The encounter with the calculating Count Dracula stalled the progress of the Ottomans. In the eyes of most civilians, Dracula was a harsh but just ruler, who never feared to stand up for the liberty of his homeland and for the protection of the Orthodox faith, and treated the enemy just as mercilessly as they would treat the locals, by having them impaled.
This gruesome reputation for being ruthless to enemies and traitors gave him the nickname Tepes or Impaler in Romanian. Throughout his second reign, Vlad III engaged extensively in charitable activity and work for the benefit of the Orthodox Church. In — he donated extensively towards the sustenance of the Orthodox monasteries of Romania and Greece including the monastery on Mount Athos.
Dracula was on good terms with Metropolitan Macarius, the bishop of the Wallachian Church who supported Dracula in his war against the Turks. Eventually, this support cost him his episcopacy, when Dracula was succeeded by his brother Radu III the Beautiful, an ally of the Ottoman empire. The change of government happened in when Wallachia was once again invaded by the Turks.
As a result, he was forced to flee to Hungary. While in exile there, he was imprisoned for 12 years, charged with being in secret correspondence with the Sultan of Turkey. The evidence on which this charge was based is now considered fake by most present-day historians.
He was released from his captivity on condition that he convert to Catholicism and marry the sister of the Hungarian king. There are different explanations as to why a firm proponent of Orthodoxy had agreed to accept these terms.
Some believe Dracula had no other choice if he wanted to continue his struggle against the Ottoman empire, deemed to be the main enemy of Christianity at the time. Others see this as a purely opportunistic move. Whatever was the case, Vlad III got back his freedom, married, and had two children. However, his third reign was short-lived. Vlad died less than a year later in a battle with the Turks and was laid to rest in a monastic church in Snagov.
Others believe that these accounts are grounded in false and fabricated evidence. It is quite obvious, therefore, that Bram Stoker, who painted the gruesome image of Dracula in his novel, was inspired by the legend surrounding his name, and had little in common with historical truth. Join our newsletter to get the most interesting articles on spiritual issues and learn about the recent news from St.
Elisabeth Convent. St Lazar the Great Martyr and the battle of Kosovo comes to mind as well. It also a testimony to the miracle of Orthodoxy that is has survived being crushed between Islam and the Catholics for a staggering amount of time.
Glory to God for all things. Many people think if he was Romanian he was Orthodox. My thoughts are he was a Catholic in fact. Strange but very possible. His father was Catholic.
There is no other way to be part of the Order of the Dragon. This Order purpose was to fight against Christian heresies not only Islam and Orthodox church it was considered an heresy by Catholics of those time. But by tradition the child has the mother religion. Supposing his mother was a Transylvanian noble woman there is no doubt he was Catholic. Orthodox faith was not compatible with nobles in Transylvania of those times. What if his mother was a Moldavian princess?
Is pretty much alike she was Orthodox. But once again, there are no records about and many Moldavian nobles were Catholics. The factual accuracy of this article is disputed. See further information on its talk page. Conversion rumors Some sources allege that Vlad III concerted to Catholicism as a result of his association with Corvinus and several popes. He reportedly refused to convert to Catholicism despite King Matias' numerous offers which included freedom, reinstallation to power, and Matias' cousin as a bride.
Vlad II was eventually set free by King Matias. The Russian chronicler suggested that Dracula had converted to Catholicism in return to his freedom. However, the latest studies show that Vlad II never betrayed his orthodoxy.
0コメント