Vlad the Impaler Chapter 24

 The imprisonment of Vlad

24.

The death of Vlad’s lover was made known to the ex-Lord by the guards. He was in grief but later elated that his son was spared.

“Your son lives with the King of Hungary.” Vlad was told. He was relieved that his son did join Radu and be converted as well. During his imprisonment, rumors that while in prison Vlad caught rats to cut them up into pieces or stuck them on small pieces of wood because he was unable to "forget his wickedness". Vlad was also described as "a man of unheard cruelty and justice". It was recorded that Vlad's held the "reputation for tyrannical justice". (https://hmong.in.th/wiki/Vlad_III_the_Impaler).

Due to all the misgivings, Vlad was called on by the priests to repent of his sins.

“Are you here to give me my last rites?” Vlad was still faithful to his religion.

“No, my son. We want you to come back to the right path. You have committed many sins that will need God’s mercy to repent.” Vlad was given sessions of prayers and told to read the book. He did as he was told and soon was seen to have repented. He then made his request to write letters to the friends he had. That consent was given and Vlad wrote many letters including to the King of Hungary. He wrote of repentance and forgiveness.

“I am a servant of God, and with God’s help, I sought your forgiveness.”

Vlad won over many hearts and the words of his so-named recovery were to spread despite the news of his previous actions.

“Vlad III was a murderer of the worst kind.” Some had spoken of his past. “He impaled them and drink their blood.”

“He hacked their bodies and cooked them to be served on his plate.”

His accusers were countered by the ones who said he did it for the land.

“He did it to scare the Turks. I was there at Giurgiu. We are smaller in size compared to the Turks, but he held fear onto them.”

It was said by the Turks that Vlad III would often cut off the noses of Turkish soldiers, sending them to Hungary to boast of how many of the enemy he had killed. A Janissary commander in his memoirs, Mihailović also documents that the Ottomans were fearful of Wallachian attacks at night. He does allude to the famed "forest of the impaled," where Vlad III was alleged to have lined the roadways with thousands of impaled Turkish soldiers. 

“Vlad III had repented.” That was the view of the boyars. “He wrote to me on his misdeeds. I forgive him as many had forgiven me for my past.”

His adversaries were not convinced. It was said that when a group of soldiers broke into the house while pursuing a thief who had tried to hide there, Vlad had their commander executed because they had not asked his permission before entering his home. Vlad III during his imprisonment married his new lover. She was a noble’s daughter and was offered a new prison; a home instead of a dungeon. He stayed there with his surviving son. (https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Vlad_III_the_Impaler#Main_reign_.281456.E2.80.9362.29)

“Vlad III had all of them killed. There was no mercy shown.” The critics spread the news. The ones who supported the ex-Lord saw it differently.

“Vlad III has the right to defend his family. They may be there to harm him and his family. Vlad III had faced such threats and deserved the right to defend.”

It was all a mixed reaction.

It was said that Radu had also pleaded for his release too.

During his captivity, Vlad also adopted Catholicism. That gave him the support of the churches. There was a favorable view then of Vlad by the King of Hungary. Matthias Corvinus recognized Vlad as the lawful prince of Wallachia, but he did not provide him military assistance to regain his principality.

Radu had then passed away and Wallachia was in chaos. Sultan Mehmed II acknowledged Basarab Elder, a member of the Dăneşti clan as the lawful ruler of Wallachia.

Unknown to many, Vlad was also making preparations for the reconquest of Wallachia.

Around 1475 Vlad the Impaler was again ready to make another bid for power. Vlad and Volvode Stefan Báthory of Transylvania invaded Wallachia with a mixed force of Transylvanians, a few dissatisfied Wallachian boyars, and a contingent of Moldavians sent by Vlad's cousin, Prince Stephen III of Moldavia.

John Pongrác of Dengeleg, then the Voivode of Transylvania, urged the people of Brașov to send to Vlad all those of his supporters who had settled in the town because Corvinus and Basarab Elder had concluded a treaty.

“Basarab Elder is not your Volvode. He was placed there by the Turks.” The people of Wallachia were told. “Bring him down and put the rightful Volvode back.”

“Vlad III is a murderer.” One among the gathered called out.

“He was not. He was the protector of the land. He so named ‘murder’ the Turks with his method scared them off. He did it to protect all of you. Did Basarab Elder do that? No, he is the servant of them.”

“What of the Saxons?” A supporter of the Saxons called out.

“What of the Wallachians who died in the hands of the Turks? What of the ones whose son was taken hostage and returned a convert?” The Volvode moved the sentiment of the call. “Did you hear of the Saxons in my land? They despise Basarab Elder as I do yet I am not Saxon.”

The relationship between the Transylvanian Saxons and Basarab Elder remained tense, and the Saxons gave shelter to Basarab's opponents during the following months.

“We are united as one with you Wallachian.”

Sultan Mehmed II invaded Moldavia and defeated Stephen III in the Battle of Valea Albă on 26 July 1476. It was between the Moldavian army of Ștefan cel Mare and an invading Ottoman army which was commanded personally by Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror. It was a follow-up to the Battle of Vaslui, when an army of Rumelian local levies, ended disastrously with a defeat then.

During the proper military campaign season, the Ottomans assembled a large army under the command of Sultan Mehmed II and entered Moldavia in June 1476. Meanwhile, groups of Tartars from the Crimean Khanate, the Ottomans' ally then were sent to attack Moldavia.

The joint Ottoman and Crimean Tatar forces occupied Bessarabia and took Akkerman, gaining control of the southern mouth of the Danube. Stephan of Moldavia tried to avoid an open battle with the Ottomans by following a scorched-earth policy as done by Lord Vlad III.

In the process the Moldavians forces ended up being dispersed throughout the country, leaving only a small force led by by Ștefan cel Mare himself, to face the main Ottoman attack.

“My Lord, the Turks are many.” One of the boyars raised the concern. “We can’t face them in open battle.”

“We will trap them in the forest,” Stephen told his army. “We will set fire to the forest and attack when it's in our favor.”

The battle began with the Moldavians luring the main Ottoman forces into a forest that was set on fire, causing some casualties to the attacking Ottoman army in the forest.

“My Sultan, fire rage in the forest. We cannot proceed.” The Sultan was told. “We are repelled with the firepower of the Moldavians.”

“Let the fire rage down and then we proceed. Meanwhile, we will take defensive action and return fire with our guns. Let no one escape.” The attacking Ottoman Janissaries were forced to crouch on their stomachs instead of charging headlong into the defenders' positions.

It was not working for the Janissaries could not see their enemies.

“We must take the fight to them.” Sultan Mehmed was charged with his guard against the Moldavians.

“Protect the Sultan!” The call went out when the Ottoman saw the Sultan was leading the Janissaries. That move rallied the Janissaries and turned the tide of the battle. The concern for the Sultan overrode their fear of fire. The Ottoman Janissaries penetrated inside the forest and engaged the defenders in man-to-man fighting. It was a close fight and the overwhelming Ottomans won the battle.

The Moldavian army was utterly defeated, casualties were very high on both sides with the forest razed to the ground and charred bodies were seen aplenty.

Ștefan cel Mare retreated into the north-western part of Moldavia or even into the Polish Kingdom and began forming another army. Meanwhile, anti-Ottoman forces were being assembled in Transylvania under Stephen V Báthory's command. Confronted with this army and with Ștefan's counterattack, the Ottomans retreated from major parts of Moldavia.