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by Adib Rashad ~

  Films, plays, stories, and various kinds of myths have been disseminated and maintained about the vampire bat-man called Dracula. All of the story lines or plots present him as an insatiable craver for blood, control and death. The psychological feature of these plots is Dracula's lust for power via manipulative control.Well, despite some of the obvious fiction associated with Dracula, Dracula really and truly existed.

He was a historical figure that actualized the same insatiable lust for blood and power that the fictionalized stories depict. Dracula was a 15th century Wallachian (Rumanian) prince who was often described in German, Slavonic, Byzantine, and Turkish literature as a diabolically cruel and demented ruler. He was known to extract blood indiscriminately. He had the blood of Hungarians, Germans, and other Christians, and especially the Turks (Muslims) on his hands.

He had such an ingenious mind for various kinds of torture--physical and mental--that he was labeled the impaler.The names of Dracula:Dracula and his father Dracul had the given name Vlad. Furthermore, both of these names or nicknames had two meanings. Dracul meant devil, as it still does in that region. Additionally, it meant dragon. In 1431,the Roman Emperor, Sigismund invested Vlad the father with the order of the Dragon, a semi monastic, semi military organization dedicated to fighting the Turkish Muslims (for them, the Turkish infidels). Dracul translates into dragon because of this event.Dracula the son had two nicknames which denoted diabolism. He was called Vlad Tepes which denoted Vlad the impaler, and he was called Dracula, which meant son of the dragon, or son of the devil. The interchangeability of the words devil and vampire in many languages explain why there is an association of Dracula with vampirism.Other Draculas, were also known by epithets that expressed their character deviations.

Dracul's oldest son was Vlad the little impaler; his second son was Mihnea the Bad; and another descendant was Mihnea II, the apostate. All of these Draculas lived and died violently.Dracula, the son, was born in Transylvania in the ancient German town of Schassburg around 1431. After his father was invested with the insignia of the Order of the Dragon, he, the son, in turn became the Prince of the Southern Rumania principality of Wallachia as well as duke of the Transylvania districts of Almas and Fagaras. The Draculas by virtue of their oath were ordained and honored to dedicate themselves to fighting the Turkish Muslims.

The Machiavellian form of politics that the Draculas engaged in is too extensive for this study; however, it must be stated that the Draculas were extremely politically devious and hypocritical. They not only fought and aligned themselves with Turkish Muslims, but with Catholics as well as Orthodox Christians. The best English translation of the Draculas is titled In Search of Dracula by Raymond T. McNally and Radu Florescu, published by Galahad Books, New York, 1972. The entire history of the Draculas is well documented in this study.The Ottoman Empire enveloped more than three continents.

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 In Europe it included the Balkans Peninsula to the Danube River, together with the following provinces north of the river: Transylvania, Moldavia, Wallachia, most of Hungary, Podolia in Poland, and the entire north coast of the Black Sea. In Asia it included Asia Minor, Armenia, most of the Caucasus, the Tigris and Euphrates valleys down to the Persian Gulf, the western coast of the Mediterranean together with a wide strip running down the entire length of the Arabian Peninsula to the Gulf of Aden. In Africa, the Turks held sway over Egypt, Tripoli, Tunis, and Algiers. And to sum up the geographical story, Crete, Cyprus, and the islands of the Aegean must be included.The Turks under Sultan Muhammad II ruled with complete and uncontested authority; the Turks brought the religion of Islam with them.

This region which was for two centuries called Constantinople now became the seat of the Caliph of Islam, and was renamed Istanbul.Justinians's church of St. Sophia--once the symbol of reigning Christianity--was converted overnight into a Muslim mosque. Orthodox churchmen in Istanbul accepted Muslim rule declaring Rather the turban in Constantinople than the red hat of a Roman cardinal. What this statement essentially meant was that true to the law of Islam, the Turks accorded full tolerance to Christians and Jews who were organized in millets, religious communities, and allowed to govern themselves under their own religious rulers and customs. One of the first steps taken by Sultan Muhammad II after the capture of Constaninople was to declare himself the protector of the Greek Church.

Persecution of the Christians was strictly forbidden; a decree was granted to the newly elected patriarch which secured to him and his successors, and the bishops under him, the enjoyment of the old privileges, revenues and exemptions enjoyed under the former rule.Consequently, though the orthodox churchmen were numerically superior to the Turks in all the European provinces of the empire, the religious toleration thus granted them, and the protection of life and property they enjoyed, soon reconciled them to the changes of the new rulers, and led them, to a certain extent, to accept the rulership of Sultan Muhammad. It must be pointed out that Turkey seized control over these lands on May 29,1453. This occurred at a time when Dracula was twenty-two years old. It was this type of political and religious imposition that forced some Europeans to form an unsavory and vacillating alliance with Dracula.

 The objective was to crush Turkish rule.In the winter of 1461,Dracula conveyed a provocative challenge to Sultan Muhammad II. this challenge placed Wallachia at the forefront of the anti-Turkish crusade. what is important to note here is that Dracula's crusade against the Turks obliterated his gruesome treatment of his subjects.On the other hand, the politics of Dracula was both varied and brutal. Europeans, Catholics and orthodox Christians were tolerant of his viciousness as long as it was directed at the infidel Turks. In fact, some very strange alliances were made for that specific purpose. Dracula in turn became the hero for the liberation of Christendom.

The political war between Dracula and Sultan Muhammad II displayed military tactics that would be considered non-conventional during that time. For example, Dracula used guerrilla tactics and the element of surprise served his purpose considering the Turks were on foreign terrain. Dracula used all of these tactics during an attack called the Night of Terror. This attack took place at a Turkish camp at night after the Sultan and his men retired. Dracula signaled the attack, followed by the on rush of cavalry which penetrated deep into the various layers of guards. As a result, Dracula left a hideous trail of blood that gave more credence to the name

The Impaler.Interestingly, a body of determined Janissaries formed a human fortress around the Sultan's tent which prevented Dracula from acquiring victory. However, he had killed several thousand Turks, wounded a countless more, created havoc and chaos within the Turkish camp--namely because it was a sneak attack. However, the process of this attack--to kill the Sultan--had been lost. Dracula was forced to retreat. after necessary and pragmatic deliberation, the Sultan pursued Dracula with unyielding vigor. Needless to say, the Turks through their use of the Janissaries (infantry of the royal guard) reasserted their rule over Wallachia and Transylvania.Legend and peasant tales say that Dracula's wife (his second) committed suicide by throwing herself off the castle wall rather than remain a subject under Turkish rule. Dracula, however, with the assistance of a dozen attendants managed to escape.

The death of this particular Dracula is told with mixed views, but one thing for certain Dracula's heinous treatment of his subjects leave no room for doubt. He was considered the most hideous and blood thirsty individual of his day.In conclusion, it was Bram Stoker's late 19th century novel titled Dracula that addressed, in part, the historical Dracula which produced a fascination for this depraved individual in the Western World. More importantly, psychologists and sociologists should analyze why America has such an uncontrollable--in a sense uncanny--interest in Dracula.

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Adib Rashad (RashadM@aol.com) is an education consultant, education
program director, author, and historian. He has lived and taught in
West Africa and South East Asia.

This article was previously published by theMarcusGarveyBBS (an entity of TheBlackList)
and TheBlackList at http://lists.topica.com/lists/TheBlackList/read

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