8 Interesting Facts About The Real Dracula

1. His Corpse Disappeared

There are multiple legends and theories surrounding the death of Vlad Dracula. The most commonly accepted theory posits that Vlad was killed in battle against the Turks near Bucharest in 1476. Another legend suggests that Vlad was assassinated by rival boyars just before defeating the Ottomans. Other suggested theories include Vlad falling to his knees in defeat or being accidentally killed by a clumsy soldier who just tripped and fell. For some time it was thought that the body of Vlad the Impaler was buried near an altar at the Snagov Monastery, which is located on an island in a lake. Some stories claim he was beheaded and his head was placed on display in Constantinople. In the 1930s, excavations began at the monastery and no burial site was found. Eventually the body of a noble man was discovered but his head was attached, and it cannot be confirmed that it was Vlad. The treasures that were buried with him were taken to a museum in Bucharest, but mysteriously disappeared. A gypsy legend claims that Vlad arose from the grave 200 years after his death and now walks the Earth, a kinder, gentler man who carries his coffin with him. Maybe he took the jewels. Either way, to this day no one knows where his corpse really is, which is fitting for the complicated man who inspired Dracula and a bevy of other vampire retellings, but not Twilight. Vlad didn't sparkle.
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Hailing from the sandiest of Southern states, Susan enjoys horror films and comic books. She writes many things, but mostly wrongs.