Vlad the Impaler

What if Scotland’s story began with a miracle in battle, a white cross in the sky, and a kingdom forged through war, faith and sheer ambition?Matt Lewis is joined by Professor Murray Pittock to race through medieval Scotland, from the Saltire’s legendary origins to Picts, Gaels, ...  Show more

What really made a royal bastard, and could illegitimacy be a path to power as much as a barrier?Dr Eleanor Janega is joined by Lauren Johnson, author of Margaret Beaufort; Survivor, Rebel, Kingmaker to dive into the scandalous world of medieval illegitimacy. They trace how the l ...  Show more

Vlad Tepes, a 15th-century Wallachian prince, was the notoriously blood-thirsty basis for Dracula, Bram Stoker's classic gothic horror character. Check out our HowStuffWorks article to learn more about Vlad Tepes.

Medieval politics, full of assassinations and betrayal, was not for the faint of heart. But even within that landscape, one man stands out for his cruelty: Vlad the Impaler, prince of Wallachia, the inspiration for Bram Stoker's Count Dracula. This episode examines the real perso ...  Show more

Vampire lore goes back to the ancient world (revenant legends abound from Rome to China) but vampire mythology doesn't come into its own until at least the Renaissance period. Was the inspiration for it all the bloodthirsty Wallachian ruler Vlad Tepes, the ruler who impaled tens ...  Show more

Vlad III, señor de Valaquia en el siglo XV, pasó a la historia tanto por su resistencia a ultranza contra los turcos en la actual Rumania como por sus cruentos castigos; cuatro siglos después, su nombre quedaría asociado a una de las grandes obras de la literatura universal, la ...  Show more