Vlad III, commonly known as Vlad the Impaler or Vlad Dracula, was Voivode of Wallachia three times between 1448 and his death in 1476/77. He is often considered one of the most important rulers in Wallachian history and a national hero of Romania.
Ambras Castle portrait of Vlad III (c. 1560), reputedly a copy of an original made during his lifetime
The house in the main square of Sighișoara where Vlad's father lived from 1431 to 1435
Ruins of the Princely Court [ro] in Târgoviște
The Ottoman Sultan, Mehmed II, who invaded Wallachia during Vlad's reign
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to the east, and the Black Sea to the southeast. It has a predominantly continental climate, and an area of 238,397 km2 (92,046 sq mi) with a population of 19 million people (2023). Romania is the twelfth-largest country in Europe and the sixth-most populous member state of the European Union. Its capital and largest city is Bucharest, followed by Cluj-Napoca, Iași, Timișoara, Constanța, Craiova, Brașov, and Galați.
Three Chalcolithic ceramic vessels (from left to right): a bowl on stand, a vessel on stand and an amphora, ca. 4300–4000 BC; from Scânteia, Romania and displayed at the Moldavia National Museum Complex
Ruins of sanctuaries at Sarmizegetusa Regia (Dacia's capital during the reigns of Burebista and Decebalus)
Gutthiuda, or the land of the Gothic-speaking Thervingi, and the neighbouring tribes (370s AD)
Vlad III of Wallachia (also known as Vlad the Impaler), medieval ruler of Wallachia