Before Dracula became a vampire, his name belonged to a prince.

Global History investigates Vlad III of Wallachia, the campaign of 1462, and the stories that shaped his violent reputation. We then follow the name Dracula to Bram Stoker’s Whitby and explore how a historical ruler and a fictional vampire became intertwined in popular memory.

The episode distinguishes documented events, disputed accounts and literary invention. It draws on published historical scholarship, literary research, and museum and library resources.

Featuring English narration and atmospheric sound design: wind, a distant bell, fire, sea and pages. Sounds are artistic reconstructions. Narration is AI-generated.

Research and source checking completed on 15 October 2026. This episode has not undergone an independent specialist review.

Chapters
00:00 Before the vampire
01:52 A throne between powers
03:50 The name of the dragon
05:42 The campaign of 1462
07:42 Counting the victims
09:27 A reputation travels
11:38 Whitby and the novelist
13:28 The evidence on the page
15:10 A castle for the imagination
16:49 The man and the legend

Selected sources

• Dénes Harai, “Counting the Stakes,” Transactions of the Royal Historical Society (2025): Research article.
• Adrian Gheorghe, “The Ottoman Dracula,” Journal of Balkan and Black Sea Studies (2023): Research article.
• Tuomas Hovi, Heritage Through Fiction: Dracula Tourism in Romania (2014): University of Turku.
• The Rosenbach: Stoker’s notes.
• Elizabeth Miller: PBS interview.