RedHanded Podcast: DAY 13 - Vlad the Impaler: The Real Dracula
ShortHand’s 13 Days of Halloween Special
Hosts: Hannah, Helen, Georgia
Date: October 31, 2025
Episode Overview
To cap off their “13 Days of Halloween ShortHand” series, the RedHanded team explores the chilling history behind Vlad the Impaler, a.k.a. Vlad Dracula—examining the man behind the myth and separating fact from legend. The hosts dive into the brutal history of medieval Wallachia, Vlad’s notorious acts of violence, his legacy in Romania, and his transformation into Bram Stoker’s Count Dracula. The episode balances historical storytelling with characteristic dark humor and insightful discussion.
Key Discussion Points and Insights
1. Setting the Scene: Halloween Special & RedHanded Travels
- The hosts open with banter about their visit to Romania, specifically Transylvania and Sighisoara (Vlad’s birthplace), setting a personal tone for the history.
- Helen: "Transylvania lived up to all expectations and Sighisoara was absolutely beautiful." [06:57]
2. Historical Context: 15th Century Romania
- Romania was divided into three principalities: Moldavia, Wallachia, and Transylvania.
- The region was constantly caught between Christian Europe and the Muslim Ottoman Empire, spawning endless conflicts and bloodshed.
- Hannah: “These were sites of endless power struggles and ideological clashes and plenty of bloodshed.” [07:30]
3. Vlad III’s Childhood and Hostage Experience
- Vlad III (the Impaler) was the son of Vlad II Dracul, a member of the Order of the Dragon (Dracul = Dragon).
- Vlad and his younger brother Radu (later “the Handsome”) were taken hostage by the Ottoman Sultan as leverage.
- During five years as prisoners, they experienced beatings, torture, and a brutal education in violence and warfare.
- Helen: “Vlad saw no problem with this and left his kids behind as an insurance policy.” [10:47]
- Hannah: "Young Vlad also developed a knowledge of torture and learnt the power of violence as a means of control." [10:56]
4. Family Tragedy and Revenge
- Upon release, Vlad returned to find his father and older brother murdered by rivals (the Boyars).
- Driven by vengeance, Vlad launched violent campaigns to reclaim his throne and assert control.
- His first act of settled revenge: the notorious Easter Sunday massacre of local nobility.
- Hannah: “Just as they finished their last bites, they were all seized by Dracula's men... their twitching bodies were impaled on spikes.” [12:38]
5. Reign of Terror: Methods and Atrocities
- Vlad’s signature punishment was impalement—victims were skewered alive, a process that was excruciating and often slow.
- Hannah: "A wooden or a metal pole would be impaled into the living victim, usually through their genitals, and come out through their mouth, shoulders or their neck." [17:59]
- “Once impaled, the victim would squirm and writhe in pain until they finally died. It would take hours or even days.” [18:30]
- Other horrors included burning groups alive, poisoning wells, spreading disease, disembowelment, and flaying.
- Instance: Vlad invites all the poor and sick to a feast—then burns the hall, declaring, “I did this so no one will be poor in my realm.” [16:10-16:41]
- He allegedly held picnics amid forests of impaled victims, even dipping bread in their fresh blood.
- Helen: “Dracula requested that a table be set up outside, and there he had a little picnic among the forest of writhing bodies.” [19:02]
6. Warfare with the Ottomans: Legendary Brutality
- After antagonizing the Ottomans, Vlad employed psychological warfare.
- The “forest of the impaled” confronted Sultan Mehmed II with over 24,000 corpses—numbers corroborated by some historical sources.
- Hannah: “A sick forest of stakes stretched out as far as the eye could see... birds were said to have made nests in spilled entrails.” [19:48]
- Other atrocities included nailing turbans to the heads of Ottoman envoys.
- Helen: “Vlad nailed the turbans to their heads with three spikes. Lovely. He just really knows how to treat his guests.” [21:18]
7. Downfall and Death
- After years of violence, Vlad lost political support and was eventually killed in battle; his severed head was sent to the Sultan.
- His burial place remains uncertain, giving rise to legends of immortality.
8. The Vampire Connection: Legend Meets Fiction
- Medieval vampire legends predate Vlad, emerging from Bulgarian folklore a millennium ago.
- Vampires originally viewed more as spirits spreading disease.
- Over time, vampires evolved in lore to become blood-drinking, undead beings.
- Bram Stoker learned of “Dracula” through a book in Whitby, appropriating Vlad’s surname and some associated legend for his count.
- Helen: “Stoker read about Vlad III, his violent nature, the name Dracula and the false etymology that the name meant devil. Well, of course it means dragon. And Stoker thought the name was perfect.” [26:37]
- The Whitby connection: The town is now a hub for UK goth culture due to the Dracula association.
- Many claimed links between Vlad and the supernatural are later embellishments. The most dramatic tales were often enemy propaganda.
- Hannah: “All of these links should be taken with a very large pinch of garlic salt.” [29:40]
9. Modern Legacy and Nuance
- Vlad is considered a national hero in Romania for his military victories and defense against the Ottomans.
- Helen: “He’s still hailed as a national hero… they love him for his victories and his conquests.” [31:03]
- Hosts discuss the complexity of his legacy given the brutal historical era.
- Helen: “It’s complicated. But a fascinating connection between him and Dracula and how that happened, I think is even more interesting that we don’t actually know.” [32:21]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- Hannah: “You, my sausage, would be wrong. Not by a long shot.” (On whether Vlad was ever satisfied) [12:34]
- Helen: "The last bit’s almost whimsical if his… and so horrible." (On foot-flaying and goats licking the victim’s salty feet) [17:54]
- Helen: “Victorians probably loved vampires not just because they loved dead shit… but because they were also super xenophobic.” [24:38]
- Hannah: "What is more likely is that once the name had been linked to the novel, people started to look for similarities between Count Dracula and Vlad the Impaler, and then they retrofitted the legacy onto the fictional Count." [30:14]
- Helen: "It is tricky because, like, it was an incredibly bloody time… if you did live at that time in a place like that… he was there to defend your land, your people." [31:28]
Timestamps for Important Segments
- 04:17 — Episode proper begins (“Hello and welcome…”)
- 06:27 — Hosts’ travels to Vlad-related sites in Romania
- 07:13 — Explanation of historical Romania’s geography and difficulties
- 09:50 — Vlad and Radu’s hostage years with the Ottomans
- 11:33 — Vlad’s return, discovery of family murders, vow of revenge
- 12:34 — Infamous Easter Sunday massacre
- 16:08 — The burning of the poor at Vlad’s second banquet
- 17:59 — Detailed description of Vlad’s impalement method
- 19:48 — The “forest of the impaled” and psychological warfare
- 21:06 — Envoys’ turbans nailed to heads; Vlad’s eventual downfall
- 22:31 — Introduction of vampire legends; from folklore to medicine
- 24:38 — Vampires and Victorian popular culture
- 26:37 — How Bram Stoker connected Vlad to Dracula
- 29:40 — Distilling truth vs. myth: “Take it with a pinch of garlic salt”
- 31:03 — Vlad’s modern legacy, hero vs. monster
- 32:21 — Conversation about the ambiguity of historical judgment
- 32:35 — Episode winds down and final thoughts
Tone and Style
- Informal, witty, often irreverent, with moments of dark humor despite the grisly subject matter.
- Frequent asides, cultural references, and relatable anecdotes (e.g., their own visit to Vlad’s homeland).
Summary
The RedHanded team delivers an atmospheric and incisive episode on Vlad the Impaler, balancing horror with historical context and sly commentary. Listeners learn how Vlad III—historically both nationalist hero and brutal warlord—inspired the Dracula legend, with the hosts demystifying his legacy and highlighting the role of myth, propaganda, and gothic literature. The episode is packed with grim anecdotes, mordant jokes, and accessible storytelling, perfect for Halloween (or any time you want real-life horror outdoing even the creepiest fiction).