraAsranArt]

Slavery is in EVERY country. India has nearly 8 million people living in slave-like conditions. China has close to 4 million slaves. Sex trafficking and sex slavery is rampant in Eastern European countries like Russia and Romania. Slavery in the textile industry in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and other parts of Southeast Asia. Sex Slavery in Thailand including child prostitution. In the Philippines slavery is rampant in the fishing industry and in domestic service work. Finally the Americas including the US and Canada. Sex trafficking, illegal sweatshops, the domestic service industry especially workers who aren't in the US legally. Drug trafficking and manufacture in places like Columbia and Mexico. That's a very abbreviated list of slavery across the modern world so why don't you clean up your own backyard before blaming Muslims for everything.

[@filiasolis5495]

Now 2023 we in Europe would need him more than ever...

[@Jay-n262]

Vlad, the Royal families ancestor.

[@filiasolis5495]

Similar looking with Prince Charles😉

[@alexandrub8786]

Not really,Charles has some Basarab blood in him but not direct descendant of Vlad.

[@2shy1151]

​@@alexandrub8786Definately not enough of Vlads blood in old lady Charles.

[@alexandrub8786]

@@2shy1151 it is a bit to early to say. Vlad paid tribute to the Sultan the first years of his reign after he let them take the fortress of Giurgiu on the Danube at the start of his 1st(out of 3) reign.

[@2shy1151]

@@alexandrub8786 How old is he and what are his impressive military accomplishments for the people of the U.K? Do you really think he'll have anything to do with the resolution of our current global conflicts?

[@WhatLurksBeneath]

I never clicked so fast 🍿🍿🍿

[@cheeseman417]

Vlad the impailer had that whole Groucho Marx look going on with the mustache, only without the comedy schtick! luv it!

[@joecoastie99]

The Muslims definitely didn’t find him humorous

[@claudiamanta1943]

😂

[@claudiamanta1943]

@@joecoastie99 *Vlad’s enemies whilst torturing and killing innocents in their wars* ‘You need to lighten- up, man. Chill. You’ve got some serious anger management issues. There, there, we can offer you some cognitive- behavioural therapy at discounted price’. *Vlad* ‘Umm… Don’t make me angry, then. Fck off or I’ll have your head on a spear after you will have reflected on your behaviour for a while beholding your innards dripping on your legs’.

[@bertassellodavide1297]

Vlad Țepeș Vodă ❤

[@PrasadCalifornia]

Funny thing about this whole Dracula thingy is the guy who was so berated and made as boogeyman by Christianity, may have been actually savior of Christiniaty from ambitious Ottoman sultan’s , at least unintentionally. Good deed never goes unpunished 😂

[@michaelhayes4537]

There is a tale of a wife who Vlad felt was not good and loyal to her husband. So requesting for the husband and another lady to be present, Vlad impaled the man's former wife. Both watched in horror. Especially the new wife who was told this would be her fate if she failed to be a better wife.

[@Anonymous-tt1qs]

What happened to the weekly uploads on Friday?

[@szaszrobert7452]

Hello.im from medias 30 km from sibiu ...ur the first to really tell the real history ok the "vampire"

[@grease.mv7993]

Might also recomend the work the guys at Corpus Draculanium are putting out,although i must warn yall they only speak Romanian,but u might get an english captioned video

[@marmalade101]

0:25 huh didnt know romania is now in western europe

[@SleepyFl0wer]

Blimey!

[@juniorjames7076]

Fun Fact- Vlad Dracul's brother, Radu of Wallachia/Radu Bey- was Muslim! When they were held as hostages of the Ottoman court when they were children, Radu converted to Islam, remained and later rose in the ranks of the military and diplomatic corps. Vlad, of course, returned to Romania.

[@follc1991]

You should start making longer videos once in a wail

[@AncestorEmpireGaming]

Change my mind: Vlad was the inspiration for Darth Revan

[@antoniomoreira5921]

If anyone's deeply interested in the Medieval history of the region I strongly recommend Schwerpunkt's videos series

[@fantasywarhammer]

Hero of europe!

[@alisonbrowning9620]

elevating to poor quite literally

[@acrowlovesme]

It's Friday! Where's the new video? 😢 11/03/23 😢😢😢

[@j0b1e]

WHERE THE EFF IS MY NEW VIDEO THIS FRIDAY I WAIT ALL WEEK FOOOORR

[@stevenfranks3131]

"Penn-sylvania...."

[@emilpamfilstroia443]

In the introduction it’s said that Romania is in the west part of Europe.. we’re actualy in the east. 🙃 🫡

[@esoteric_mememaster]

Vlad was a great prince. He's my favorite Latin person.

[@user-bi8no2rs6d]

In Western Europe?

[@calinradu1378]

Your video is very interesting though I think you gave up on historical accuracy for the sake of show sometimes. He did impale many people but stories of boiling and dismembering them and severely punishing unfaithful women were part of German propaganda. German merchants were very mad at him because he raised custom taxes and considerably restricted their activity in Wallachia. For many if you suck their money is like sucking their blood🙂

[@Nervadane]

YAY VERILY

[@mihai-live]

❤

[@mgmodp8966]

*eastern europe

[@jameswhiteside8696]

Isn't romania, eastern Europe?

[@jeanniearnold6726]

I can’t imagine 🤮

[@alisonbrowning9620]

impalment is in the bible, the Persians did it. I think its in the book of Esther

[@Morgan_Layfay]

It's crazy how because of how long ago it was, and Dracula definitely helps lol, but it's crazy how he's so romanticized compared to some others lol I'm fine with it 😂 just always crosses my mind when he's comes up .. Because what an absolute banger of a life! Good or bad, it was exciting as hell lol

[@zacsayer1818]

Romania is not in Western Europe!

[@Donathon-qx8kq]

Do you, if, you have a European background realize what the world as you know it would be like if it wasn't for Vlad....he was the only country between the Ottomans and Paris (?)....and why is Ogla a saint and Vlad a despot for doing basically the same thing...... you know that in certain places Vlad is a hero....of course some of his evil acts were written by his enemies

[@alexandrub8786]

Paris was an ally of the Ottomans against the Habsburgs As of to why people see Vlad as bad but not Olga,i have the reason:Germans,specifically transylvanian saxon merchants. They did a propaganda campaigne against Vlad in the west because "muh money und profit margins"

[@superdanu]

Eastern Europe, not western 😊

[@David-wn8uy]

😑 Welllll.......😬

[@S-North]

Europe would not be the Europe of today if it were not for him. He repelled muslim hoards many many times.

[@j0b1e]

He is done. He gave up on medieval history and us.

[@Rbhjr1]

Ahhhh bummer...I looked forward to my Friday night MM before I went to bed. I guess the views did not justify the time/expense.

[@raymond_luxury_yacht]

Hitler keeps getting reincarnated

[@seleciaa]

Wicked :/

[@johannalappi]

Western europe? It is in east europe.

[@casteroner3617]

What a title! Was this video made by a turk??

[@muddy_spaghetti]

He’s one of the scariest people in history. Even brutalizing his own people for petty reasons. I don’t think you mentioned all the people he flayed as well. I know some of those “unchaste” women were flayed.

[@alexandrub8786]

Most of the information the west got about vlad were from westerners(i.e. saxon merchants) who have lost their businesses in wallachia because of their business practiceses,of theor monopol and because they were a destabilizing force there. Also his victoms were the nobility that betrayed his father and brother,the saxons that did not surrerder the pretender nor did they accept to be anything else but "superior partner", and as of the population(that were not nobles) it was either criminals or "leakes of society".

[@alexandrub8786]

On the "leakes of society" part there is also a story about him calling all the unlanded peasents to get unworked land to own and work on and only one person appeard and then sending a second message for a feast for the same population and filling the hall (that he burned because they wanted only to eat but not to work),in the west if this story is told i know the first part is mostly.

[@elpatronelsenor]

A slave of the Ottomans is the hero of the Romanians xD xD

[@avrilone]

Fascinating!

[@jasmineg_63]

Husband 💅🏼🤌🖤

[@VoltasP]

Please don't use 4 second music loops. It's awful. @3:13 Literally have to skip chapters because it's so painful to listen to,

[@keithwhite5823]

highly inaccurate video

[@Pltlght2571]

Romania is Eastern Europe. John Hunyadi wasn't voivod of Transylvania, but the Governor of Hungary. His son Matthias was the overlord of Vlad III. Vlad the vassal did betray the Hungarian king on several occasions, therefore after the Ottomans replaced him with Radu, Matthias imprisoned him, instead of helping him regaining his throne. The guy was a nothing burger and died accordingly.

[@TexanTemplar]

He is the sole reason Romania is on the map today and a Christian country. Vlad won plain and simple and he did what was necessary.

[@Pltlght2571]

@@TexanTemplar Vlad died at the end of the XV. century. What does he have to do with 200 year old Romania? What did he win, when he was ousted by the Ottoman? He lost at the end.

[@TexanTemplar]

@balazsszazi2571 I don't see ottomans owning romania today. Romania is not a Muslim country. Vlads stalwart defense allowed it to become what it is today.

[@Pltlght2571]

@@TexanTemplar neither is Bulgaria. He lost against the Ottoman. XD

[@alexandrub8786]

John was first the Voievod of Transylvania before he becomed the Governor of Hungary. Romania is in multiple geographic position. Part of it in cental europe,part of it in eastern europe,part of it in the balkans(i.e. south-eastern europe).

[@fpostolache]

Boring and wrong

[@nosotrosloslobosestamosreg4115]

This guy knew how to deal with "migrants".

[@ezo2161]

Oof

[@cheeseman417]

Heyy noww!😂

[@joecoastie99]

When walls fail pikes didn’t.

[@EA-js1me]

Thank you. Now I’m imagining Vlady with a blond wig, pursed lips and hands weirdly gesticulating, saying: “We need to build yuuge pikes, the sharpest pikes, and Turks are gonna pay for them, I’m gonna make them pay for them, believe me… believe me.”

[@nosotrosloslobosestamosreg4115]

@@EA-js1me I'm imaging YOU with a wig, a dress and demanding to be accepted on little girls restrooms.

[@We-Wuz-Great-201]

Don't forget to mention that he wuz black!

[@valentinkambushev4968]

And that he was gay.

[@grapeshot]

No one has ever said that, although I know you're kind, gets very angry if black people are part of history because you just don't like that.

[@grapeshot]

Don't forget to mention he wasn't northern European.

[@valentinkambushev4968]

@@grapeshot I don't hate black people, but I hate it when they are in history stories they are not supposed to be in.

[@grapeshot]

​@valentinkambushev4968 well I do hate white supremacists and we always see stories that have been whitewashed.

[@cornelishenk4569]

Clickbaiting dislike :) maby I will report.