Many medieval figures are somewhat shrouded in mystery, due to the scarcity of available sources and to the difficulties posed by the interpretation of historical narratives dating from this period. And even when there is enough documented evidence to put together a sufficiently coherent biographical account, other sources and accounts may emerge that flagrantly contradict the already established and generally accepted historical narrative.
Nowhere is this more evident than in the legacy of Vlad III Dracula, whom history has recorded as one of the most notorious and bloodthirsty tyrants of the 15th century. In addition to lending the name Dracula to Bram Stoker’s famous vampire, Vlad is known around the world by the cognomen Vlad the Impaler, due to his reputation for impaling thousands of his enemies. Vlad was reputed to be such a tyrant that his reputation and stories of his deeds spread across Germany and the rest of Europe during his lifetime. Naturally, trying to determine who Vlad was and what he was really like has been made more complex by the subsequent fame he achieved in Europe and beyond, beginning with the dissemination of the German and Slavic 15th century narratives that aided in the construction of a diabolical, mythical-like figure that has been passed down throughout history to today.
While certain factual aspects regarding Ivan IV’s reign can certainly be deduced from the primary sources that have withstood the test of time, the majority of accounts dating from the 16th century and after must be evaluated critically and read in light of certain traditions and ideas that circulated in the region regarding the model ruler and the tyrant. Naturally, this makes it hard for contemporary audiences to determine whether Ivan IV was worthy of the epithet “Groznyi” (“the Terrible”), but that heavily influenced the way in which Ivan IV was perceived and subsequently depicted in historiography.
