CALGARY Issue 134 PHILATELIST February 1999 IN THIS ISSUE: Dinu Mate dscuses he stamps and ‘he historia! uth bebind Daca td Vlad the pe, The petra right commemorates the 5500, ampigh agains the Sultan Melinet Fatih in 1462, The postmark below notes the 10008 !niveray of Bram Stoker's ‘novel Dracula, ist publ in 1877, LSA AK, 8 97 A DerctiArUareucR OeAcEN CUCURESDRACULA: BETWEEN FICTION AND HISTORY by Dino Mates ‘lad Tepes, pronounced tpt’ of Via the np, ruled th Piepaiy of Wallachia pa of Romania} in 1448 1456-1462, and 1476. Beam Soke nel ‘Praca, published in 1887, made his Romatian pies famous worked attributed to him an exaggerated crusty. tn Drala Vad Tepes was portayed erent from the eal Vado histor. ‘Vd Tepes was bom in 1428 in Sighisoara, Trasyvani, Hisfather is known in history under the name Vid Dracl. In Romanian, dae> means ev: However, there are no documents eprtng how evil he was."The nickname "Traci cose roms membership ia the Order of he Dragon, Tal was mayan eigous ‘rothehood funded by the Sigismad of Lnembour (Kine of Huns with te objective to protest the church agaist heresy andthe Tus th Gein he deri named Drachenordes, whim Latin Societates draconian, Members ‘ofthis order worea back cape anda mdaiondepcting «dragon. Ine Middle ‘Age it as easy fr oninary people extermely cigs to mise the dogon ‘tthe ev 50 fom his confison came the nase rac. Vad Tepes inked his mame from his father, and his descendants bea a aly mame Real descendants of hifi sillesstoday, Thenickmamethe paler cane from the fact that Vad Tepes set impale his enemies. Rept to be ane ad Moody man, he was jut one of several oer less eres leads a tne wen racy was the non, Figure: Dhe house in Sightoara, rnivana Romania, bere Pad the Impaler as orm, depicted on 0 1997 Romanian stampoe Caley Pt 8261008 ‘Romanian principalities Wallchia nd Moldovashareda border withthe Otoman Empire inthe Midle Ages. This empire was ane ofthe most powefal inthe \wald and was tying to expand wars Eorope. In order tga rst fo the Sultans, many chile fromthe ace Rmsanian families were sen vont t0 Intanbol as hostages. Vind and one of his others were no exception. Vid “Tepes turned a Wallachia afc his father ws led and another other ws Dinded witha bumig stakes buried lve, These two facts ae sid tthe origin of Vad Tepes’ cruel. As mentioned eri, torte and eli was normal inthe whole Europe drng the Middle Age, Figure 2: Two special postmark comming [50 years since Vd Teper father Vad Dracd was filed.Other ree atibuted to Vad Tepes were klig“unchase women and“ vives, illing enti famalis suspected of dslayay king poor, blind ciple, Sick, vagabonds and begs, naling bats to hed of despot visitor, and annals. Thiscame fom sense propaganda campaign inched by Rte Corvin King of Hungary at that ine and ee of his big enemies) due envy of Vlad’ successes apunst the Turk, and by German merchants fom tee of Brasov (Kronstadt in German) who were opponents to Vad Tepes’ esonomie poles. Tuk and Russian rains also dept Vid Tepes 36 erel and ‘lode man, ‘During Vad Tepe ine, Wallachia was crn county. The Tas wanted to invade the county but were deleted several nes a kept a th out ote Darul River (i Bulgaria nowadays) or his sucess itary campaigns gains the Turks, Vlad Tepes was med ignition Vad voids” ina Tales document He wasnt considered a varpie ding histime, bats hero ad strong. ruler orhis county. He sft mentioned as an externely cruel ain a bok. published 9t Lueck, Germany a 1471 Figure 3° Fst appearance of Vid the Impaler ona stamp. A miniture sheet ‘nd this stomp from ase iu in 1959'm Roman commemorate the SO nuiversary ofthe ty of Bucharest. Bram Stoker never visited Romania. He was inspite by the evil deeds of (Countess Ezbeth Bathory who lived in Transylvania abou 150 yeas late than iad Tepes. She usd oil young girls and used thei sh blod to ke bats, oping this woud helper 0 remai frever young. For these crimes she wat sentenced to dea and walled alive into a east tor in 1610.” For sine _sceusatons a French nobleman was beeded in France daring these prod.6 ow Phiatscn24 190 ‘iad Tepes umltuous ie swell as the hrshess of hi punishments tempted many writers. A fashion of Drala the Vampire Count was bn with great sees, and many books and mre than 100 mais were dane om the subject. We fam assume dat Count Dracula was rated thanks he npn provided by ‘Transyvanianhistary, where very oleate shar the one ate o Dracla set the mood for Bloody ghosts and tefying vampires. Bram Stoke posibly chose the name Draculabecauseitsugesedthemacare. He needed al eto forhis noel, published at time when tho crimes comand by lack the Rippet Jn London were on the ont pages of Breh newspapers. Th novel Dracula bas ‘vey few historical tuts init. Bram Stoker isle very ite aboot the el Via Tepes. Theactionofthe book es place Transylvania bute ever led that province, jst Wallachia. ‘The ie of Count di not exit fr Ronni noblemen during the Middle Ages; Vlad Tepes was im fet Royal Prince, However, Bram Stoker's descriptions of the Romanian loeales sid tsany eographial places ae rea. Located ona lifin the Carpathians, “Dracula's Caste aetaly namo Bran (Castle, aler 4 pats between Transylvania and Wallac, It was built bythe ‘German merchant fiom Brasov in 1377 to keep under contol the inland ac coutland commercial trafic. Restored several ein ths etry the castle was ‘he residence of Queen Maria of Romania inthe 192s, nis now converted io ‘Vad Tepes was depicted on Romania stmpson sever otasons, Fist was ia 1959 when Huchaest he enpta of Romania celebrated SO yearsnce twa or ‘he fst ine mentioned in «document, signed by Vid Tepes hinselt This documents kept inthe National History Maseur of Romana, in Bucharest. 1, ong withthe portitof Vag edepited na best engraved init shet "ssued by the Romanian Postal Administaton. Tie por ithe only kaw potaitof Vad andi hep in an Ansan monastery i the Tl, Based on the Same pining, Vid Tepes’ figure appeared om a stump issued by Rona in 1976, when 500 yeas since his death were consmemorted. Two more sas were sued in Romani n 1997, one depen bi ae Pie of Wallachia and another depicting himasDracul. Bran Castle and Porn Castle (ane ofthe eal ‘residences of Vind, now in mis) ae depicted on to labels hat separate He Stamps. Bran Castle wat depicted alo on a tmp ised in 1929, while images from Viad Tepes home towa appear on set ised in 1997. Several speci postmark, portal stationery, and posta depicting him nor Bran Caste were Issued over the yea Matei Corin, King of Hungary, who kept Vid Tepes imprisoned fr fet yeas and who finaly exerted him, is pictred on several stamps sued in Hungary Vind Tepes bri at he Saugov Mooastey, nee