1 00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:29,500 {\an8}Why? 2 00:00:32,416 --> 00:00:34,916 {\an8}Oh, why? 3 00:00:54,166 --> 00:00:55,000 Mehmed. 4 00:00:59,375 --> 00:01:03,625 Mother Mara, what are you doing here at this hour? 5 00:01:05,083 --> 00:01:06,125 Looking for you. 6 00:01:18,916 --> 00:01:21,291 How long has it been since you've slept? 7 00:01:27,875 --> 00:01:30,875 Two, three days? 8 00:01:32,791 --> 00:01:33,916 I don't know. 9 00:01:37,541 --> 00:01:38,875 What troubles you? 10 00:01:39,583 --> 00:01:41,041 Mehmed. 11 00:01:48,833 --> 00:01:50,208 I've seen Vlad Dracula. 12 00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:53,166 Here? In the palace? 13 00:01:53,916 --> 00:01:54,750 No. 14 00:01:56,375 --> 00:01:57,250 In my dreams. 15 00:01:59,250 --> 00:02:00,833 Terrible dreams. 16 00:02:07,458 --> 00:02:08,791 This is madness. 17 00:02:09,708 --> 00:02:11,541 Why are you doing this? 18 00:02:13,625 --> 00:02:15,583 You destroyed my family. 19 00:02:16,250 --> 00:02:19,833 No! I protected you like a brother. 20 00:02:19,916 --> 00:02:20,916 Lies! 21 00:02:25,250 --> 00:02:29,750 All you have done is take from me. 22 00:02:30,333 --> 00:02:31,750 -No more! 23 00:02:32,750 --> 00:02:35,666 Your hatred blinds you, Vlad. 24 00:02:38,750 --> 00:02:43,291 Walk away now, and I will spare you. 25 00:02:49,000 --> 00:02:51,000 Wallachia will be your grave. 26 00:03:47,000 --> 00:03:51,166 You will die alone. 27 00:03:53,500 --> 00:04:00,500 The Sufi said my dreams were visions of the future. 28 00:04:18,583 --> 00:04:20,166 I pray this is no omen. 29 00:04:35,125 --> 00:04:40,166 Eight years after Mehmed II's epic conquest of Constantinople, 30 00:04:40,250 --> 00:04:43,416 he is no longer derided as the "Boy Sultan." 31 00:04:45,666 --> 00:04:49,458 Mehmed is now the most powerful ruler in the East, 32 00:04:50,625 --> 00:04:53,041 and the most feared in the West. 33 00:04:54,958 --> 00:04:57,875 Europe had good cause to be worried about him. 34 00:04:57,958 --> 00:05:00,333 He's fulfilled the prophecy of the Prophet Muhammad. 35 00:05:00,416 --> 00:05:04,166 He's conquered this city that people thought was unconquerable, 36 00:05:04,666 --> 00:05:07,791 and he has defeated the Roman Empire. 37 00:05:08,458 --> 00:05:11,541 {\an8}He starts to set his eyes gradually on moving towards 38 00:05:11,625 --> 00:05:13,166 {\an8}the first Rome, the original Rome. 39 00:05:13,250 --> 00:05:17,125 {\an8}There are accounts from Italians visiting Mehmed's court 40 00:05:17,208 --> 00:05:20,416 {\an8}who talk about him desiring to advance 41 00:05:20,500 --> 00:05:24,833 as far west as Alexander the Great had advanced east. 42 00:05:24,916 --> 00:05:27,666 And so, Italy was always on the agenda. 43 00:05:28,666 --> 00:05:33,916 After the conquest of Constantinople, Mehmed took the title Kayser-i Rum, 44 00:05:34,000 --> 00:05:35,625 Caesar of the Romans, 45 00:05:35,708 --> 00:05:38,666 so no doubt about what his intentions were. 46 00:05:39,916 --> 00:05:43,166 In preparation for his eventual advance westward, 47 00:05:43,250 --> 00:05:48,375 Mehmed has assembled a vast web of spies throughout the courts of Europe. 48 00:05:48,458 --> 00:05:50,708 Sultan, the word from Rome is 49 00:05:50,791 --> 00:05:56,166 that the Pope is raising a crusade against you as we speak. 50 00:05:58,750 --> 00:06:03,208 He calls you the "Red Dragon of the Apocalypse." 51 00:06:03,291 --> 00:06:05,833 Florentine snake. Apologize at once. 52 00:06:06,333 --> 00:06:09,500 Childish taunts from a man with a silly hat. 53 00:06:10,083 --> 00:06:11,958 Their position is quite clear, Sultan. 54 00:06:12,625 --> 00:06:17,333 If you invade Europe, all of Christendom will rise up against you. 55 00:06:17,416 --> 00:06:18,583 Ha! 56 00:06:18,666 --> 00:06:20,291 Like they did at Constantinople. 57 00:06:25,791 --> 00:06:31,500 And who will lead this mighty Christian army against me? 58 00:06:33,666 --> 00:06:37,583 There hasn't been a great warrior among them since Hunyadi's death. 59 00:06:39,833 --> 00:06:44,625 There is one ruler who has the ear of the Pope these days. 60 00:06:45,875 --> 00:06:51,500 He brags that he knows how to fight the Ottomans and win. 61 00:06:52,125 --> 00:06:56,541 Surely this ruler has a name. 62 00:06:59,166 --> 00:07:00,291 Vlad Dracula. 63 00:07:08,125 --> 00:07:11,208 I taught Vlad how to fight when he was a little boy. 64 00:07:12,583 --> 00:07:13,500 He is fearless, 65 00:07:15,125 --> 00:07:18,958 but he is not suitable enough to start a war between us. 66 00:07:19,041 --> 00:07:21,041 Have you confirmed this information? 67 00:07:21,125 --> 00:07:26,083 Grand Vizier, they are just rumors… for now. 68 00:07:27,291 --> 00:07:31,625 But Prince Vlad has recently visited the king in Buda. 69 00:07:33,666 --> 00:07:38,541 The prince should choose his friends more carefully. 70 00:07:41,458 --> 00:07:43,875 Raised in the Ottoman court with Mehmed, 71 00:07:43,958 --> 00:07:48,375 Vlad Dracula is voivode, or ruler of Wallachia, 72 00:07:48,458 --> 00:07:53,250 a vassal state and ally of the Ottomans located in present-day Romania, 73 00:07:53,333 --> 00:07:56,166 but a kingdom that has notoriously shifted allegiance 74 00:07:56,250 --> 00:07:59,458 between the Ottomans and Hungarians. 75 00:07:59,541 --> 00:08:03,541 They are at the whim essentially of the Ottomans and the Hungarians 76 00:08:03,625 --> 00:08:04,916 in terms of who's in charge. 77 00:08:08,041 --> 00:08:10,541 Vlad Dracula is a very, very interesting character 78 00:08:10,625 --> 00:08:13,500 because he's really caught between these two superpowers. 79 00:08:13,583 --> 00:08:16,291 They've got the Ottoman Empire coming strongly through the Balkans, 80 00:08:16,375 --> 00:08:18,125 and also you've got the Hungarians. 81 00:08:18,208 --> 00:08:20,500 They're the champions of Catholic Europe, 82 00:08:20,583 --> 00:08:24,250 and they want Dracula to remain their buffer against the Ottomans. 83 00:08:24,333 --> 00:08:27,750 He's very difficult to control, but he's still really important to them. 84 00:08:27,833 --> 00:08:29,166 He is a bogeyman. 85 00:08:29,250 --> 00:08:30,416 {\an8}He is a bête noire. 86 00:08:30,500 --> 00:08:32,333 {\an8}He is the guy that we can release 87 00:08:32,416 --> 00:08:37,666 because his reputation for fierce warfare precedes him, 88 00:08:37,750 --> 00:08:40,125 and he is one of the terrors of the age. 89 00:08:41,125 --> 00:08:44,250 He fought the Ottomans, the Hungarians, and the Moldavians. 90 00:08:45,208 --> 00:08:46,791 He fought everybody around him. 91 00:08:47,583 --> 00:08:50,333 He's considered by Romanian population 92 00:08:50,416 --> 00:08:54,291 as one of the greatest voivodes that ever existed. 93 00:08:54,375 --> 00:08:58,500 {\an8}For the rest of the world, he is known as Dracula, the bloodthirsty vampire, 94 00:08:59,083 --> 00:09:04,041 {\an8}due to a 19th century Irish guy, who had some time on his hands 95 00:09:04,125 --> 00:09:05,458 and wrote a novel 96 00:09:05,541 --> 00:09:09,208 because it seems that he loved impaling people. 97 00:09:11,125 --> 00:09:15,833 The real Vlad Dracula, also known as Vlad Tepes, "The Impaler," 98 00:09:15,916 --> 00:09:19,000 takes the throne in Wallachia in 1456 99 00:09:19,083 --> 00:09:21,458 by killing his predecessor in a duel 100 00:09:21,541 --> 00:09:26,083 and beheading another rival after forcing him to dig his own grave. 101 00:09:26,916 --> 00:09:31,083 {\an8}Vlad is extremely bloodthirsty and cruel, even in medieval standards. 102 00:09:31,166 --> 00:09:33,458 He grew up in a very war-like society. 103 00:09:33,541 --> 00:09:36,791 So having grown up under these really, uh, it's… 104 00:09:36,875 --> 00:09:42,125 really tenuous circumstances, he developed this very dark personality. 105 00:09:47,750 --> 00:09:49,791 {\an8}In the midst of a bitter power struggle 106 00:09:49,875 --> 00:09:53,750 {\an8}with Wallachia's ruling class and kingmakers, the boyars, 107 00:09:53,833 --> 00:09:55,958 {\an8}Dracula hosts an Easter banquet 108 00:09:56,041 --> 00:09:59,958 {\an8}to settle matters with his political rivals once and for all. 109 00:10:34,916 --> 00:10:36,666 My esteemed countrymen, 110 00:10:39,541 --> 00:10:45,291 my wife, Anastasia, and I are honored to celebrate Easter with you. 111 00:10:46,250 --> 00:10:48,541 Just as Christ was resurrected, 112 00:10:49,666 --> 00:10:52,625 so too have the fortunes of the House of Drăculeşti 113 00:10:52,708 --> 00:10:54,125 been resurrected, 114 00:10:54,875 --> 00:10:59,541 bringing with them a prosperous and independent Wallachia. 115 00:11:01,291 --> 00:11:03,208 A new day is upon us. 116 00:11:05,750 --> 00:11:07,833 We have the Hungarians' respect. 117 00:11:08,916 --> 00:11:12,416 And we will no longer pay the sultan's tax. 118 00:11:18,250 --> 00:11:21,041 Prince, we must be wise. 119 00:11:21,125 --> 00:11:23,666 Much of our trade is with the Ottomans, 120 00:11:23,750 --> 00:11:28,041 and we enjoy the protection of the sultan's army. 121 00:11:41,416 --> 00:11:42,833 This is a celebration. 122 00:11:42,916 --> 00:11:46,041 -There will be time for politics. 123 00:11:47,250 --> 00:11:48,375 Later. 124 00:11:49,750 --> 00:11:53,041 To my husband, Prince Vlad. 125 00:11:53,125 --> 00:11:57,083 Long live Prince Vlad! Long live Prince Vlad! 126 00:11:57,166 --> 00:11:59,291 -To God… 127 00:12:01,583 --> 00:12:02,666 …destiny… 128 00:12:10,666 --> 00:12:12,000 my lovely wife, 129 00:12:13,541 --> 00:12:16,083 and, of course, you. 130 00:12:21,750 --> 00:12:25,166 You scheming, backstabbing swine. 131 00:12:30,333 --> 00:12:32,458 You are the real enemy of Wallachia. 132 00:12:33,833 --> 00:12:36,958 Did you think I would forget how you betrayed my father and brother? 133 00:12:37,041 --> 00:12:40,125 How you conspired with my foes, growing fat and rich! 134 00:12:43,583 --> 00:12:48,416 Dimitrie, make sure this lesson sticks with our guests. 135 00:12:48,500 --> 00:12:49,333 Yes. 136 00:13:06,708 --> 00:13:10,750 Each of the boyars and their wives are taken outside. 137 00:13:10,833 --> 00:13:12,166 They are impaled. 138 00:13:20,625 --> 00:13:24,333 Unfortunately, we know a little too much about the mechanics of impalement. 139 00:13:24,416 --> 00:13:25,625 It's not pleasant. 140 00:13:25,708 --> 00:13:28,791 Someone help me. I'll give you my rings. Please! 141 00:13:29,500 --> 00:13:31,750 It's a horrific method of execution. 142 00:13:33,041 --> 00:13:38,541 You take a stake that's not very sharp and you push it up the anus of the victim. 143 00:13:38,625 --> 00:13:41,333 No! No! No! 144 00:13:41,416 --> 00:13:43,000 And then you use a mallet, 145 00:13:43,708 --> 00:13:46,750 push it all the way up until it comes out of the shoulder. 146 00:13:48,750 --> 00:13:50,750 {\an8}And if you get a master executioner, 147 00:13:51,291 --> 00:13:55,708 {\an8}he will avoid most of the vital organs, 148 00:13:55,791 --> 00:13:59,083 {\an8}and then you're gonna fix it in the ground, and let the person die. 149 00:13:59,166 --> 00:14:02,291 The master of this was… 150 00:14:02,375 --> 00:14:03,500 …Vlad the Impaler. 151 00:14:05,000 --> 00:14:09,250 To be fair to him, with the Easter Massacre, 152 00:14:09,333 --> 00:14:13,500 there is evidence of a conspiracy that they're going to depose him. 153 00:14:14,833 --> 00:14:18,916 He had seen all these rivalries and all these plots 154 00:14:19,000 --> 00:14:23,291 that were meant to kill the rightful ruler and impose somebody else. 155 00:14:23,375 --> 00:14:25,750 Vlad's father is killed by the boyars. 156 00:14:25,833 --> 00:14:31,208 His older brother, Mircea, is tortured and then buried alive by the boyars. 157 00:14:31,291 --> 00:14:33,166 I don't think he was a madman. 158 00:14:33,250 --> 00:14:34,666 It's just politics. 159 00:14:35,541 --> 00:14:36,916 This is the time really 160 00:14:37,000 --> 00:14:40,833 when Vlad starts to get his reputation as "Vlad the Impaler," 161 00:14:40,916 --> 00:14:44,125 and it's one of those names that does what it says on the tin. 162 00:14:44,875 --> 00:14:49,375 So this is part of his identity as a ruler, 163 00:14:49,458 --> 00:14:52,291 as well as a technique for maintaining control. 164 00:14:55,583 --> 00:14:57,958 If he can show that despite his size, 165 00:14:58,041 --> 00:14:59,791 he's the meanest kid on the block, 166 00:14:59,875 --> 00:15:04,041 even though there's bigger boys next door, they're not going to pick on him. 167 00:15:09,958 --> 00:15:12,541 Let this be a warning to all of our enemies. 168 00:15:15,916 --> 00:15:17,750 I'll bend my knee for no one. 169 00:15:23,833 --> 00:15:27,125 The rotting bodies lining the road to Târgovişte 170 00:15:27,208 --> 00:15:29,416 and growing rumors of Vlad's betrayal 171 00:15:29,500 --> 00:15:33,625 sends a defiant and highly personal message to Mehmed II. 172 00:15:34,541 --> 00:15:38,625 Dracula's loyalty to the man he grew up with is waning. 173 00:15:39,916 --> 00:15:44,541 {\an8}Adding further intrigue to the hostilities brewing between Mehmed and Vlad 174 00:15:44,625 --> 00:15:47,166 {\an8}is Dracula's younger brother, Radu. 175 00:15:48,625 --> 00:15:51,083 He, too, was raised in the Ottoman court, 176 00:15:51,166 --> 00:15:54,416 but still remains part of the sultan's inner circle. 177 00:15:55,291 --> 00:15:58,250 I've received troubling news from my Italian spy. 178 00:15:59,291 --> 00:16:01,125 The Florentine had much to say. 179 00:16:02,250 --> 00:16:08,166 Your brother openly brags to the Pope that he knows how to defeat me in battle. 180 00:16:09,958 --> 00:16:13,000 There's even talk of him joining a Hungarian-backed Crusade against us. 181 00:16:14,416 --> 00:16:15,458 Like your father. 182 00:16:16,875 --> 00:16:18,458 Vlad is not my father. 183 00:16:18,958 --> 00:16:20,750 No, he's more dangerous. 184 00:16:31,750 --> 00:16:35,541 Life would be much easier if you ruled Wallachia instead of Vlad. 185 00:16:37,583 --> 00:16:39,000 He's unpredictable. 186 00:16:40,208 --> 00:16:43,291 -And you, dear Radu, you are… -Predictable. 187 00:16:47,666 --> 00:16:49,458 Vlad has always been a braggart, 188 00:16:51,500 --> 00:16:52,583 but it's only words. 189 00:16:53,458 --> 00:16:54,333 Perhaps. 190 00:16:56,333 --> 00:16:57,625 Has he written you? 191 00:17:00,041 --> 00:17:01,125 Not for a while. 192 00:17:21,541 --> 00:17:24,500 There are some in Europe who might see my patience with him 193 00:17:24,583 --> 00:17:26,916 as weakness and become emboldened. 194 00:17:28,000 --> 00:17:29,333 That cannot happen. 195 00:17:30,583 --> 00:17:32,500 Vlad has forgotten his place, 196 00:17:33,041 --> 00:17:36,458 and I will not allow him to get in the way of my plans in the West. 197 00:17:37,791 --> 00:17:40,250 Vlad swore an oath to you, Mehmed. 198 00:17:40,916 --> 00:17:42,708 He is only seeking attention. 199 00:17:42,791 --> 00:17:44,500 And now he has it. 200 00:17:45,291 --> 00:17:49,583 He only sits on that throne today because of my protection. 201 00:17:49,666 --> 00:17:53,333 Free to run his country as he chooses because of me. 202 00:17:54,000 --> 00:17:57,833 Yet, refuses to come to Istanbul and pay his yearly homage and tribute? 203 00:17:57,916 --> 00:17:59,416 -He's proud. -While he holds court 204 00:17:59,500 --> 00:18:01,166 with our enemies in Hungary. 205 00:18:10,750 --> 00:18:12,958 I've already sent the messengers… 206 00:18:15,833 --> 00:18:22,500 to summon him to Istanbul to prove to me he is still an ally and friend. 207 00:18:23,458 --> 00:18:25,291 I expect him to come at once. 208 00:18:28,375 --> 00:18:30,291 And if he refuses? 209 00:18:34,166 --> 00:18:36,000 That would be unwise. 210 00:18:40,833 --> 00:18:43,125 You wouldn't want to be little brother to Vlad. 211 00:18:43,208 --> 00:18:47,791 And you wouldn't want to be stuck between Mehmed II and Vlad Dracula. 212 00:18:47,875 --> 00:18:53,125 Eh, so, he… he also found himself not in a very nice position. 213 00:18:54,125 --> 00:18:58,958 Radu is known by this nickname as "Radu the Fair" or "Radu the Handsome," 214 00:18:59,041 --> 00:19:02,416 but he's also someone clearly who has a canny political mind. 215 00:19:02,500 --> 00:19:04,250 He's a bit of a culture vulture, 216 00:19:04,333 --> 00:19:06,375 and he likes the Ottoman way of doing things, 217 00:19:06,458 --> 00:19:09,333 but Radu maintains his Wallachian-ness. 218 00:19:11,083 --> 00:19:15,000 It must have been difficult to be trapped between these two big personalities. 219 00:19:44,875 --> 00:19:49,500 My dearest brother, as you have ignored my last three letters, 220 00:19:50,916 --> 00:19:52,750 I'm writing to you once again 221 00:19:56,333 --> 00:19:59,708 in the hope that you will honor the promise you made to me years ago 222 00:20:01,625 --> 00:20:03,625 and return to your true home 223 00:20:06,666 --> 00:20:07,625 in Wallachia. 224 00:20:09,416 --> 00:20:12,500 The hour is rapidly approaching when we must take up arms 225 00:20:12,583 --> 00:20:17,208 against those that have had their boot on our throat for far too long. 226 00:20:18,375 --> 00:20:20,625 Family is the dearest gift we possess. 227 00:20:22,458 --> 00:20:23,958 Loyalty is everything. 228 00:20:29,666 --> 00:20:30,750 Stand ready. 229 00:20:33,000 --> 00:20:35,666 -With great affection… 230 00:20:35,750 --> 00:20:38,708 …your brother, Vlad. 231 00:20:41,458 --> 00:20:43,666 The seeds of Vlad Dracula's betrayal 232 00:20:43,750 --> 00:20:45,916 were sown 20 years earlier 233 00:20:46,000 --> 00:20:50,750 {\an8}when his own father, Vlad II, was called before Mehmed's father, 234 00:20:50,833 --> 00:20:55,875 {\an8}Sultan Murad II, amidst rumors that he'd joined the Hungarians 235 00:20:55,958 --> 00:20:58,833 {\an8}and taken up arms against the Ottomans. 236 00:21:06,291 --> 00:21:10,791 Sultan, I'm sorry to interrupt your hunt, 237 00:21:10,875 --> 00:21:13,625 but when I received your summons, I made all haste to reach you. 238 00:21:14,333 --> 00:21:18,291 You have been a most loyal friend and ally to me all these years. 239 00:21:18,875 --> 00:21:22,791 I wish I could say the same of you, 240 00:21:25,250 --> 00:21:26,625 Vlad Dracul. 241 00:21:26,708 --> 00:21:29,583 There are some rumors of my alliance with the Hungarians 242 00:21:29,666 --> 00:21:31,625 in the coming crusade against you, 243 00:21:31,708 --> 00:21:34,000 but I can assure you they're only that, rumors. 244 00:21:34,083 --> 00:21:37,000 The Hungarians are snakes and not to be trusted. 245 00:21:37,958 --> 00:21:39,583 If I go to war against you, 246 00:21:40,666 --> 00:21:44,291 take solace that I will kill you honorably. 247 00:21:45,041 --> 00:21:46,125 Face-to-face. 248 00:21:47,500 --> 00:21:49,125 {\an8}Not with a knife in the back. 249 00:21:49,208 --> 00:21:51,791 Sultan, you must believe me. 250 00:21:51,875 --> 00:21:56,375 What guarantee do I have that you won't return home 251 00:21:57,708 --> 00:22:00,083 with your tail between your legs, 252 00:22:01,833 --> 00:22:06,041 only to join the infidels and take up arms against me? 253 00:22:30,291 --> 00:22:34,333 As proof of my undying loyalty, 254 00:22:35,375 --> 00:22:37,791 I give you my most valued possessions, 255 00:22:38,416 --> 00:22:42,291 my sons, Vlad, and my youngest, Radu. 256 00:22:42,375 --> 00:22:44,041 Father, how can you do this? 257 00:22:44,125 --> 00:22:45,083 Silence, boy! 258 00:22:58,041 --> 00:23:00,583 Prince Vlad, Prince Radu. 259 00:23:02,166 --> 00:23:03,291 As sultan, 260 00:23:04,541 --> 00:23:07,791 I accept your care-taking as my prisoners. 261 00:23:08,625 --> 00:23:13,875 From this moment forward, your loyalty will forever be to me, 262 00:23:14,833 --> 00:23:19,708 and one day, to my son, Mehmed. 263 00:23:21,833 --> 00:23:24,666 Should your father betray his oath, 264 00:23:26,833 --> 00:23:28,375 you will be executed. 265 00:23:33,625 --> 00:23:35,500 Thank you, Sultan. 266 00:23:41,291 --> 00:23:43,166 This is royal hostage taking. 267 00:23:43,250 --> 00:23:46,583 These are two young boys taken from their family homes, 268 00:23:46,666 --> 00:23:50,083 cut of all familial ties and correspondence, 269 00:23:50,166 --> 00:23:54,541 and now having to potentially worry about this foreign court strangling you 270 00:23:54,625 --> 00:23:56,541 if your father does anything wrong. 271 00:23:56,625 --> 00:23:59,166 They were pawns within a wider game. 272 00:24:00,041 --> 00:24:02,916 One day, I will return for you. 273 00:24:07,083 --> 00:24:09,625 It is a terrible game, you know. 274 00:24:09,708 --> 00:24:12,625 It's full of traumatizing events. It's full of betrayals, 275 00:24:12,708 --> 00:24:14,875 and I think Vlad is a prime example 276 00:24:15,416 --> 00:24:20,291 what kind of a toll that life could take on a human psychology. 277 00:24:24,416 --> 00:24:28,541 {\an8}Two decades later, Mehmed, like his father, Murad II, 278 00:24:28,625 --> 00:24:33,166 {\an8}finds himself facing a potential rebellion from the House of Drăculeşti. 279 00:24:34,458 --> 00:24:37,625 He sends emissaries to the Wallachian capital 280 00:24:37,708 --> 00:24:40,625 to demand that Vlad pay his debt to the sultan. 281 00:24:41,291 --> 00:24:46,666 As a vassal state, Vlad had to be loyal to the Ottomans. 282 00:24:46,750 --> 00:24:49,791 He had to take his army to fight alongside the Ottoman army, 283 00:24:49,875 --> 00:24:51,583 wherever this was needed. 284 00:24:51,666 --> 00:24:55,791 And of course, the most important part, to pay his tribute every year. 285 00:24:55,875 --> 00:25:00,041 This was the thing that kept you in the house of peace. 286 00:25:00,125 --> 00:25:02,625 This is what a gold coin would look like 287 00:25:02,708 --> 00:25:04,875 at the end of the 15th century. 288 00:25:04,958 --> 00:25:08,166 Very small, but pure gold pretty much, 289 00:25:08,250 --> 00:25:11,541 and Vlad's expected to pay 2,000 of these every year, 290 00:25:11,625 --> 00:25:13,541 but he clearly hasn't 291 00:25:13,625 --> 00:25:19,125 because Mehmed, um, sends some ambassadors to demand 292 00:25:19,208 --> 00:25:22,333 10,000 gold coins of payment, 293 00:25:22,416 --> 00:25:24,791 which would be five years' worth of back payment, 294 00:25:24,875 --> 00:25:29,375 so that shows us that pretty much since he's established himself as a ruler 295 00:25:29,458 --> 00:25:30,458 in Wallachia, 296 00:25:30,541 --> 00:25:33,916 Vlad's not been doing his homage to the Ottoman sultan. 297 00:25:34,000 --> 00:25:38,416 The fact that he refuses to do that is what causes his problems with Mehmed. 298 00:25:49,458 --> 00:25:50,833 Welcome to Târgovişte. 299 00:25:52,208 --> 00:25:54,875 I trust your journey was not too long, Pashas. 300 00:26:02,250 --> 00:26:04,375 -Thank you, Prince Vlad. 301 00:26:07,458 --> 00:26:11,750 Mehmed II, Conqueror, Ruler of Two Lands, Ruler of Two Seas, 302 00:26:11,833 --> 00:26:16,333 Caesar of Rome, and Sultan of Sultans, sends his greetings. 303 00:26:17,083 --> 00:26:18,000 Mm-hmm. 304 00:26:29,250 --> 00:26:30,208 Hmm. 305 00:26:32,291 --> 00:26:34,666 I'm sure the Sultan of Sultans 306 00:26:35,625 --> 00:26:39,083 didn't send you all this way just to bring me Turkish delight. 307 00:26:39,166 --> 00:26:41,583 -Prince Vlad, the sultan requests-- 308 00:26:46,083 --> 00:26:47,875 I will save you the trouble. 309 00:26:48,916 --> 00:26:51,250 Mehmed wants me to come to the capital, 310 00:26:51,875 --> 00:26:54,083 pay what he thinks I owe him, and bend the knee. 311 00:26:54,666 --> 00:26:56,083 A show of loyalty. 312 00:26:56,666 --> 00:26:58,458 But loyalty works both ways. 313 00:27:00,041 --> 00:27:00,958 Does it not? 314 00:27:01,041 --> 00:27:03,458 Lately, there have been rumors about your allegiance. 315 00:27:03,541 --> 00:27:05,541 You dare question the prince's loyalty. 316 00:27:05,625 --> 00:27:06,458 Easy. 317 00:27:18,000 --> 00:27:20,375 My kingdom's fortune has been spent 318 00:27:20,458 --> 00:27:24,125 defending the sultan's borders against the Hungarians and others 319 00:27:24,666 --> 00:27:26,625 who are wary of his adventures. 320 00:27:33,916 --> 00:27:35,833 Wallachia's coffers are empty. 321 00:27:36,416 --> 00:27:38,791 But you have sworn an oath to pay tribute. 322 00:27:38,875 --> 00:27:42,833 This was made very clear when our sultan allowed you to take your throne. 323 00:27:42,916 --> 00:27:44,375 "Allowed me"? 324 00:27:49,916 --> 00:27:50,875 "Allowed me." 325 00:27:51,458 --> 00:27:54,875 The sultan has been very lenient because of your longstanding friendship. 326 00:27:54,958 --> 00:27:56,916 We have friendships in Europe as well. 327 00:27:57,958 --> 00:28:01,416 Leaders who say it is high time that I have a seat at the table. 328 00:28:02,833 --> 00:28:04,458 They treat me with respect. 329 00:28:32,333 --> 00:28:33,416 You speak of homage, 330 00:28:35,916 --> 00:28:39,833 yet I noticed that none of you had the courtesy to remove your hats 331 00:28:40,500 --> 00:28:42,541 when you're entering my court. 332 00:28:53,500 --> 00:28:55,958 Prince, you spent years in our court. 333 00:28:56,041 --> 00:29:00,375 You know that Ottoman culture forbids us from removing our hats in public. 334 00:29:02,208 --> 00:29:03,375 Mm-hmm. 335 00:29:05,916 --> 00:29:07,541 But you're in my court now. 336 00:29:19,416 --> 00:29:21,125 It seems we're at an impasse… 337 00:29:25,833 --> 00:29:27,166 but I have a solution. 338 00:29:33,083 --> 00:29:34,916 Mehmed can find a new ally… 339 00:29:39,083 --> 00:29:43,250 and you'll never have to remove your hats again. 340 00:30:00,958 --> 00:30:04,125 You don't shoot the messenger in the Mongolian and Turkish tradition. 341 00:30:04,208 --> 00:30:08,583 These ambassadors are the symbol of Mehmed. 342 00:30:08,666 --> 00:30:13,375 To mistreat an Ottoman ambassador is to mistreat Mehmed himself. 343 00:30:13,458 --> 00:30:19,125 So, this is sending as big a message to Mehmed as Vlad possibly could. 344 00:30:19,208 --> 00:30:21,666 The message was clear. He was no longer in the house of peace. 345 00:30:21,750 --> 00:30:23,791 He was crossing to the house of war. 346 00:30:23,875 --> 00:30:26,041 Does he think I will ignore this? 347 00:30:26,125 --> 00:30:28,083 You did ignore him for years, 348 00:30:28,166 --> 00:30:30,291 allowing his tribute to go unpaid. 349 00:30:30,875 --> 00:30:34,250 And now that he has the backing of the Hungarians and the Pope, 350 00:30:34,833 --> 00:30:36,208 he doesn't fear you. 351 00:30:36,291 --> 00:30:39,000 I treated him as a brother when his own father abandoned him. 352 00:30:39,083 --> 00:30:43,333 Mehmed, forget that boy who showed up on our doorstep all those years ago. 353 00:30:45,250 --> 00:30:47,458 He no longer exists. 354 00:31:06,041 --> 00:31:09,125 Will staring holes in that map ease whatever troubles you? 355 00:31:09,625 --> 00:31:12,750 Gulbahar Hatun is Mehmed's consort 356 00:31:13,291 --> 00:31:16,916 and the mother of his son, Prince Bayezid II. 357 00:31:28,250 --> 00:31:29,208 A new campaign? 358 00:31:33,833 --> 00:31:37,291 I'm sending your father on a mission to Wallachia. 359 00:31:39,875 --> 00:31:41,000 To see Prince Vlad? 360 00:31:46,875 --> 00:31:47,958 It's true then. 361 00:31:49,708 --> 00:31:51,791 Vlad has sided with the Hungarians. 362 00:31:52,791 --> 00:31:56,583 Hamza Bey will bring Vlad back so that he can be punished. 363 00:31:56,666 --> 00:31:58,500 Can't you send someone else? 364 00:31:58,583 --> 00:32:01,208 Your father is the fiercest warrior I've ever known. 365 00:32:01,291 --> 00:32:05,333 He also knows Vlad better than anyone in my court, even Radu. 366 00:32:05,416 --> 00:32:07,125 I know what happened to the emissaries. 367 00:32:07,208 --> 00:32:12,250 Gulbahar, Hamza Bey will be back in time for Bayezid's birthday. 368 00:32:12,333 --> 00:32:13,333 I promise. 369 00:32:19,166 --> 00:32:22,166 The Ottomans decide that the best way to deal with this situation 370 00:32:22,916 --> 00:32:29,625 is to snatch Vlad and bring him back forcibly to Istanbul to answer to Mehmed. 371 00:32:29,708 --> 00:32:34,416 So, a plot is hatched that would involve two key figures from the Ottoman court. 372 00:32:37,458 --> 00:32:40,041 The first is Greek guy, originally called "Thomas," 373 00:32:40,125 --> 00:32:41,958 who's baby face of the routine. 374 00:32:42,041 --> 00:32:45,041 He's a bureaucrat. He's non-threatening. 375 00:32:45,125 --> 00:32:48,250 So, he's gonna be the one who's gonna go into Vlad's court 376 00:32:48,333 --> 00:32:53,375 and persuade him of the benefits of coming to speak to Mehmed, and to lure him out 377 00:32:53,458 --> 00:32:56,333 into the Wallachian countryside. 378 00:32:57,333 --> 00:33:02,750 Meanwhile, the second part of the plan is going to be taken care of by Hamza. 379 00:33:02,833 --> 00:33:05,666 He's been a comrade-in-arms of Mehmed's, 380 00:33:05,750 --> 00:33:08,583 all the way back to the time of the conquest of Constantinople. 381 00:33:11,708 --> 00:33:12,875 Hello, Hamza Bey, 382 00:33:12,958 --> 00:33:14,333 my old friend. 383 00:33:15,041 --> 00:33:17,041 An unexpected surprise. 384 00:33:17,125 --> 00:33:18,666 In some of the sources, 385 00:33:18,750 --> 00:33:24,041 it's certainly stated that capture of Vlad Dracula was the intent. 386 00:33:24,125 --> 00:33:28,583 Whilst maybe capture would have been an enjoyment, 387 00:33:28,666 --> 00:33:30,750 I think dead or alive would have been 388 00:33:30,833 --> 00:33:33,416 perfectly acceptable to the sultan at this point. 389 00:33:36,791 --> 00:33:40,250 Hamza Bey, Prince, we are all old friends here. 390 00:33:40,333 --> 00:33:43,041 I'm certain this misunderstanding with the sultan 391 00:33:43,125 --> 00:33:44,833 can be easily resolved, ha? 392 00:33:44,916 --> 00:33:46,833 -"Misunderstanding"? -Yeah. 393 00:33:49,541 --> 00:33:51,458 There is no misunderstanding. 394 00:34:03,500 --> 00:34:05,375 Now we understand each other. 395 00:34:07,625 --> 00:34:08,541 Teacher. 396 00:34:09,833 --> 00:34:14,333 The fact that in 1461, Mehmet had proposed 397 00:34:14,416 --> 00:34:19,125 the meeting in Giurgiu through Thomas Katabolinos, 398 00:34:19,208 --> 00:34:20,916 a writer at the Court, 399 00:34:21,000 --> 00:34:23,916 and through Hamza, the falcon bearer, 400 00:34:24,000 --> 00:34:29,416 shows that both the Ottoman side and the Wallachian side 401 00:34:29,500 --> 00:34:36,458 were no longer willing, in fact, to reach peace, but to play. 402 00:34:36,541 --> 00:34:39,166 Vlad has his own network of spies, 403 00:34:39,250 --> 00:34:43,625 so Vlad has set up his counter-trap to the original trap, 404 00:34:43,708 --> 00:34:47,416 leaving him now with some valuable captives, 405 00:34:47,500 --> 00:34:50,958 particularly in the form of Mehmed's comrade, Hamza. 406 00:34:53,250 --> 00:34:55,708 What was that you told me when I was a boy? 407 00:34:56,666 --> 00:34:59,500 Know your enemy as you know yourself. 408 00:35:02,291 --> 00:35:03,416 You are a fool. 409 00:35:06,541 --> 00:35:08,375 Mehmed will come after you. 410 00:35:08,916 --> 00:35:10,833 And I'll be waiting for him. 411 00:35:12,916 --> 00:35:16,625 But what shall we do about you? 412 00:35:33,916 --> 00:35:35,541 Add this to our collection. 413 00:35:49,583 --> 00:35:52,208 Bring these two with us. 414 00:35:54,041 --> 00:35:55,333 Kill the rest! 415 00:35:56,083 --> 00:35:58,708 Vlad, at this point, is one step ahead of the game. 416 00:35:58,791 --> 00:36:01,625 {\an8} 417 00:36:02,375 --> 00:36:05,833 {\an8}After ambushing Hamza Bey and Thomas Katabolinos, 418 00:36:06,500 --> 00:36:10,791 {\an8}Vlad launches a 500-mile raid into Ottoman-held Bulgaria, 419 00:36:11,375 --> 00:36:15,041 {\an8}killing thousands of men, women, and children. 420 00:36:17,708 --> 00:36:21,958 "Fatih Sultan Mehmed, I was made aware 421 00:36:22,041 --> 00:36:25,083 that you've been seeking an audience with me." 422 00:36:31,083 --> 00:36:33,375 "Unfortunately, I must decline." 423 00:36:34,666 --> 00:36:39,333 "From this day forward, know me as your enemy." 424 00:36:44,125 --> 00:36:46,916 "You are a coward, hiding behind your army 425 00:36:47,000 --> 00:36:50,000 and your walls, like Constantine before you." 426 00:36:51,750 --> 00:36:55,166 "If you want to take Europe, you must defeat me." 427 00:36:55,250 --> 00:36:59,416 "And we both know that will be the end of you." 428 00:37:05,583 --> 00:37:07,291 Vlad said very clearly, 429 00:37:07,375 --> 00:37:09,458 "By such a political gesture, 430 00:37:09,541 --> 00:37:12,625 declare that all bridges between us are broken, 431 00:37:12,708 --> 00:37:14,666 and I am waiting for you on my ground." 432 00:37:21,000 --> 00:37:23,041 He sent Hamza Bey's prayer beads. 433 00:37:25,750 --> 00:37:27,583 Vlad will die for this. 434 00:37:31,333 --> 00:37:34,000 -He is baiting you. -No, he is threatening me. 435 00:37:35,083 --> 00:37:36,125 Sultan, 436 00:37:36,916 --> 00:37:38,791 let me lead your army into Wallachia 437 00:37:38,875 --> 00:37:41,125 and rid this arrogant fool of his head. 438 00:37:41,208 --> 00:37:43,458 I should lead the sultan's army… 439 00:37:44,125 --> 00:37:46,291 -…to restore my family's honor. 440 00:37:47,041 --> 00:37:50,166 Prince Radu, you have never led an army, 441 00:37:50,250 --> 00:37:52,666 and I worry that when it comes down to it, 442 00:37:53,250 --> 00:37:55,000 blood may be thicker than water. 443 00:37:56,375 --> 00:37:58,708 -Meaning? -Meaning there's a streak of betrayal 444 00:37:58,791 --> 00:38:00,666 through your family's dealings with the sultan. 445 00:38:00,750 --> 00:38:01,708 Enough! 446 00:38:15,250 --> 00:38:16,791 I will lead my army. 447 00:38:18,458 --> 00:38:20,583 This is between me and Vlad. 448 00:38:20,666 --> 00:38:22,416 I will go to Wallachia, 449 00:38:22,500 --> 00:38:27,291 and before I kill him, he will see me take the one thing he values above all else, 450 00:38:27,375 --> 00:38:29,333 his beloved capital, Târgovişte. 451 00:38:30,958 --> 00:38:34,916 My Sultan, your campaign in Corinth is just underway. 452 00:38:35,416 --> 00:38:38,166 Send Mahmud Pasha to Wallachia in your stead. 453 00:38:39,416 --> 00:38:41,291 -Mahmud Pasha. -Sultan. 454 00:38:41,375 --> 00:38:43,666 -Prince Radu. -Sultan. 455 00:38:43,750 --> 00:38:45,625 Both of you will ride by my side. 456 00:38:45,708 --> 00:38:50,083 And when I take Vlad's head, Radu, you will take the throne in Wallachia. 457 00:38:51,333 --> 00:38:54,791 Mother Mara, I need you to depart for Buda at once. 458 00:38:54,875 --> 00:38:58,791 The Hungarians respect you. I need to know their role in all of this. 459 00:39:01,000 --> 00:39:02,791 Both men know the war was coming, 460 00:39:02,875 --> 00:39:06,583 but I think at this point, Mehmed begins to see two things. 461 00:39:06,666 --> 00:39:10,750 One, that Wallachia is going to be a very tough nut to crack. 462 00:39:10,833 --> 00:39:12,916 It favors the defender, the terrain. 463 00:39:13,000 --> 00:39:15,000 He knows that he's got, uh, 464 00:39:15,083 --> 00:39:18,791 a worthy adversary on the battlefield in Vlad Dracula, 465 00:39:18,875 --> 00:39:22,541 but there's also a huge element of insult 466 00:39:22,625 --> 00:39:25,625 about what has occurred leading up to this war. 467 00:39:26,375 --> 00:39:28,833 {\an8}Mehmed assembles a massive army, 468 00:39:28,916 --> 00:39:32,458 {\an8}nearly the size of the one that conquered Constantinople. 469 00:39:32,541 --> 00:39:37,333 {\an8}His blood feud with Vlad Dracula has passed the point of no return. 470 00:39:38,916 --> 00:39:40,375 {\an8}Meanwhile, in Hungary, 471 00:39:40,458 --> 00:39:44,041 {\an8}the Impaler Lord seeks out the one army in Europe 472 00:39:44,125 --> 00:39:47,125 {\an8}that can rival the Ottomans on the battlefield. 473 00:40:07,208 --> 00:40:09,333 -Are those…? -Yes, King Matthias. 474 00:40:10,375 --> 00:40:13,125 The noses and ears of every Turk and Bulgarian I killed 475 00:40:13,208 --> 00:40:14,458 when I crossed the Danube, 476 00:40:14,958 --> 00:40:18,125 excluding those who were burned alive in their homes. 477 00:40:18,208 --> 00:40:19,250 Yeah. 478 00:40:19,333 --> 00:40:22,500 23,844. 479 00:40:29,291 --> 00:40:31,208 News of your successful campaign 480 00:40:31,291 --> 00:40:34,291 against the Ottomans is already known in Europe. 481 00:40:35,375 --> 00:40:39,291 Though, not in such vivid detail. 482 00:40:39,375 --> 00:40:40,375 Hmm. 483 00:40:40,875 --> 00:40:42,708 The Pope himself has said, 484 00:40:43,250 --> 00:40:47,791 "There is a great need for a man of your talents in the coming Crusade." 485 00:40:48,541 --> 00:40:52,500 "Someone who knows how to fight Mehmed." 486 00:40:53,083 --> 00:40:55,416 Have faith that I will kill the sultan. 487 00:40:57,458 --> 00:40:59,500 But, King Matthias, 488 00:41:02,083 --> 00:41:04,375 Mehmed's rage knows no bounds. 489 00:41:06,666 --> 00:41:10,333 In the spring, he will come with evil intentions and all his power. 490 00:41:13,666 --> 00:41:19,250 But once you and your mighty army 491 00:41:20,875 --> 00:41:22,250 join forces with me… 492 00:41:24,333 --> 00:41:26,500 the Great Turk's defeat is certain. 493 00:41:27,916 --> 00:41:29,250 All in due time. 494 00:41:30,416 --> 00:41:36,000 We shall send an envoy in the coming weeks with news of our plans. 495 00:41:38,375 --> 00:41:40,000 Vlad says, very clearly, 496 00:41:40,083 --> 00:41:42,500 "This is what we've done already to the Ottomans." 497 00:41:42,583 --> 00:41:44,416 "I'm absolutely your man in the field." 498 00:41:45,250 --> 00:41:46,291 And by the way, 499 00:41:46,375 --> 00:41:50,500 here's two sacks of their noses and ears and heads for you to enjoy." 500 00:41:51,500 --> 00:41:55,625 Matthias Corvinus is using Vlad Dracula for what he can get out of him. 501 00:41:55,708 --> 00:41:58,541 The Hungarians treat Vlad like the Ottomans treat Vlad, 502 00:41:59,083 --> 00:42:03,500 that he's part of a wider game of politics, 503 00:42:03,583 --> 00:42:05,333 and they'll use him as long as he's useful, 504 00:42:05,416 --> 00:42:08,875 and when he's no longer useful, then they'll leave him out to dry. 505 00:42:11,166 --> 00:42:13,250 Father, take me with you. 506 00:42:15,041 --> 00:42:17,125 You'll join me on campaign soon enough. 507 00:42:17,208 --> 00:42:19,666 But I've been training with the Janissaries. 508 00:42:19,750 --> 00:42:21,041 My sword is sharp. 509 00:42:21,125 --> 00:42:26,791 Your sword might be sharp, Bayezid, but you are not ready. 510 00:42:27,875 --> 00:42:32,541 You must study strategy and tactics. Alexander and Caesar. 511 00:42:33,625 --> 00:42:36,333 Bayezid, I must speak to your father now. 512 00:43:09,708 --> 00:43:10,916 Is my father dead? 513 00:43:18,833 --> 00:43:21,666 We believe he's being held hostage by Vlad. 514 00:43:22,375 --> 00:43:23,791 He's a monster. 515 00:43:27,166 --> 00:43:29,166 How did you ever call him brother? 516 00:43:30,666 --> 00:43:32,750 I promise to return with Hamza Bey. 517 00:43:40,500 --> 00:43:44,875 When you find Vlad, make him suffer. 518 00:44:06,541 --> 00:44:13,125 On April 26, 1462, Mehmed sets off for Wallachia, 519 00:44:15,416 --> 00:44:19,625 where the fate of one Ottoman hostage has already been decided. 520 00:44:19,708 --> 00:44:22,750 -Don't worry, Katabolinos Pasha. 521 00:44:24,500 --> 00:44:26,875 Your sultan will be here soon enough to save you. 522 00:44:28,125 --> 00:44:30,708 And Vlad Dracula awaits.