ARTE Distribution

Everyone knows Dracula, but few know he was a 15th-century Romanian prince, a bloodthirsty figure bridging the Christian West and Muslim East. Recent research, across France, Italy, Turkey, Austria, and Romania, reveals how his legacy echoes in contemporary geopolitical struggles.

In June 1456, Halley’s Comet appeared in Europe and was seen as a bad omen. Everywhere on the planet, it was seen as the sign of an impending apocalypse. Everywhere that is, except in Transylvania. A prince named Vlad Dracula, used this celestial symbol to take over the throne of Wallachia by force. His reign, which was marked by betrayal and brutal executions, earned him the nickname Vlad the Impaler. His contemporaries often compared him to some of history’s greatest tyrants: Herod, Caligula and Nero. His legend inspired Bram Stoker’s vampire as well as Romanian dictator Ceaușescu who drew inspiration from him to claim his legacy. This story then elevated him to the status of a national hero in Romania. Where does the truth lie? Where does the myth begin? For many years, historians have been questioning the story of Vlad III also known as Prince Dracula. All across Europe, they have gathered documents and information about him and compiled them under the name “Corpus Draculianum”. Personal, diplomatic, and commercial correspondence; negotiation records; administrative document, narrative and iconographic sources; coins and official seals - these sources all tell the story of a prince whose fate rivals with that of a Shakespearian figure but above all, they place him at the heart of a major turning point in European history. He remains a symbolic figure for today politics.