Part 9 – Dracula’s Release and Final Battle

The rise of Dracula

After Radu’s death in 1473, Dracula was released from prison. He immediately assembled an army and invaded Bosnia, slaughtering its Muslim population and impaling 8,000 on stakes in a forest of human bodies. Once again, Dracula had arisen from the darkness with the objective of eliminating Islam from the Balkans forever. He finally acquired the throne of Wallachia after his departed brother, but only for a month. Sultan Mehmet invaded Wallachia to remove this profanity from the throne his dear friend Radu had vacated in death. In 1476 the forces of Sultan Mehmet faced the forces of Dracula in Bucharest, Romania. Dracula’s army was overrun in a blitz and all were killed, including Dracula himself. The vampire had been slain. News of this did not suffice. His head was cut off and preserved in a jar of honey and sent to Constantinople. There, in a fitting end, Dracula’s head was impaled upon a stake in the center of Constantinople for all to see. There was to be no doubt or mystery.

The Muslims had finally, at last, killed Dracula.

Invasion of Bosnia

Part 8 – Radu vs. Dracula: Brothers in Blood

Portrait of Matthias Corvinus

As Târgoviște was taken, Dracula fled towards Transylvania in hopes of finding refuge with John Hunyadi’s son Matthias Corvinus. As was typical of Dracula’s opportunism and lack of reverence for religion, he offered to become Catholic in order to win Corvinus’ favor. He scorched the earth and slaughtered all the living in his path leaving a wake of desolation and writhing impaled bodies. He would not give up his homeland to the Muslims that easily. He began a beleaguering campaign of guerilla warfare that the elite Ottoman Sipahis could not endure. It is said he slaughtered 15,000 of the Ottoman soldiers in one single night. Still, as the mightiest of the Ottomans fled, Radu was undeterred seemingly driven by what can only be interpreted as an austere piety, to end the bloody reign of his haplessly misguided brother. None remained to fight Dracula save Radu and his fellow Romanian Muslim Janissaries.

The brothers fought lingering battles for the throne of Wallachia and Radu’s control of the region increased staggeringly with Dracula receiving less and less support from Matthias Corvinus in Hungary. In a strange twist of fate, Corvinus, the one to whom Dracula retreated, had him imprisoned for 12 years on charges of high treason. The people of Wallachia and their Christian nobles had enough of Dracula’s terror and put their support behind Radu who was pronounced Voivod, Prince and Ruler of Wallachia in 1462. Radu ruled the land prosperously for 11 years until his death while Dracula wasted away in a Budapest prison patiently waiting to rise again from the darkness.

Part 7 – Vlad Tepes gets his nickname, The Impaler

“I have killed men and women, old and young… We killed 23,884 Turks and Bulgarians without counting those whom we burned in their homes or whose heads were not cut by our soldiers.” (Dracula, in a letter to Matthias Corvinus bragging of his tyranny)

As Sultan Mehmet approached what appeared to be a fetid balding forest of rotting trees in the distance he soon realized the horror of what he approached. They were so close to their destination – the Wallachian capital of Târgoviște -that he was in no mood for this puzzling sight. But the figures became clearer as the steeds in the cavalry grew unruly and the infantry felt ill. Before him stood 20,000 impaled bodies of innocent men, women and children, all victims of Dracula in that winter of 1462.

Dracula’s Muslim upbringing, albeit abandoned in deference to opportunity, and fluency in Turkish enabled him to move about the Ottomans’ most secured camps freely as a Turk without being noticed. This had deadly consequences for the Muslims. Dracula had entered Serbia with his men all dressed as Turkish Sipahis and slaughtered all the Muslim villagers, and those non-Muslims friendly to them that they could find. The intent was to leave a horrifying memento for Sultan Mehmet whom they knew to be soon taking their capital city. They erected this unholy monument in a bid to alarm the Sultan and terrorize his troops in hopes that they might turn around and retreat home.

What is remarkable is that there are no records of mass desertion of Ottoman troops after witnessing this. They pressed on unflinchingly. However, some historians have suggested that Sultan Mehmet II lost his taste for hunting down the ‘vampire’ following this invasion of Wallachia and left the task up to the only one who was capable of hunting down Dracula and killing him. After taking the Wallachian capital of Târgoviște, Mehmet returned home, leaving the hunt to Radu. After all, it would take someone who knew the mind of Dracula to defeat him, and none fit this bill better than his own brother.

This event earned Dracula the name of Vlad Ţepeş, the Romanian word “Ţepeş” meaning “Impaler”. Legend has it that if you look closely at the word you can see Dracula’s fangs dangling beneath as a hidden warning to the vampire’s terrible lust for blood.

An illustration demonstrate "The Impaling process by Dracula"

Part 6 – The rise of Dracula

Opportunistic betrayal was the way of Wallachia’s rulers and in one such brief betrayal, Vlad II silently allowed his older sons, Mircea and Vlad IV, to launch an insurrection after which Mircea impaled all his prisoners upon stakes. The young Dracula loved the sight of this and later joined Mircea in further insurrections against the Ottomans as well as the rival Dăneşti clan supported by the Hungarian warlord, John Hunyadi. Ultimately, Hunyadi overran Dracula’s father, slew him in the marshes of Bălteni and blinded then buried Mircea alive at Târgovişte. Hunyadi installed a Dăneşti prince, Vladislav II, over Wallachia. In his ambition and lust for power, Dracula put aside any vengeful sentiments for his slaughtered father and brother and allied with Hunyadi and served him as an adviser. As John Hunyadi went to face the Turks at Belgrade in modern day Serbia, Dracula attacked and slew Vladislav and took the throne for himself. As fortune would have it, a plague broke out amongst Hunyadi’s camp, infecting him which led to his death. Sultan Mehmet was severely wounded in the battle. These events left Dracula to rule Wallachia uninterrupted for 6 years. It was the only time he ruled his home for so long.

Battle of Vienna

Part 5 – The Conquest of Constantinople

“On the third day after the fall of our city, the Sultan celebrated his victory with a great, joyful triumph. He issued a proclamation: the citizens of all ages who had managed to escape detection were to leave their hiding places throughout the city and come out into the open, as they were to remain free and no question would be asked. He further declared the restoration of houses and property to those who had abandoned our city before the siege, if they returned home; they would be treated according to their rank and religion, as if nothing had changed.” (George Sphrantzes, 1401-1478, Byzantine Christian chronicler and witness of the fall of Constantinople)

It was a time of relief and rejoicing. It was a relief for the inhabitants of Constantinople who expected a prompt culling following the fall of their city. It was a time of celebration for the entire Muslim world for this historical conquest of a city that has remained, to this very day, the capital of the Turks. Yet as Sultan Mehmet II rode into the city victorious, a glance over to his childhood friend and chief of the Janissaries, Radu cel Frumos, son of Vlad II Duke of Wallachia, may have served as a sobering reminder that to the North, beyond the spoils of Byzantium, their fiercest enemies lay in wait. Among those enemies was the most feared of them all, Dracula, who just so happened to be Radu’s own brother.

Mehmet giving orders during the conquest of Constantinople

You can watch Fetih (2012) movie to know more about the conquest of Constantinople

Part 4 – The connection between Radu and Vlad Tepes

Looking back, Radu’s devotion to Islam and to Sultan Mehmet II could be traced to the political alliance of their respective fathers before them. Vlad II from the House of Drăculeşti (“House of the Dragon”) was an ally and vassal of Sultan Mehmet’s father, Sultan Murad II. Vlad II had 4 sons: Mircea II, Vlad IV Călugărul (“The Monk”), Vlad III who would come to be known as Dracula, and Radu III cel Frumos (“The Handsome”). As a gesture of unity with the Sultan, Vlad II offered his sons, Dracula and Radu, to serve the Ottoman Sultan. Under the Janissaries they studied the Qur’an, Arabic, Turkish, Persian, Islamic Theology and Jurisprudence, and, coveted above all, Turkish military strategy and tactics of war.

The Ottoman Special Forces who held a higher status both militarily as well as socially than the rank and file were the Janissaries and the Sipahis. The Janissaries were the elite infantry of the Ottoman military as well as the personal bodyguards of the Sultan and his family. The Sipahis were the elite cavalry who surrounded the Sultan in battle and would be sent to deal with the most stubborn of adversaries. They were the commandos and special forces of their day. Though the Sipahis were almost exclusively Turkic in origin as demanded by Sultan Mehmet II himself in his treatise of law entitled Kanun Nameh-e-Sipahi (“Law Book of the Sipahis”), the Janissaries, within whose ranks Dracula and Radu found themselves, were conversely converts to Islam.

The young Dracula continually abused and rebelled against his hosts earning himself imprisonment and castigation. Due to the heavy handedness of the Turks in response to his insolence, he developed a compounded and complex series of grudges. He hated his father for allying with the Turks, which he saw as a betrayal of the Order of the Dragon to which his father had sworn an oath. The Order of the Dragon was a Christian fraternity whose sole aim was to wipe out Islam from the Balkans forever. Dracula hated Radu for his successes and the favor the Turks bestowed upon him. He was filled with jealousy for the then young Mehmet II who, like him, was a prince, but, very unlike him, lived in splendor. He was also jealous of his brothers Mircea and Vlad the Monk due to what he perceived as his father’s preference for them. His sentiments for Mircea however, would teeter between jealousy and awe. It is from him that the young Dracula learned the terror tactic of impaling thousands to create forests of the dead.

Radu remained faithful to Islam and the Sultan and spent his entire life in battle on the frontiers of the Ottoman Empire, vanquishing the most difficult adversaries of the Empire. His natural knack for battle was unparalleled even amongst the Janissaries and elite Sipahis of the Ottoman military, and he would be called upon frequently to subdue any foe that seemed insurmountable. It is reported that he turned the very course of Near Eastern history when he stopped the mighty Ak Koyunlu from overrunning the Ottomans, an event that, if not stopped, would have definitely changed the faces of both the Middle East and Europe today. For this very reason, he was called upon to face the threat from his homeland of Wallachia that neither the elite Janissaries nor the Sipahis could route.

Part 3 – Vlad Tepes, The Dracula

Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia (1431–1476/77), was a member of the House of Drăculești, a branch of the House of Basarab, also known, using his patronymic, as (Vlad) Drăculea or (Vlad) Dracula. He was posthumously dubbed Vlad the Impaler (Romanian: Vlad Țepeș, pronounced [ˈvlad ˈt͡sepeʃ]), and was a three-time Voivode of Wallachia, ruling mainly from 1456 to 1462, the period of the incipient Ottoman conquest of the Balkans. His father, Vlad II Dracul, was a member of the Order of the Dragon, which was founded to protect Christianity in Eastern Europe. Vlad III is revered as a folk hero in Romania as well as other parts of Europe for his protection of the Romanians both north and south of the Danube. A significant number of Romanian common folk and remaining boyars (nobles) moved north of the Danube to Wallachia, recognized his leadership and settled there following his raids on the Ottomans. First as the cognomen "The Impaler" suggests, his practice of impaling his enemies is part of his historical reputation. Second during his lifetime, his reputation for excessive cruelty spread abroad, to Germany and elsewhere in Europe.

Part 2 – Sultan Muhammad Al-Fateh (Sultan Muhammad II/ Mehmet II)

Sultan Muhammad/ Mehmet al Fateh also known as Mehmet II, Muhammad Bin Murad, Mehmet the Conqueror, and Kaisar/ Kaysar/ Caesar Rom was born on 30 March 1432 and died on 3 May 1481. He was the Ottoman Sultan that brought down the Rom Byzantine Empire after he conquered Constantinople on 29^th May 1953 (same as my birth date J) after 57 days of war and he is only 21 years old at that time. He first ruled for a short time from August 1444 to September 1446, and later from February 1451 to May 1481. Mehmet continued his conquests in Anatolia with its reunification and in Southeast Europe as far west as Bosnia. Being a highly regarded conqueror, Mehmet is considered a hero in modern-day Turkey and parts of the wider Muslim world. Among other things, Istanbul's Fatih district, Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge and Fatih Mosque are named after him. Nabi Muhammad S.A.W once said that the Muslim will conquer Constantinople. The king is the best of the king and the soldiers is the best of the soldiers. He died at the age of 49 on 3 May 1481 and buried in Fatih Mosque. Al Fatihah.

Sultan Muhammad Al Fateh, Dracula & his brother, Radu “The Handsome”

Part 1 – Radu cel Frumos

This blood brother of Vlad Tepes aka Dracula was born in the Ottoman Principality of Wallachia, Romania in 1435 AD, he was known as Radu al III-lea cel Frumos to his Romanian countrymen, Yakışıklı Radu Bey to the Turks, Radu al-Wasim to the Arabs, and Radu the Handsome in English. This ally and childhood friend of Sultan Mehmet II was instrumental in the conquest of Constantinople for Islam. Radu’s participation in that conquest ensured that Mehmet II would go down in history as “Fatih,” or “Conqueror.” Radu was the Ottomans’ secret weapon against the Safavids to the East and the Serbs, Romanians and Hungarians to the West. The Muslim world owes much to this hero of Islam, yet they recorded little other than cursory references to him, perhaps for fear of taking away from Fatih Sultan Mehmet’s limelight. The Byzantines recorded Radu as a reviled despot due to their hatred for his conversion to Islam and instrumental role in ending the Byzantine Empire.

Yet, this Ottoman general had a greater war, a war against darkness. He hunted the very progenitor of the vampire legend who impaled his enemies and drank their blood – Vlad al III-lea Ţepeş, also known as Vlad Drăculea, who would go down in infamy as, simply, Dracula.

Dracula Untold (A story with a little truth)

Guys, have you watched one of the most anticipated movies in 2014, the English-made of the iconic figure of Dracula in the ‘Dracula Untold’. I have watched the movie and for me, hmmmm, not bad laa. The movie is starring Luke Evans as Vlad Tepes also known as the Dracula. As I have watched so many of Luke Evans’s movies such as The Three Musketeers and The Fast and Furious 6 (Fast 6), this is one of the best movies of him so far. The Dracula Untold is about a prince who sacrifices himself (his humanity) in order to defeat the enemy (the Turks/ Ottoman Empire). Sultan Mehmet Al Fateh (Dominic Cooper) had asked from the prince of Wallachia a thousand boys in order to fulfil his Janissari soldier (the Ottoman elite soldier). In order to prevent that, Vlad Tepes have made a deal with a thing known as vampire in the Broken Tooth Mountain. He has sacrifices his humanity to save his people. He then fought the Ottoman all by himself. He eventually killed Sultan Mehmet with the help of his vampire army. What a noble act of bravery and courage shown by the Impaler. But, did you know that, this isn’t the truth about the story of well-known Dracula and his rivalry, Sultan Mehmet? I will reveal the truth of the Dracula in my next post. J  

Tuan Guru Nik Aziz Nik Mat

Dato’ Bentara Setia Tuan Guru Haji Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat  

On 12 February 2015, our nation has lost someone who is very important, not only in politics but also in Islam. Allahyarham Dato’ Bentara Setia Tuan Guru Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat is a Malaysian politician for the Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) party, and a religious leader not only in Kelantan but also in Malaysia. He was born on 10 January 1931 in Kota Bharu and second from five siblings. He continues his Islamic studies in many universities such as University Al Azhar and Universities Deoband. He married to Tuan Sabariah and blessed with 5 sons and 5 daughters. He can speak in Malay, English, Arabic, Urdu and Tamil. Started to be the Mentri Besar of Kelantan after winning the election on the 1990, Tuan Guru Nik Aziz Nik Mat administrate Kelantan until his recent retirement in 2013. This iconic figure of Kelantanese people is listed as the 42^nd most influential Islamic leader all around the world. Islam has lost a very important person that has taken Islam to higher level. Al Fatihah.

Listed as Top 50 Most Influential Muslims

During his funeral

Terrible flood in Kelantan (Banjir Besar Kelantan) 25 December 2014

The worst ever flood in Kelantan history. During 25^th December 2014, a huge natural disaster has viciously attack Kelantan, leaving a gigantic catastrophe. The disaster started before the Christmas, on 23rd December and goes on until 28th December 2014. Before this, during 1926, the biggest flood hit the East Coast of Malaysia. And the most affected state is Kelantan. As I researching about the 1926 flood, I asked a few old fellows to know about the 1926, all of them said to me that the 2014 flood is greater (I don’t know how to describe it but the 2014 flood brought more catastrophes). The most affected area are Kuala Krai, as most of them were left with nothing, their house is totally destroyed. History taught us not to forget the pass because it may happen again. Learn from the past, try to improve ourselves. In this case, the government should be more aware when the monsoon starts again at November. Build a new drainage system. A new house that is capable to float whenever the flood came is also has to be build. Although my hometown, Pasir Mas is also one of the most affected area, but thank God a few houses included my house are safe. Alhamdulillah. I not gonna say anything and let the pics do the talking.

Sultan Yahya Petra's Bridge, KB

Sultan Muhammad IV Stadium, KB

Meow enjoying the scene :D

 Caltex at Guchil, Kuala Krai

'Bout myself

“Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it”, George Santayana

Assalamualaikum and Hi everyone. I’m Muhammad Izzuddin bin Ismail. I’m 21 years old and from Kelantan. This is my first experience in creating and using blog to complete the task given by my lecturer for the subject writing for multimedia. Before this, I would have never thought that I would actually gonna create a blog of my own. Having no experience at all in this blog thingy, I struggle at early stage of creating this blog because of not knowing the basic thing about blog. As I’m a big fan of history (always got an A in history subject during my high school time) my blog is about history. I know, many of us is not a big fan of history, many of my friends always sleep during the history class. Haha. But don’t worry cause I’m not gonna boring you with long speech but bring to you an excitement in learning history. That’s why I named my blog as “Fun with History”. Enjoy :)