The Dracula myth did not appear by magic. Like any good legend, it has a beginning based on real events that little by little popular tradition was modifying. Detail by detail, for centuries, the fiction of the blood-sucking vampire who could not be exposed to the sun or garlic was built.
The Irish writer Bram Stoker, creator of the character of the Transylvanian count, was inspired by Vlad III of Wallachia, known as the Impaler (Vlad Țepeș, in Romanian), a 15th-century prince (voivode) and military leader who was so cruel and bloodthirsty that he terrified both his Ottoman enemies (with whom he shared a border) and his own subjects.
The chronicles of the time state that Țepeș was fond of torture and that he used to dine drinking the blood of his victims or dipping bread in it. It is estimated that in his three terms of government, of barely seven years in total, he executed some 80,000 people using, in most cases, the impalement technique.
Now, scientists from the University of Catania have analyzed three letters written in 1457 and 1475 by Vlad the Impaler for new information about his health. Their results indicate that the sadistic prince of Wallachia, in the Carpathian region, probably had skin and respiratory conditions and may even have cried tears of blood, they explain in a paper published in the journal Analytical Chemistry.
The team of researchers, led by Vincenzo Cunsolo, first analyzed these documents written more than 500 years ago. To do this, they used a specialized plastic film called EVA, or ethylene-vinyl acetate, to extract proteins or small molecules from the paper without damaging it.
These extracts were analyzed using mass spectrometry, allowing the researchers to characterize thousands of different peptides. The experts then focused on the most degraded proteins, as they were likely the oldest and therefore more likely to be from Vlad compared to the newer, less degraded proteins that could have originated from other people handling the most recent letters.
A total of 16 proteins were of human origin, related to skin, respiration and blood. The researchers say the data they acquired, while not exhaustive, suggests that Vlad could have suffered from respiratory problems and potentially even a condition called hemolacria, which would have caused him to cry tears of blood.
Other proteins identified by the team indicate that it could have been exposed to certain pest-related bacteria or even pesky fruit flies. In the second half of the 15th century, Wallachia was a region considered a meeting point for soldiers, migrants and travelers who probably brought not only trade goods and cultural traditions, but also diseases and epidemics.
The story of Count Dracula, the vampire described by Bram Stoker in his 1897 book as feeding on human blood to live forever, quickly became one of the bloodiest legends in Europe. But to add interest to the myth, the name came from a confusion.
The prince of Wallachia was the son of Vlad II, who in 1428 became part of the Order of the Dragon (Drac, in Hungarian) and acquired the title of Dracul. Hence Vlad Țepeș was known as Vlad Draculea or, what is the same, son of Dracul. In Romania, however, the figure of the dragon did not exist and dracul was a word that referred to the devil, so Vlad III became "the son of the devil" in Romanian.
Today, Vlad the Impaler is something of a national hero in Romania, where he is remembered for defending his people against foreign invasions, be they Turkish soldiers or German traders.
"In light of these facts, it is undeniable that, thanks to the popularization of the image of Bram Stoker's Dracula, the prince of Wallachia himself has also become very famous and immortal, although not in the same way as his literary counterpart" , the study authors note.
