All language subtitles for Lost.Worlds.S01E09.The.Real.Dracula.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP2.0.H.264-BurCyg_track3_[eng]

[music playing]

NARRATOR: In a country
torn by bloody Civil War,

a young man seizes power.

In his native tongue,
he is called Dracula.

This is not the
vampire, Count Dracula

but a real historical
figure, a Romanian Prince.

He was celebrated
throughout Christendom

for his achievements
against the Turks.

NARRATOR: Dracula
was a warlord who

became known all
across Europe for both

his breathtaking courage
and his terrifying cruelty.

ARYEH NUSBACHER: What drove
him again and again was

a need for survival, a need
for affirmation and a driving

need to torture.

NARRATOR: Known as the Impaler
after his favorite means

of execution, Dracula is
said to have burned, boiled,

disemboweled, and tortured his
way into the history books.

But he also left an enduring
legacy not just in blood,

in brick, mortar and stone.

He constructed palaces,
he founded the city

that was to become
his country's capital.

He also built one of
Eastern Europe's most

breathtaking
mountaintop castles.

Now, with state of the
art computer animation,

the lost world of Dracula
will be brought back to life.

[music playing]

Transylvania, a land on the
outermost fringes of Europe.

It is dominated by sweeping
mountains shrouded in mystery

and legend.

MEI TROE: The romantic
version of the country,

the ruined castles the
whole vampire legend.

In a way we've had
to invent all this

because we don't know
enough about the real thing.

NARRATOR: Today,
Transylvania is a region

within the Eastern European
country of Romania.

In the 19th century,
the novelist,

Bram Stoker made it the home of
Count Dracula, the world's most

famous vampire.

But until the 1970s,
few readers suspected

that he had taken the name
from a real life warlord.

Forget Hollywood,
forget vampire stories.

This man really
existed, and he really

was a vicious extraordinarily
cruel but extremely successful

leader.

NARRATOR: The world
of the real Dracula

was bloodthirsty
and treacherous.

But even by the horrific
standards of his own time,

he earned a reputation
for barbarity.

There are stories
that he disemboweled

his own pregnant mistress,
that he collected 24,000 noses

from the corpses of
vanquished enemies.

Even amongst the sick
twisted sadistic rulers,

Vlad still stands out
as a psychotic madman.

NARRATOR: Vlad Dracula remains
an enigma, a figure whose deeds

are still controversial today.

Madman or single minded warrior?

I would say that he was
very much a man of his times

who did what he had to
do in order to survive.

NARRATOR: Now, our
team of experts

will search to uncover a world
that has been almost entirely

lost.

The written record
is very sparse.

The archaeology by comparison
with great civilisations

of the ancient world
is sparse as well.

We don't know what
actually is out there.

NARRATOR: Using
clues on the ground

and cutting edge
animation, the experts

will reconstruct
Dracula's mighty palaces,

castles, and fortifications.

They will be seen again
as they were in the time

of the infamous Impaler.

ED MCCANN: The
modern technologies

we have enable us to understand
what's left behind a lot better

than we were able
to do in the past.

So we can explore
inside the walls

and draw conclusions
about the construction

without having to take
them to pieces first.

Makes it a lot quicker
and a lot easier to do.

NARRATOR: The trail begins
at Vlad's birthplace.

It is a picturesque fortified
town called Sighisoara

in the heart of Transylvania.

The investigators start by
uncovering clues from one

of Sighisoara's oldest houses.

This is the house in which in
1431, Prince Vlad the Impaler

Dracula was born.

NARRATOR: But much has changed
since the 15th century.

It was probably a single
story building at that stage.

What we see behind us is
a 17th century addition

to the building.

It's not as it would
have been in Vlad's day.

NARRATOR: We can now
reveal Dracula's birthplace

as it looked when he was born.

A one story building in
the heart of the citadel,

it lacked sewers, plumbing,
the most basic amenities.

Yet, the thick
river stone it was

built from, provided its most
important feature, security.

Vlad's hometown was one of the
safest in all Transylvania.

The walls yield
the first clue to

the spectacular fortifications
that existed here

when Vlad Dracula was born.

This effectively
was the town wall.

And it's punctuated
with defensive towers.

And behind us, we have
one of the most elaborate.

NARRATOR: The walls
and defensive towers

called bastions were
up to 10 feet thick.

They were there simply to
prevent any enemy from sacking

the city.

If you look at
the lower area, we

have the crenels where
they poured the boiling oil

and hot water on people who
were attacking the fortress.

And in the upper part,
we have a narrow slit.

NARRATOR: Sighisoara
was heavily fortified

because it was one of
Transylvania's richest towns.

But the people who lived within
its walls were not Romanians,

they were Saxons, men and
women of German descent.

Pioneering Saxons had
migrated to Transylvania

in the 12th century to become
merchants and craftsmen.

In return, they were granted
special trading privileges.

MEI TROE: They were
very much a race apart.

The Saxons were very much
associated with greed,

typifying the middle
classes in any era.

They made money at the expense
of the native Wallachians.

NARRATOR: Vlad Dracula's
father, a Romanian Prince

struck a special trading deal
with the Saxons of Sighisoara.

In return, he and his
family were permitted

to live within the city
walls in the apparent safety

of the citadel.

But in 1447, Dracula's
father was assassinated

by a rival clan who seized the
throne of Wallachia, Romania's

southern province.

Vlad fled North.

He vowed to return.

One of the places he stayed was
the spectacular Bran Castle.

Today, tourists flock to
Bran Castle in the belief

that it was the home of Count
Dracula, the villain depicted

in Bram Stoker's novel.

The fictional vampire dwelt
here amongst the undead

until he was killed with
a stake through the heart.

This place was painted
as the home of evil.

The real Dracula did
come here in the 1450s.

And beneath the Gothic
splendor, the experts

uncover what the castle really
looked like in his time.

Modernized by Romanian
Royalty at the beginning

of the 20th century,
the castle's interior

is very different
from what it was.

But by using rarely seen
floor plans of the castle,

the experts piece
together how it

must have looked 500 years ago.

The tower that you were
telling me about, this one.

This is actually
this one behind us?

Exactly, the round top.

But the strategic
use of this tower, this

was the gunpowder tower, yes?

- The gun powder tower, yeah.
- Yeah.

Yeah.

So if we orientate
this way, we have the--

Tower behind us.

The tower here.

Yeah.

And the original entrance
to the castle was further--

NARRATOR: Using Bran's
medieval floor plans

and cutting edge
animation techniques,

it's possible to open a
window onto the castle

in the 15th century.

Not a fairy tale Gothic
castle but the most

secure and imposing fortress
on the Transylvanian border.

It was a major feat
of construction.

The territory
around here isn't

conducive to significant
road based travel.

So just getting the stuff there
is a huge, huge undertaking.

And then when you're
there, to get up

this high without
the sort of lifting

technology we have today, they
would have built up scaffolding

systems using timber.

They would have built off the
structure as they go along.

They were all very,
very big challenges.

NARRATOR: For Vlad
Dracula, Bran Castle

was the ideal springboard
from which he'd

launch his bid for power.

The bloody reign of
Dracula was about to begin.

To consolidate
his rule, he would

embark on one of the
biggest building programs

in the history of his country.

In 1456, the throne of the
Romanian Princeton of Wallachia

was seized by Vlad
Dracula, the man who

gave his name to the
world's most famous vampire.

Uncovering this lost world
is a team of investigators.

They want to expose the
extensive building projects

he began at the
start of his reign.

He was trying to impose
order on an unruly land.

Vlad Dracula has a
name to live up to.

He inherited it from
his father, Vlad Dracul,

the former ruler of
Wallachia and a night

of the order of the dragon.

The dragon became part
of the family crest.

JOHN FLORESCU: Draculea.

He was the son of Vlad Dracul.

And also there's the
connection with Dracul itself,

which means the devil.

NARRATOR: Following tradition,
Dracula, son of the devil

takes Targoviste as
his capital city.

It is a place of
legendary terror.

Some of Dracula's worst
atrocities take place here.

But when he arrives,
it is his life

that is in imminent danger.

This is not only the
capital of his realm

but it's also the capital
of political assassinations,

it's also the
capital of intrigue.

NARRATOR: He expects
to be murdered.

He fears poisoning.

Everything he eats is tasted
first by a trusted servant.

Rival princes called
boyars traditionally

dominate politics in Wallachia.

The knowledge that they will
do anything to get rid of him

forces Vlad's hand.

It is kill or be killed.

ARYEH NUSBACHER: For
generations, the Wallachian

landowners had changed
their loyalty back and forth

and back and forth.

And in order to
retain power, Vlad

has got to get rid of the boyar.

NARRATOR: Vlad's
antipathy toward the boyar

is also deeply personal.

His father has been
murdered by the boyars.

And so here is a man I
think bent on vengeance.

He's got a score of
settle and he does.

NARRATOR: But before Dracula
can be rid of his boyar enemies,

he needs protection.

And in the present day ruins
lie clues to a massive building

project that took place here
more than 500 years ago.

It's all part of his cunning
plan to build this image if you

like, this image of power, this
image that he's in control.

The impression that he
is the great leader,

the mighty Voivode of Wallachia.

NARRATOR: The palace
complex at Targoviste

was begun by
Dracula's grandfather.

In his father's time, a 60 foot
wide defensive moat was added.

But Dracula himself was to build
a palace complex that surpassed

all that had gone before.

The Great Hall was rebuilt to
encompass a vast area of more

than 3,000 square feet.

And an imposing watchtower
gave Dracula a panoramic view

of his territory.

The whole palace complex
was encased in walls that

were as much as 5 feet thick.

The vast cellars
beneath the Great Hall

reveal the sheer scale
of Vlad's ambition.

What we have here is
a huge volume of space.

And that volume was created
through the construction

of barrel vaulted cellars.

NARRATOR: The arches
are typical of what's

called the Byzantine
style of building.

They were constructed using
a timber framework called

a former.

The bricks were built around it.

It was a feat that had to be
supervised by a master mason.

His very life depended
on getting it right.

Traditionally, when you remove
the formwork from a fresh arch,

the master mason has to stand
underneath and be the first one

there when the
formwork's removed.

So if it's ever going to fall
on anyone, it'll fall on him.

NARRATOR: Although
few clues remain,

some still believe the cellers
house not just palace supplies

but far darker
secrets like Vlad's

own private torture chambers.

Restored in the 19th
century, this tower

was perhaps the most striking
feature that Vlad Dracula added

to Targoviste.

Built of a river stone base
with upper stories of brick,

it soared more than
60 feet into the air

and provided a commanding view.

Once finished, Vlad's palace
was a highly defensible series

of barriers.

As a defensive
position, this structure

appears to be well set.

You can defend
progressively backward.

So you have a succession
of hurdles to overcome.

Once you've got over that
one, you're in the moat

and people are still
lobbing stuff at you.

Once you've got over that one,
everyone runs back inside there

and they're firing at you from
the tower and from the roof

and from everywhere else.

You can imagine
the life toll will

be fairly severe for
the people attacking it.

NARRATOR: With
Targoviste transformed

into a high security
headquarters,

Dracula began exterminating
his boyar enemies.

He showed ruthlessness
that has become legendary.

There is no doubt that the
only way Vlad could get rid

of the boyar and cement himself
in power was to kill them all.

NARRATOR: On Easter
Sunday 1457, Dracula

committed one of his
most infamous atrocities.

He set his trap by inviting the
boyars to a meal in the Great

Hall.

Vlad asked them rather
pointedly how many Lords they

had had over a 50 year period.

And most of them couldn't answer
him because they'd had so many.

And the reason they had so many
is that they had been removed

by force by those very
boyars, which was exactly

the answer that Vlad wanted.

They were condemning themselves
out of their own mouths.

And so according
to legend anyway,

he had them impaled,
500 of them.

[suspenseful music]

NARRATOR: Impalement was a
terrifying method of execution.

Now, the common way would be
to put your enemy on the end,

the sharpened end of the stake,
pierce them through the navel

or through the heart and hoist
them up and leave them to die,

a relatively quick death.

That was for the more fortunate.

Because he really wanted
to make an example of you,

he'd take this rounded
end and he'd grease it

and then he'd pull your
legs apart and insert it

into your rectum.

So through your bottom
and gradually the steak

would work its way
through your body.

This might take a
couple of days, OK?

So you'd be literally
dying for hours.

NARRATOR: Targoviste
was littered

with the impaled bodies
of the dead and dying.

But Dracula didn't kill
everyone immediately.

For some, he intended a
longer more productive death.

And here on this high
inaccessible mountaintop

on the border of
Transylvania, they

were forced to build a fortress
that is the real Castle

Dracula.

It is a place that would
serve as Vlad's sanctuary

in a coming campaign of terror.

1,500 feet above the river Arges
on a perilously steep mountain

lie the ruins of an ancient
fortress called Castle Poenari.

This is the real Castle Dracula.

The castle site was key.

On the edge of Vlad Dracula's
own realm of Wallachia,

the castle also bordered
the mountainous territory

of Transylvania.

Even today, it remains a
remote and forbidding place.

And the investigators need
to climb 1,480 steps just

to get to it.

Within these ruins
lie remarkable

archaeological clues, which will
help the investigators bring

the castle back to life.

For a prince bent on
achieving absolute power,

this was a prime
strategic location.

And you see here to the
South, we have Vlad's lands,

his Wallachia.

And of course 50 miles
beyond those mountains

you have Targoviste, his
very own capital city.

But of equal importance
and over here to the North,

you have Transylvania.

Transylvania, which of
course included a couple

of Vlad's strongholds.

And equally importantly,
this was the prime position

from which he could deal with
those pesky Transylvanian

Saxons.

NARRATOR: Transylvania is home
to the rich Saxon merchants

whose wheeling and dealing
threatens Vlad Dracula's grip

on power.

Since he needs to act swiftly
in building the castle,

he resorts to unconventional
techniques and slave labor.

Construction begins around
a watchtower dating back

to the time of his grandfather.

But Vlad envisages
something far greater.

A fortress that will not
just occupy the whole summit

of Poenari but enlarge it.

Clues to how he did it are
encoded in the ruined walls

that still surround the castle.

They give it its strange
two tone appearance,

with red brick sitting on
top of a gray stone base.

DAVID BAXTER: It is a very,
very unusual structure because

of the combination of
the stone and the brick.

I would have expected here
to have seen the whole thing

constructed in stone.

Perhaps it was actually
easier to build in brick.

It certainly would have
been an awful lot quicker.

NARRATOR: Though they stand
on a narrow mountain summit,

these walls are a
staggering 9 feet thick.

This was achieved by using the
Byzantine construction method.

The Byzantine style
was first of all

to build a two
external walls in brick

and then to infill
those walls with rubble.

The combination
of the outer wall,

the inner core
and the inner wall

together, make this an
absolutely solid structure.

NARRATOR: What held the
walls together was also

the secret of the castle's
survival in an area that was

actually an earthquake zone.

They used lime mortar.

This is what lime in its
putty form actually looks like.

It's like a very rich
whipped cream effectively.

But because it's lime,
it won't completely

set in this sort of
situation, and therefore it

allows flexibility.

It allows the walls to move,
which of course, is going

to be very useful in an
earthquake situation.

We won't suffer severe cracks
and damage in the same way

that you would if you
were to use cement.

NARRATOR: Though
they have been struck

by numerous violent earthquakes,
many of Castle Dracula's walls

still stand today.

They were constructed by slave
labor, the nobles that had been

spared from impalement
during the Easter massacre

at Targoviste.

Forced march to
Poenari, they were now

to suffer a far longer
lingering death.

Wallachian chronicles report
that these men and women worked

so hard.

They worked until
their clothes fell off.

They were naked quite literally.

NARRATOR: But the castle
wasn't built just by slaves.

One ingenious piece
of engineering

proves that master craftsmen
must have been involved.

The castles roofs gather
rainfall into the cistern.

It's constructed
in stone, which is--

it's called riveting.

And basically, it's cut
in the angles of the stone

so that the next stone sits
in exactly against this one.

But what this actually shows is
that when this was constructed,

whoever was involved in the
engineering side of things

really understood the whole
process of stone construction,

of what was needed to hold
water for a castle of this size

and quality.

NARRATOR: Everything needed
to build Castle Dracula was

available in the
river valley below.

There was sand for mortar,
gravel and small rocks

for the Byzantine wall filler.

There were also
sturdy river stones

that formed the castle's base.

Even the bricks were
fired and made locally.

This was the spectacular
result. When it was finished,

the castle filled
the entire summit,

approximately 32 feet
wide by 180 feet long.

An eagle's nest,
Dracula's castle

offered excellent
security and the control

of a key strategic pass
between the mountains.

But just over the
border in Transylvania,

the troublesome Saxon merchants
were hatching a conspiracy

against him.

To protect their profits,
they were supporting

a rival claimant
to Vlad's thrown.

You could argue that
this cost provided Vlad

with the essential springboard
via which he could go and deal

with the Transylvanian Saxons.

He made them realize that
if they were going to have

their commercial ways, they
were first and foremost going

to do what he said.

NARRATOR: A major
confrontation lay ahead.

Vlad Dracula would
need all his cunning

to overcome the defenses of
one of the best fortified towns

in all Europe.

He would exact a
terrible revenge.

German chronicles report
that in 1459, Vlad Dracula,

the real-life Romanian
Prince embarked

on a campaign of terror.

It was so savage that
the name of Dracula

would never be forgotten.

Rallying his troops
at Bran Castle,

he marched into Transylvania.

Saxon merchants were
plotting to overthrow him,

he intended to punish them.

Their base was in Brasov.

Concealed within
the modern day city

are the fortifications
of what was

medieval Transylvania's richest
and most well defended town.

MEI TROE: The Saxons had been
siding with Vlad's enemies.

They were untrustworthy, and
they were foreign anyway.

So in Vlad's book
that's fair deal.

NARRATOR: Today, the
picturesque town gives few clues

to the bloody events
that unfolded here

5 and 1/2 centuries ago.

Vlad's attack on
Brasov was not easy.

The city's military
defenses were formidable.

A huge wall nearly 14
feet thick in some places

ran around the
entire Saxon city.

There were bastions
at regular intervals.

This bastion was run
by the weavers guild.

DAVID BAXTER: This is one of the
most important fortifications

that has survived,
fairly intact.

And in terms of its
architecture and form,

it's extremely important
in understanding

the defensive systems of
the early 15th century.

NARRATOR: A multileveled
wooden gallery

was built onto the
inside of the wall.

DAVID BAXTER: What we see
here is very, very high

quality work in oak.

And we have the roofs at the
moment are covered in snow

but underneath that
snow is timber roofing.

NARRATOR: Cut into
the outside walls

are arrows slits and loopholes.

They would later be used
for cannon and muskets.

The Saxons believe that they
are safe behind their mighty

fortifications but
they underestimate

Dracula's cunning.

Dracula grew up in a Saxon town.

He knows their way of fighting.

He knows a frontal assault
is doomed to failure.

So he takes Brasov by
surprise, attacking by night

and ransacking its suburbs
before people can retreat

to safety behind the walls.

Everyone he catches is impaled
on the surrounding hills.

According to later Saxon
accounts, thousands die.

The execution took
place on the hanging hill

which is behind this mountain.

NARRATOR: The attack on Brasov
inspires the most infamous

of all the images of Vlad,
the Forest Of The Impaled.

It depicts the prince eating
his dinner amid corpses.

Some suggest this picture
is the first to make

a link between Vlad
Dracula and vampirism.

MEI TROE: Impalement
is a slow process.

It can't be done quickly,
especially with large numbers.

Then he would have been having a
meal while he was watching it .

But he's not actually
drinking their blood

and he's not eating their flesh.

There is nothing cannibalistic
I don't think about Vlad.

NARRATOR: Created by
Saxon storytellers,

the purpose of these pictures
is clear, to forever associate

the name of Dracula with evil.

MEI TROE: The woodcuts
themselves of course

are propaganda.

They are the early
version of video nasties,

and people wanting to
look at them and gorp.

And they're paid
good money to do it.

NARRATOR: With Brasov subdued,
Vlad turns his attention

to the Ottoman Empire, the
Muslim superpower of his day.

Its vast borders reach
Vlad's own territory.

The Ottoman Turkish
empire were continuing

to look westward, look towards
Europe as the next place they

were going to conquer.

And aside from a few hill
tribes like the Wallachians,

there was nothing to stop them.

NARRATOR: But Vlad Dracula
is determined to resist.

He begins to concentrate
his building efforts

in the South of his realm.

Here, he erects a stunning
new palace of brick and stone.

For 5 centuries it has been
lost to time until now.

Hidden beneath Bucharest
streets is the secret world

of this once great residence.

These ancient walls conceal
evidence of past glories

few even know existed.

We're always thinking of
Vlad is defending and fighting

but don't forget he was
a man with a great deal

of commercial nose.

And this was an extremely
important economic route.

NARRATOR: Vlad knew the Turks
could threaten these trade

routes and at any moment.

He built his palace in a hurry
with the best specialists

available.

He called in
Transylvanian stonemasons.

He also called in
approximately 1,000 workers

to make sure that
this was erected,

and this was erected
quite quickly.

NARRATOR: Excavations
in these tunnels

reveal a building of a
compact design born out

of urgent necessity.

Altogether it was a
functional fortress as opposed

to a sort of exotic palace.

NARRATOR: Later rulers
would rebuild and extend it.

But hidden in the
building's foundations

are clues to its history.

[suspenseful music]

Take this piece
of wall here, you

have in the middle brick work
that dates back to Vlad's time.

Now, on either side of that
you see brick work that's

been added on later dates.

And I think that's what's the
most fascinating part if you

like because you have
archaeological evidence

from the 14th century also the
15th century, the 16th century,

the 17th century, the 18th
century and the 19th century.

NARRATOR: Now with
animation based

on this archaeological
detective work,

Dracula's original palace
can be seen once more.

It is a commanding
fortress and it

would have served as
an essential bulwark

to Vlad's southern frontier.

Dracula now has his domain
of Wallachia in an iron grip

but his greatest enemy, the
conquering Ottoman empire

is waiting at the border.

The bloodthirsty
tyrant Dracula now

needs to transform himself
into the heroic defender

of Christian Europe.

And the fortifications
he's built

will now be tested
to their limits.

With his country secured by a
series of fortified palaces,

Vlad Dracula,
Prince of Wallachia

begins planning for war.

Amid the massive
5 foot thick walls

of his palace at Targoviste,
Vlad receives a delegation

from the Ottoman Turks.

The Turks all conquering
armies have reached his borders

and they now threaten
Christian Europe.

According to legend, the envoy
demands Vlad pay a tribute

but he refuses claiming
the envoy had insulted him.

They don't remove
their turbans.

And Vlad asked them why
they were being so insulting

and they said it's
not our custom.

We never remove our turbans.

So he ordered then
that they could never

remove their
turbans because they

would be nailed to their heads.

NARRATOR: By the winter of
1461, Dracula and the Turks

are at war.

With an unexpected
speed and boldness,

Dracula leads his soldiers
on a brilliant campaign

into enemy territory.

Everyone who gets in his
way is put to the sword.

ARYEH NUSBACHER: A
nobleman like Vlad

could not hang back in battle.

He had to be
physically courageous.

Otherwise, he was nobody.

NARRATOR: Vlad
returns to the safety

of Targoviste's fortifications.

In 1462, he writes to
neighboring kingdoms demanding

help from his fellow Christians.

With one dispatch, he
sends a demonstration

of his military prowess,
23,884 severed noses cut

from the faces of
his fallen enemies.

The Turkish sultan Mehmed,
himself a ferocious general

sets out to meet him in battle.

He brings an army that
dwarfs Vlad's by 3 to 1.

Though Targoviste has
formidable defenses,

Vlad knows the palace cannot
withstand a protracted siege.

The way you broke down
defensive positions like this

was either intrigue
where you paid someone

to let you in, open the
door or you starve them out.

There are good answer if
all you're worried about

is someone knocking on
your door for a few weeks.

If you have to hide
here for three years,

it's not quite so good.

NARRATOR: Vlad is forced
to change his tactics

and go on the run.

ARYEH NUSBACHER: Mehmed was a
master of psychological warfare

but what he encountered
was an even more

powerful psychological warrior.

NARRATOR: Vlad uses
savage guerrilla tactics.

He keeps to Romania's
thick forests,

venturing out to strike quickly
and brutally then vanishing.

For Vlad it's like
being a big shark,

if you stand still, you die.

NARRATOR: As the
Turks advance, Vlad

uses every conceivable
tactic to break their morale.

He attacks by night,
he poisons their wells,

he burns their crops.

He even pays diseased men to
infiltrate the Turkish ranks

and pass on infections.

Vlad's campaign of
psychological terror

reaches its climax outside
the walls of Targoviste.

When he abandons his
palace, he leaves

behind a sight that
will haunt the sultan

for the rest of his life.

It gives rise to Vlad's
Turkish nickname.

They call him, Kazikli
Bei, the Impaler Lord.

Mehmed himself who was
a frighteningly cruel man

turns away.

The site of 20,000
corpses with their bowels

spilled out down poles
was enough to take

a seasoned young fit
soldier like Mehmed II

and send him running.

NARRATOR: The traumatized
sultan retreats

to his homeland leaving
others to fight Dracula.

They drive him back.

He is forced to retreat
to his sanctuary

at Poenari, Castle Dracula.

The castle's position and
defenses make a frontal assault

impossible.

But for some of
those trapped inside,

life becomes unbearable.

Panic stricken by the idea
of being tortured to death

by the Turks, Dracula's
wife throws herself

from the battlements.

Her body falls into
the river far below.

To this day, it is called
the Princess's river.

But Vlad does not give up.

He will get out and
live to keep fighting.

[music playing]

In the village of Arefu only
a few miles from the castle,

the experts uncover a piece
of local folklore concerning

Dracula's daring escape.

[non-english].

TESSA DUNLOP: The
villagers take great pride

in the way in which they've
helped shape history, how they

helped trick the Turks.

And basically,
they devised a plan

whereby they turned their horse
shoes the wrong way around

and reattached them
onto their horses.

And then they led Vlad
away on these horses

in the dead of night.

[non-english].

So of course the Turks
when they saw the footprints

thought he'd gone
into the castle

but in fact he'd actually left
the castle unbeknown to them.

[non-english].

[non-english].

[applause]

NARRATOR: Dracula flees
into Transylvania and exile.

10 years later, he returns
and reclaims his throne.

He comes back to his
palace in Bucharest

and again begins
preparing defenses

to repel a Turkish invasion.

But before work gets underway,
Dracula's reign ends.

Vlad's death is
shrouded in mystery.

He was almost certainly
killed in battle.

Although whether that was
in a fair fight in the heat

of the moment or whether it
was murder, we don't know.

I personally
subscribe to murder.

NARRATOR: Local folklore has
it that he was buried here

in the beautiful island
monastery of Snagov.

Once surrounded by heavily
fortified stone walls,

the monastery was
later used as a prison.

High ranking traders
were held here,

and the island is
said to be littered

with countless human bones.

Today, the monastery is
a place of pilgrimage

for Dracula's fans.

It is said his body lies
in a grave at the altar

but that his head was cut
off and sent to the sultan

to prove he was finally dead.

Tradition and wishful thinking
places Vlad in this tomb

at the monastery of Snagov
but the tomb is empty.

There is nothing inside.

NARRATOR: Past excavations have
found no proof that Vlad's body

was buried in Snagov.

His last resting place
remains a mystery.

In Romania today, Vlad Dracula
remains a national hero

despite his brutality.

Vlad is very much the
guy on the white horse.

I think Romanians
today see him as that.

He's a freedom fighter.

He is a nationalist,
he's a man of the people.

NARRATOR: Dracula was
the last great builder

of an independent Wallachia.

Soon after his death, the Turks
brought the country firmly

under their control.

It was forbidden to
build fortifications.

But Dracula's castles
remain as a reminder

of a glorious and free past.

The royal palace of Targoviste
that he completely redesigned,

the founding of
Bucharest and its castle,

and the inaccessible sanctuary
of Poenari, the real Castle

Dracula, each a symbol of the
indelible mark Vlad Dracula

left on his country.

It is not just in the ruins
of his once great palaces

but also in the
memories of his people.

[music playing]