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The Real Dracula
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The editor and members from the Glasgow & District Wargames Society presented a demonstration game at the Wappinshaw Wargames Show in Glasgow on 24 April 2004 entitled "The Real Dracula".
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Introduction
Bram Stoker’s Count Dracula is the legendary king of the vampires. Immortalised on countless cinema screens by Bela Lugosi, Christopher Lee, Gary Oldman and many others. Stoker’s inspiration was a real historical figure. Vlad Tepes known as ‘the Impaler’ or ‘Dracula’ (son of Dracul) was Prince of Wallachia (in modern Romania) three times in the 15th Century. This demonstration game features one of his most famous battles against the invading Ottoman Turks led by Mehmed the Conqueror.
Historical Context
The context is the Turco-Wallachian War of 1462. Vlad Tepes is being attacked by the Ottoman Sultan, Mehmed the Conqueror.
The war started well for Vlad. The Ottoman Grand Vizier, Mahmud had been caught outside Braila and defeated, losing 10,000 men. Vlad held most of the Danube ports and destroyed the others. In May the Sultan left Istanbul with an army around 60,000 strong. He crossed the Danube in early June. Vlad harassed the Ottoman columns and adopted a scorched earth policy as the Turks marched to Bucharest then Snagov before advancing towards the Wallachian capital, Tirgoviste.
On the night of 17 June the Ottoman army encamped south of Tirgoviste. Vlad had around 24,000 troops and planned a night attack with the objective of killing the Sultan. The sources differ on the precise plan but it appears that half the army led by the Boyar Gales made a diversionary attack from the south whilst Vlad with 7-10,000 troops broke into the camp and tried to reach the Sultan’s tent. In error they reached the Grand Vizier’s tent by which time the Janissaries rallied to the Sultan. The inevitable counter attack drove the Wallachians from the camp.
After the battle Mehmed continued the advance to be met by the infamous “Forest of the Impaled”. Some 20,000 carcasses of Turkish captives impaled along the road for about three miles. The morale effect was significant! Mehmed decided to abandon the attack on Tirgoviste and withdraw to the Danube. Disease and attrition are more likely causes of the withdrawal. Ottoman historians tend to favour the view that it was simply a case of task completed as the Wallachian army was finished.
Vlad didn’t retain his princedom for long. The Turks supported his brother Radu who succeeded in bringing most of the Boyars to his side and Vlad fled to Transylvania and to his subsequent imprisonment by the Hungarians.
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The Scenario
The scenario will begin as Vlad is rallying his troops outside the camp and the Ottomans are preparing to attack him and drive north. Boyar Gales and his force may arrive to support him. The reconstruction uses Warhammer Ancient Battles rules with army lists from the recently published Armies of Chivalry supplement (www.warhammer-historical.com).
The 28mm wargames figures come from a variety of suppliers. Most of Vlad’s army comes from the Old Glory, Dracula and the Turkish Frontier range. The Ottoman army includes figures from Old Glory, Redoubt, Essex and Dixon ranges.
The scenery was prepared for this demonstration game. The church is from the Hovels range and the Ottoman tents built by KimKayes.
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Note on sources used:
The best modern studies in English are:
Dracula: Prince of Many Faces Florescu & McNally
Vlad the Impaler: In Search of the Real Dracula Trow
Vlad III Dracula: The Life and Times of the Historical Dracula Treptow
Mehmed the Conqueror and his time Babinger
In addition to the sources quoted above the following websites are useful:
Dracula Homepage http://www.ucs.mun.ca/~emiller/tepes.htm is an excellent starting point on the fact and fiction.
Vlad Tepes Journey Log http://www.dunwich.org/draculea/draculea.html includes a historical background and photographs of places in modern day Romania linked to Vlad Dracula.
Matthew Hayward’s Warfare in Eastern Europe http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/matthaywood/index.htm covers this period.
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2004 Balkan Military History. E.Mail Balkandave@aol.com
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