The forest of the impaled!
In 1462 Vlad Țepeș erected a literal "forest of the impaled" -20,000 stakes with carcasses of impaled people!- to terrify the Ottoman enemies who had invaded his land Wallachia.
He was waging a cruel but very effective psychological warfare!
THREAD
In 1462 Vlad Țepeș erected a literal "forest of the impaled" -20,000 stakes with carcasses of impaled people!- to terrify the Ottoman enemies who had invaded his land Wallachia.
He was waging a cruel but very effective psychological warfare!
THREAD
The Voivode of Wallachia Vlad Țepeș has become infamous as Vlad the Impaler and Vlad Dracula.
While his reputation for cruelty was exaggerated by his enemies, there is no doubt he did a lot of cruel things.
But to understand him we need to understand the position he was in.
While his reputation for cruelty was exaggerated by his enemies, there is no doubt he did a lot of cruel things.
But to understand him we need to understand the position he was in.
The Principality of Wallachia had been in a very difficult position, situated between the powerful Kingdom of Hungary and Ottoman Empire. Dangerous external enemies led to internal tensions and the treacherous boyar nobility undermined and replaced Wallachian rulers.
Vlad's grandfather Mircea the Elder was a powerful man who ruled Wallachia for 32 years. He defeated the Ottomans multiple times, most famously at Rovine in 1395.
But after his death numerous princes succeeded one another on the throne, and the country was severely weakened.
But after his death numerous princes succeeded one another on the throne, and the country was severely weakened.
Vlad the Impaler's father Vlad II Dracul was the illegitimate son of Mircea the Elder and became ruler of Wallachia in 1436 with Hungarian support.
In a difficult position Vlad II Dracul tried to maintain balance between Hungary and Ottomans but that made him suspicious to both.
In a difficult position Vlad II Dracul tried to maintain balance between Hungary and Ottomans but that made him suspicious to both.
In 1442 Vlad II Dracul was summoned by the Ottoman Sultan to come to Edirne to demonstrate his loyalty. He went there with his two sons Vlad and Radu. They were all captured and imprisoned by the angry Sultan. He was ultimately released but his sons would remain as hostages.
This is how the young Vlad Țepeș ended up growing up among the Ottomans as a hostage. There he learned the Turkish language and local customs. But after his father died in 1447, Vlad became a potential claimant to Wallachia. He tried claiming it with Ottoman support but failed.
Vlad would ultimately be successful in his second attempt in 1456. He was determined to make his reign last but to do that he needed to deal with treacherous boyars. To do that, he chose the cruel method he witnessed in Ottoman captivity - impalement. He would slay many boyars!
This is how Vlad got his nickname the Impaler. But the other nickname Dracula was inherited from his father. It was a reference to the prestigious Order of the Dragon, a chivalric order of noble Christian knights from Central Europe and the Balkans who fought against Ottomans.
Unlike his predecessors who feared the Ottoman might, Vlad was eager to fight against the Ottomans. In 1560 he stopped paying tribute to them and killed Ottoman envoys and Ottoman raiding parties in brutal manner. He sent the Ottomans a message that he was clearly ready for war.
The Ottomans tried to negotiate to deescalate the conflict and sent Hamza Pasha to a diplomatic meeting. The Ottoman secret plan was for Hamza and his 1000 men to capture Vlad and bring him to Constantinople, but Vlad found out about it and ambushed and impaled Hamza instead.
Vlad decided to bring the war to the Ottomans and captured the fort of Giurgiu after using his knowledge of their language to trick them into thinking he was a Turk and letting him in with his men, then killing them. He then invaded Bulgaria and brutally pillaged there!
These actions provoked the Ottomans into lifting the siege of Corinth to invade Wallachia in 1462 with a 40,000 strong army headed by Sultan Mehmed II himself. Vlad did not have nearly enough men to fight them in an open battle so he decided to wage a brutal guerilla war.
Vlad's tactics relied on psychologically breaking the enemy. He pursued a scorched earth policy, poisoned the wells and harassed the Ottomans at every opportunity. He once again used his knowledge of Turkish to infiltrate the Ottoman camp himself to investigate where Sultan was.
This led to Vlad's most daring and epic deed in this war, the Night Attack at Târgoviște. He attacked the Ottoman camp at night and completely surprised the Ottomans. His plan was to kill the Sultan and he almost succeeded but went for the wrong tent. He then retreated in order.
The Ottoman army kept advancing despite these setbacks and this was where Vlad Dracula finally committed the most cruel example of psychological warfare.
As the Ottoman army was approaching the empty city Târgoviște, he set up the "forest" of 20,000 impaled corpses.
As the Ottoman army was approaching the empty city Târgoviște, he set up the "forest" of 20,000 impaled corpses.
Vlad impaled the Ottomans prisoners from previous raids and skirmishes and a bunch of other people, and also used the corpses of previously impaled people.
The tallest stake was that with the corpse of Hamza Pasha who was sent by the Ottomans to capture Vlad years earlier.
The tallest stake was that with the corpse of Hamza Pasha who was sent by the Ottomans to capture Vlad years earlier.
Greek chronicler Chalkokondyles reported, "The sultan's army entered into the area of the impalements, which was seventeen stades long and seven stades wide. There were large stakes there on which, as it was said, about twenty thousand men, women, and children had been spitted."
People think that this cruelty was due to Vlad having a special hatred for the Turks due to his captivity.
But I don't think this was the case.
What Vlad did was not an act of rage but a very sophisticated act of mental warfare.
It was about sending a message.
But I don't think this was the case.
What Vlad did was not an act of rage but a very sophisticated act of mental warfare.
It was about sending a message.
The message that Vlad sent with the "forest of the impaled" was not just that he was a ferocious and determined ruler willing to do anything to win.
By using the method of execution that was familiar to Ottomans he also showed them how familiar he was with them.
By using the method of execution that was familiar to Ottomans he also showed them how familiar he was with them.
Vlad grew up among Ottomans, he spoke Turkish language, he knew their culture, he knew their way of thinking and their tactics.
And by using their method of execution that other Christian Europeans did not use he reminded them of this in the most intimidating way.
And by using their method of execution that other Christian Europeans did not use he reminded them of this in the most intimidating way.
This reminded the Ottomans that Vlad would not be drawn into open warfare as the Western crusaders whom the Ottomans defeated in the Balkans were.
He would continue to wage a tiresome guerilla war of attrition against them and make it as gruesome and dirty as possible.
He would continue to wage a tiresome guerilla war of attrition against them and make it as gruesome and dirty as possible.
The Sultan seemed to have understood this message and was impressed by it. While his army was sickened by the sight the chronicles report that, "The sultan was seized with amazement and said that it was not possible to deprive of his country a man who had done such great deeds.."
"..who had such a diabolical understanding of how to govern his realm and its people. And he said that a man who had done such things was worth much."
The Sultan decided to retreat from Wallachia.
Vlad Dracula won the psychological warfare by delivering the right message.
The Sultan decided to retreat from Wallachia.
Vlad Dracula won the psychological warfare by delivering the right message.
But just like Vlad knew the Ottomans, the Ottoman Sultan knew Wallachians. He knew about the treacherous boyars. Instead of fighting Vlad, he supported his brother Radu and the boyars rallied behind him.
Vlad ultimately had to flee to Hungary where he was imprisoned.
Vlad ultimately had to flee to Hungary where he was imprisoned.
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