The Fictional Dracula Was Based on a Real-Life Figure: Vlad the Impaler, Whose Membership in the Order of the Dragon Led Him to Be Nicknamed “Dracula.”

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The fictional Dracula was based on a real-life figure: Vlad the Impaler, whose membership in the Order of the Dragon led him to be nicknamed “Dracula.” Since his first appearance in Bram Stoker’s 1897 horror novel, Dracula has been a fixture in the popular culture. While much has been embellished, the Dracula character is based on a real person—the Transylvanian prince Vlad III. In 1408, Sigismund of Luxembourg, the King of Hungary and Croatia, created a secret society devoted to repulsing the Turks: the Order of the Dragon. Among its first members was the prince of Wallachia, Vlad II. When Vlad II joined the Order in 1431, he was given a new patrymic: Dracul, the Romanian word for dragon. Thus his son Vlad III was known as Son of the Dragon—or Dracula. When Vlad II died in 1447, murdered by Hungarian agents, the Turks installed Dracula on the throne. He turned on his former masters immediately, however, keeping his oath. In 1462, when the Turks invaded Wallachia, Vlad traveled to Hungary to lobby for aid from fellow Order of the Dragon member, Matthias Corvinus, who instead threw him in a dungeon. There Vlad languished for ten years. Vlad’s reputation for cruelty was well known even in his lifetime. He was said to dunk his bread in the blood of his victims. His favorite form of execution was impalement. It is said that he once impaled 10,000 Turkish soldiers along a road into Wallachia. The Ottoman ruler—no stranger to cruelty and bloodshed—was so disgusted he turned around. Vlad III Dracula was killed in battle with the Turks in 1477. This remarkable collection features coins minted by members of the Order of the Dragon, as well as its enemies. Vlad III Dracula never minted his own coins—which only enhanced the myth that silver is harmful to vampires. Image shows typical coins for illustration This silver coin was minted during the reign of the founder of the Order of the Dragon. The Crusader cross on the reverse was a symbol often used by Order members. 1. Bohemia: Sigismund of Luxembourg, (1387- 1427), silver parvus Diameter /Weight 7.5-8.5 mm/ 0.2-0.3 g Obverse Four part shield Reverse Crusader cross with four crowns Image shows typical coins for illustration These issues feature Mary, the patron saint of Hungary, and her baby, Jesus—a popular coin design first implemented by Matthias Corvinus, in whose dungeon Vlad III spent ten years. 2. Hungary: Matthias Corvinus, (1517-1705), silver denar Diameter /Weight 15.5-16 mm/ 0.5-0.6 g Obverse Madonna and child Reverse Coat of arms Order code: DRACULA-CLRBOX Box measures: 4 5/8" x 3 1/5" x 1/2" All coins in each set are protected in an archival capsule and beautifully displayed in a clear box. The box set is accompanied with a story card and certificate of authenticity. .

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