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granted his freedom after his father’s death, Radu decided to stay on and support the Turks. While Vlad Tepes was still in captivity, he learned that his elder brother, Mircea, was buried alive after his eyes were gouged out by the boyars of Tirgoviste, and he started to plot his own revenge.
     
    A BRIEF REIGN
    The throne of Wallachia, which rightfully belonged to Vlad Tepes, was now occupied by the boyars. With the help of the Turkish cavalry, the now seventeen-year-old Vlad Tepes, managed to briefly seize the Wallachian throne, and became Vlad III. His reign was to be very short, because within two months, Hunyadi forced Vlad III to relinquish his throne and he fled to his cousin, the Prince of Moldavia. Hunyadi appointed Vladislov II to the post, but he unexpectedly set in motion a pro-Turkish policy, which Hunyadi could not accept. Vlad III turned to Hunyadi, despite the fact that he was his father’s old enemy, and forged an allegiance with him to try and retake the throne by force.
    In 1453, the Christian world suffered when Constantinople fell to the Turks. Hunyadi built up his strength and prepared for battle, but the attack on Turkish Serbia did not take place until 1456. While Hunyadi attacked the Turks, Vlad III invaded Wallachia, defeating Vladislav II, to reclaim his throne. Hunyadi was killed at the Battle of Belgrade and his army defeated, news of which pleased the new ruler. Little did the citizens of Wallachia realise that this was to be the start of Vlad III’s reign of blood and terror.
     
    VLAD THE IMPALER
    As soon as Vlad III was back on the throne, he set about getting his revenge, not only for his father’s and brother’s deaths, but also on those who usurped his power. He started by building himself a lavish home, Poenari Castle on the Arges River. The building of the castle was strenuous work and many of the slaves – the boyers responsible for kiling his father and brother – died in the process. Condemned to a life of slavery, their health suffered and many were forced to work naked as their clothes literally fell to pieces. Vlad III, did not see the slaves as human beings and treated them worse than animals. He hated weakness of any kind and he devised methods of torture to punish any insubordinatation.
    Vlad III established his capital at Tirgoviste and one day he decided he wanted to cleanse his empire of those people who he considered to be lazy, unproductive, sick, handicapped or simply because they were born into poverty. He sent out a proclamation stating that no one should go hungry in his empire and invited all his poor and unfortunate subjects to a banquet in the great hall at Tirgoviste. There was much excitement as the guests gathered in the hall, completely unaware that this was just Vlad’s way of eliminating anyone who he considered tainted his ideal concept of what society should be. There was much joviality as the guests filled themselves with food and drink enjoying the luxuries provided to them by their generous prince. When everyone had taken their fill and were feeling complacent, Vlad made his appearance and stood in front of the crowd. The crowd cheered and raised their glasses in thanks. Vlad then asked them if they would enjoy never having to feel the pain of hunger ever again and if they would like to be free of any further worries. Of course, the crowd were enthusiastic, imagining a future life of constant luxury.
    Vlad ordered his soldiers to board up the hall with all of his subjects still inside and then set it ablaze – not one person escaped. As if his treatment of his subjects wasn’t bad enough, the atrocities he carried out against his enemies and anyone who disobeyed him, were far worse. He created an extremely harsh code of conduct for the citizens of Wallachia and anyone who broke the code was impaled and left in view as a warning. On St. Bartholomew’s Day, he had impaled as many as 30,000 merchants who he said had disobeyed his trade laws.