How Historically Accurate Is Alucard?

Warning: This post discusses topics such as violence and sexual assault. Reader discretion is advised.

CONTAINS SPOILERS!

So I think it was made pretty obvious at the end of the Hellsing manga and OVA that Alucard's true identity was that of the historical figure, Vlad the Impaler. Or at least, that universe's equivalent anyway. I thought it would be interesting to see how Alucard compares to the actual real life Vlad III, especially since I'm such a history a nerd. I wondered where Hirano had actually been accurate in his portrayal and where he had taken more creative liberties. Obviously I know that for the sake of the story, Hirano would have deviated from the real life figure, especially given that Alucard is, y'know, a six hundred year old vampire at the time that the audience joins the story. But I thought it would be fun nonetheless to investigate and point out what was accurate and what was not.

For those who don't know, Vlad the Impaler, otherwise known as Vlad III, full name Vlad Drăculea, was the voivode of the kingdom of Wallachia, now part of modern day Romania, during the fifteenth century. If his surname looks familiar, that's because he was in fact the inspiration for Bram Stoker's Dracula, an identity that Alucard also shares; essentially making them one in the same in Hirano's work. A 'voivode' was the title given to the rulers of the kingdom. He was a decedent of the House of Drăculești, a branch of the much larger lineage of the House of Basarab, that often battled to maintain their positions as the rulers of the kingdoms of Wallachia, Transylvania, and Moldavia (modern day Romania). The name almost literally means 'dragon' and these were the creatures they were commonly associated with. 

So, how do Alucard and real life Vlad III compare? Let's take a look.

History:

One major pathos that Hirano presents us with when it comes to Alucard's character, is that he was held prisoner by the Turks for the majority of his childhood. This was indeed the case. Vlad's father, Vlad II, essentially abandoned them to the the Ottoman Empire (modern day Turkey, Greece, as well as the middle east and parts of northern Africa), where Vlad and his younger brother Radu were held as hostages in order to ensure their father's loyalty, and so they could all be used as Turkish puppets in the countries that bordered the empire, Wallachia included. For the longest time, the kingdoms of Romania had acted as a barrier for Christian Europe against Muslims in the east. Plus, since it was the Middle Ages, there existed almost a constant state of war. Wallachia, Transylvania, Moldavia, and Hungary were often the first line of defence against the Ottoman Empire. This information is important when examining Alucard's character and his love and knowledge of war. 

In the manga and OVA, we see that young Vlad was often sexually assaulted by members of the Turkish court, but I have been unable to find evidence as to whether this is true. It is certainly possible, given that the sexual assault of noble children for political gain was disgustingly common place, a prime example being Elizabeth I of England. However, noble prisoners back then could also be still treated with a high degree of respect due to their station and importance. Back home, Vlad would have received an education as befitting a renaissance prince. Traditionally, boys in Wallachia and Transylvania were raised by women in the earlier years of their lives, the effects possibly seen in Alucard's seemingly quick attachment to female characters. Before this period, royal boys were mainly only taught sports and battle skills, as it was viewed that these were the only skills they would need to rule. However, by the renaissance period of Europe, education became much broader. A ruler was now expected to not only be strong and skilled in battle, but also intelligent and cultured. Court life became an even more complex game that they would have to learn. So Vlad would have likely been taught many languages, reading, writing, etiquette, and of course, religious teachings (predominantly Eastern Orthodox - the most common branch of Christianity within eastern Europe). 

This education would not have stopped when held prisoner by the Turks. The Ottomans needed a puppet after all, so it would make sense that they would continue his education in order to manipulate him. However, there is also evidence to suggest that the beatings that Alucard received were accurate. It is reported by members of the Sultan's court that Vlad was the difficult child, was rebellious, and refused to co-operate with his captives, often resulting in brutal punishments such as whipping. We see this as having shaped Alucard's personality a great deal, and the same was probably the case for Vlad III. Radu was the more co-operative sibling, and this resulted in the two brothers drifting apart, a void that would only grow over the years as Radu continued to sympathise with the Ottomans. Vlad's rebellion possibly suggests his strong loyalty to his homeland and unwillingness to submit to the Turks.

Overall, Alucard is shown as having a very traumatizing childhood, something he shares with the real life Vlad the Impaler. The psychological damage from being sold by his own father, knowing little love and affection, the betrayal of his younger brother, the death of his older brother, and raised in a foreign kingdom as a political pawn likely had its lasting effects. Even in the anime, we see Alucard's rebellious side. Even though he is loyal and respects his master, Integra, he still manages to find loop-holes in her orders, such as when he transforms Seras into a vampire and brings her into Hellsing. In all medias, we see his trauma and contempt towards those who give up and take the easy way out. He has frequent nightmares about the events in his life. 

However, one obvious inaccuracy is that of Vlad's death. In Hellsing, we see that before becoming a vampire, Vlad was beheaded execution style after losing everything. This is not the case in real life. According to most sources, Vlad either died in battle against the Turks, or, according to one Austrian chronicler, was murdered by an assassin. This appears to be the most accepted cause of death. Unfortunately, there is no way to be sure. Obviously he didn't drink the blood of his people and enemies and become a vampire. Then again... Vlad's body has never been officially found, so who knows...

In regards to losing everything, this wasn't entirely the case either. In the OVA, we see that Alucard had a wife and child. This is partially accurate. In real life, Vlad appears to have been married twice. The name of his first wife was unknown, and not much is known about her at all. According to legend, when Vlad first lost his throne, she jumped from the top of a tower to her death, but there has never been any concrete evidence to suggest that this was true. We have no idea what his relationship with his first wife was like, and all we simply know is that she existed. She has been completely lost to history, which is unusual, especially since with the invention of the printing press around this time, historical records were becoming much better kept, especially for nobles. I have been unable to find any description of her, nor anything that would hint at any possible identity. As a historian, this makes me wonder if Vlad's first wife was perhaps not of noble birth. Surely any noble woman marrying the voivode of Wallachia would have been noted down at least once, but there's nothing. Nothing from any nobles of the area too. The only slight scrap of evidence that I could find is the speculation that she may have been the sister of the King of Hungary. However, I have yet to find any contemporary sources that back up this claim. This possibility seems to only be backed by secondary sources.

Of course, this is all just speculation on my part,  but judging by the evidence, or lack thereof in this case, it's possible Vlad married for love rather than politics. His second marriage was much better documented, which leads me further to speculate over this theory. Jusztina Szilágyi, a Hungarian noble woman, was his second wife, and was a political arrangement due to Vlad relying on a Hungarian alliance against the Ottomans. Jusztina went on to outlive Vlad III and re-married several times. In real life, Vlad had not one, but a few children. However, nobody can agree on which marriage produced which offspring. But there are three sons that we know of. His third son, also named Vlad, definitely went on to outlive him and battled for the Wallachian throne himself, but was unsuccessful. 

It's possible that Hirano didn't feel the need to go into too much detail regarding Alucard/Vlad's family, or didn't feel the need to take inspiration from historical accuracy. Instead, Hirano further fuelled Alucard's pathos by having him lose everything for the sake of his greed and desire for revenge and war.

Appearance:

Given that Alucard can change his appearance at will, this one was pretty difficult. However, we do get glimpses of flashbacks of his time as a human, as well as his Level 0 form being suggested as how he looked upon his death. It appears that this appearance is largely based on the most famous portrait of Vlad the Impaler. We see the same long hair, prominent nose, and moustache. However, this famous painting is not a contemporary portrait and was painted many years after his death. It is thought to be a copy of an original, but there's no way to be certain unless said original is found. It's difficult to determine an accurate judgement on Vlad III's true appearance, as many sources are likely unreliable. A lot of descriptions were recorded by his enemies, and therefore may have been exaggerated or simply made up. There are also no known existing contemporary portraits of Vlad III. 

The most reliable account of Vlad's appearance appears to come from Niccolò Modrussa, a representor of the Pope. Vlad is described as stocky, with black curly hair, dark green eyes, a moustache, thick eyebrows, strong looking, long eyelashes, strong nose, wide-shouldered, and a thin face with large temples. Vlad was described as 'not very tall', but then again, this was quite common in this time period. The average height of a man in fifteenth century Europe was around 173cm (5'6''). We clearly see in the manga, OVA, and anime that Alucard is VERY tall; around 203cm (6'8'') according to concept designs. But of course, once again, we know that Alucard can change his appearance at will. Compensating for something, Alucard? 

The black curly hair appears to be accurate, as well as the moustache, broad shoulders, strong nose, and thin face with large temples. However, in the OVA, human Alucard is depicted as having blue eyes. This does not match the famous portrait nor the description given by Modrussa. It's possible Alucard's eye colour was just a random guess on the creators' part. After all, we can't be completely sure that he did in fact have green eyes either. But I am inclined to believe that this description of Vlad is relatively accurate. As a representor of the Pope, Modrussa was a more neutral source of information, having also met each other on neutral ground in Buda (now modern day Budapest, Hungary). Vlad III also appears to have had a relatively positive relationship with Rome, especially as a member of the Order of the Dragon, a group dedicated to the protection of Christianity. 

In the OVA, while in his Level 0 form, Alucard speaks with a Romanian accent. It's easy to see why this was decided, but the reality would actually be much more complex. Romanian as it is known today, did not exist during the time of Vlad III. Languages change and evolve over many centuries, and Romanian was no different. Much like how native English speakers would struggle to understand English from the 1400s, the same was the case for most other languages. There is no way to know how Vlad III sounded, but it wouldn't have been as clear cut as a modern Romanian accent when speaking English. It is likely that Vlad would have been well-spoken in many languages due to his education. It's unknown if English would have been one of those languages, though it's unlikely given that at the time, England was a small, unimportant kingdom. Rulers often learned the languages of their closest neighbours and allies for obvious political and business reasons. It's likely Vlad would also be well versed in Latin due to his religious devotion, education, and high ranking position in society. Most nobles throughout Europe were taught Latin, and it acted as a universal language used by Christian kingdoms. Sadly, the language is now technically extinct, so there's no way to know what it truly sounds like. 

Given that Alucard had been residing in England for nearly 200 years, he obviously would have a good grasp of the language. In fact, in the novel Dracula, Jonathon Harker even remarks on how well spoken Count Dracula is, with very little hint of a regional accent. 

Personality:

Despite the limited sources available on his physical appearance, there's certainly no shortage of accounts about Vlad III's personality. In all medias, Alucard is portrayed as arrogant, cruel, egotistical, possessing a strong sense of morality, with a distain towards chaos for chaos sake and pointless slaughter. He greatly values bravery and determination, and looks down on those who give up. He also has a very complex devotion to Christianity and God. 

This actually appears to reflect reports of Vlad III's behaviour during his reign. Vlad appeared to have a very strong sense of justice, as he was known for giving harsh punishments to even the smallest of crimes. Due to this, he had a reputation for being cruel, but he was still seen as a national hero by many. He was known for his distaste towards bribery in court, and favoured the support of the peasants over the boyers (the elite class). As a result, he was very popular among the common people. He was known for his generosity, especially towards those who helped him, and he did a great deal to combat poverty. Bribery and corruption, which was commonplace in Wallachian nobility, was greatly reduced. There are also accounts of him testing the honesty of his people such as 'accidentally' paying workers an extra coin to see if they would own up and inform him of the 'mistake'. He also seems to have had a caring side, such as when he deliberately sought out the body of his older brother so that he could be given a proper burial. Towards the end, he also hid women and children to keep them safe from the invading Turks. 

Paradoxically, despite being generous and aiding those in poverty, he had a strong aversion towards the 'weaker' members of society, such as the homeless and the sick, viewing them as a burden. It appears that if you were determined to work hard, you were favoured, but if you were too sick and therefore unable to make the effort, you were viewed as a lost cause. Family ties appeared meaningless to him, forcing his half-brother, Dan II to dig his own grave before murdering him. He also murdered many of his cousins. As shocking as this is, though, this was actually pretty normal among royalty during this time period.

Is any of this sounding like a vampire we know?

But of course, the cruelty that Vlad was most notorious for was his favourite method of punishment: impalement. Something that Alucard regularly uses on his enemies.

In order to understand just how truly horrific and sadistic this is, let's take a look at what impalement actually is. Most of the time before you were impaled, you were not killed. In fact, impalement was a slow death, designed as a two-in-one torture and execution. A sharp pike was inserted through the person's anus and pushed up through the body. This would bypass most of the body's internal organs, while also blocking any ruptured arteries, preventing people from bleeding to death. The pike would then come out through the person's mouth. Their body would then be displayed, with gravity and wild animals being left to do the rest of the work. Most victims died from exposure rather than as a direct result of the impalement. Victims would still be alive when birds would swoop down for a snack, often eating out the eyeballs of the victim. It was truly a horrific way to die. It was designed to be as torturous as possible for the victim and to keep them alive and suffering for a long time.

The most famous incident of this was when the bodies of hundreds of impaled victims were placed on the border of Wallachia to scare off the invading Turks. Naturally, it worked. Even the Sultan, famous for sadism himself, was disgusted and horrified by the accounts. Thus, Vlad III was a master of psychological warfare. Despite the brutality, he was heralded as a hero by his people as well as the Pope and other European kings. His victories and tactics were a great inspiration to others, and even the Sultan conceded to his greatness, skill, and intelligence.

Vlad was also a very dedicated Christian. As the leader of the Order of the Dragon, it was his task to defend Christianity in Europe. It is said that he would mock and humiliate visiting Ottomans by forcing them to remove their turbans otherwise risk having a nail through their skulls. He was also one of the only European leaders to answer to the Pope's call for a crusade. We see this devotion to Christianity through Alucard's flashbacks, making him very much like the real life Vlad.

I'm sure I'm not the only one seeing a great deal of similarities between Alucard and the real life Vlad the Impaler. Especially in terms of personality. I think Hirano managed to capture the complexity and paradox of Vlad III, whether accidentally or intentionally. Personally, overall, I think for the majority of the time, Alucard is very much an accurate representation of Vlad the Impaler, based on all of the evidence I have collected. Of course there are differences, and I'm not even going to bother touching the topic of how historically inaccurate his amour is during the battle against Millennium. But I definitely thought it would be interesting to see just how much in common Alucard had with his real life counterpart. Plus, I also had fun looking into the true Vlad the Impaler, as he truly is a fascinating historical figure. 

What are you guys' opinions? How historically accurate do you think Alucard is, if at all? Do you have your own evidence that you would like to add? Unfortunately I could not go into too much more detail, otherwise this blog post would have been infinitely long, but I still would love to know if I have missed anything that you think is worth pointing out. Just please remember to be respectful. Thank you for reading my little take on this, and I hope that you enjoyed it. 

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Further Information & Sources:

Biographics. (2018, July 9). Vlad the Impaler: The Real Life Dracula. YouTube. Retrieved 7 December 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YhD3mpDIZQ

Fandom. (n.d.). Alucard | Hellsing Wiki | Fandom. Hellsing Wiki. Retrieved 7 December 2021, from https://hellsing.fandom.com/wiki/Alucard

Knowledgia. (2020, September 8). Story of Vlad The Impaler - All parts. YouTube. Retrieved 7 December 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MY82EpsvbQ8

Pallardy, R. (2009, February 10). Vlad the Impaler | Biography, Dracula, Death, & Facts. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 7 December 2021, from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Vlad-the-Impaler

Wikipedia contributors. (2021, November 26). Vlad the Impaler. Wikipedia. Retrieved 7 December 2021, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlad_the_Impaler