When History Becomes Legend

Halloween will soon be upon us, and with it, a host of the perennial favorite--vampires.  Of course, vampires have gotten something of a makeover from the creature first popularized by Bram Stoker, first courtesy of Anne Rice, and then Stephenie Meyer.
 
I have heard references off an on through the years that there was a historical figure that was used as the basis of Bram Stoker's Count Dracula--a Romanian prince named Vlad Tepes (or "the Impaler.")  Beyond that tiny reference, I never really thought about it.  And then, just by chance, or perhaps because of the advent of Halloween, I ran across a masters dissertation written by Michael Vorsino, presented to his University of Texas professors in May 2008, which contradicts this popular assertion.

I found this paper interesting on two levels: first, because it provided a brief biography of Vlad in the socio-economic, socio-political, and religious context of his era (1431-1476); and secondly, because the paper discusses what information the author uses to support his assertion that Bram Stoker merely used a few known details about Vlad Tepes' life to flesh out a character he had already created, and to perhaps grant it some superficial authenticity and realism.  Whether you necessarily agree with Mr. Vorsino's thesis, or not, it does serve as a reminder to be cautious when making judgments about history, or assumptions about writer's or other artists' sources of inspiration.

For those interested in reading the paper, click here.