Vlad the Impaler

the second reign - Part 2

In 1457 Vlad the Impaler also allied himself to Mikhail Szilagy who was in war with Oswald of Rozgony and the two cities (Sibiu and Brasov). On March the 14th 1457 Vlad asks the leaders of Sibiu, Peter Gereb and Petermann, to give no hosting to Vlad Calugarul (The Monk) - his stepbrother, also pretender to the Wallachian throne. His request received no answer.

This way, in April - May he decided to raid southern Transylvania in order to punish the Saxon patricians. He entered Transylvania through the Olt Valley and burned and pillaged the villages and towns around Sibiu. He then headed to Brasov (where Vlad's rival Dan II was hosted). He burned the surrounding villages and towns, killed or enslaved their inhabitants. He retreated as fast as he attacked.

Later that year Vlad and the Saxon patricians of Brasov, represented by Johannes Reudel, reached an agreement. Dan II drove away from the city and its traders received in exchange privileges from Vlad.

In 1458 Matthias Corvin, the son of Ioan Corvin of Hunedoara is chosen king of Hungary, Vlad the Impaler being in his supporting group against Ladislau V.

Counting on Matthias Corvin support, since 1459 Vlad the Impaler failed to renew the payment of the tribute to the Ottomans, raising the dissatisfaction of the sultan Murat II. But Vlad was very clever. He never said no, I won't pay. He simply asked delay after delay of the payment, obtaining this way a respite of Ottomans reprisals. He needed time to put order in his country.

But many Wallachian noblemen disagreed with this action. They didn't care about the tribute. Their children didn't pay the blood tribute. And the money tribute was paid by enslaving the work of peasants. But their business in Constantinople suffered.

So, in the spring of 1459 Vlad Dracula decided to catch them, inviting them to a feast. He impaled the heads of the noblemen families and used the others as coarse labor hands to upgrade the Poienari fortress.

Many people think this was a revenge act for his father's and his brother's murders. Well, I don't. Would you wait for three years to take revenge when you have the power right now? I think it was a tactically needed movement. He killed three rabbits with one single shot. He surrounded himself by trusted people. He enhanced a fortress and didn't spend a penny. And what he needed the most, he won the trust of the peasants.

Why did Vlad the Impaler need them?

Next pages:
The second reign of Vlad the Impaler- Part 3
The second reign of Vlad - Part 4

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