November 13, 1431 - Vlad the Impaler

His reputation rests on the methods he employed against enemies, rivals, and subjects alike — mass impalement on stakes being so characteristic that it became his surname. The political world he inhabited was genuinely brutal, shaped by dynastic murder, Ottoman pressure, and shifting allegiances, and he navigated it with a calculated ferocity that left a documented trail of atrocities. That same ferocity later fed the imagination of Bram Stoker and became the foundation for the vampire mythology still associated with his name.

From Wikipedia

Vlad III (1428–31 – 1476/77), commonly known as Vlad the Impaler (Romanian: Vlad Țepeș [ˈvlad ˈtsepeʃ]) or Vlad Dracula ( DRAK-yuu-lə, -⁠yə-; Romanian: Vlad Drăculea [ˈdrəkule̯a]), was Voivode of Wallachia during three separate reigns (1448, 1456–1462, and 1476). He was born in the House of Drăculești, as the son of Vlad II Dracul. Vlad is chiefly remembered for his efforts to strengthen central authority, suppress the power of rival boyars, and resist the expansion of the Ottoman Empire. His 1462 campaign against Sultan Mehmed II, including the Night Attack at Târgoviște, became one of the most notable military episodes of his reign. He was killed in battle in 1476 or 1477 during his final attempt to retain the Wallachian throne.

He was the second son of Vlad Dracul, who became the ruler of Wallachia in 1436. Vlad and his younger brother, Radu, were held as hostages in the Ottoman Empire in 1442 to secure their father's loyalty. Vlad's eldest brother Mircea and their father were murdered after John Hunyadi, regent-governor of Hungary, invaded Wallachia in 1447.

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