Vlad the Impaler 3: Taking Away Noble Power

Vlad did everything in his power to make sure the nobles were miserable. He made it a quest to reduce their power and nobility by exercising his power on their economic establishment. He transferred power by giving high positions to people other than the most well known of boyars. He even spread the power to foreigners who were loyal towards Vlad. He also liked to knight and appoint men who were not older boyars, but yet , peasants. The power of the Wallachian nobility slowly dwindled as Vlad made it a habit to undo all that they had established over the years.

To make sure his power was not threatened, Vlad also used serious methods to restore order in an attempt to boost the economic stability of his country. The list of his enemies or potential enemies would continue to grow. He also had to keep watch on the activities of the DăneÅŸti clan. During some of Vlad’s raids, he would pinpoint would-be princes of the DăneÅŸti and take them as prisoners. A lot of DăneÅŸti clan members lost their lives by the word of Vlad. Additionally, Vladislav II of Wallachia was killed soon after Vlad came gained power in 1456. As prince after prince started to disappear, rumors started to spread amongst his enemies. Was it true that Vlad impaled his captives?

Another rumor of his treacherous punishments included the tale of one Dăneşti prince who was made to state his own funeral oration as he knelt in front of an open grave. This all came before he was executed.
 
Out of all the enemies Vlad would accumulate, it was the battles brewing between the Ottoman Empire and the Hungarian Kingdom that was taking place in the southeast part of Europe. Recalling the way his family always maneuvered these situation and remembering the hatred he still felt towards the Ottomans, he would become the ally of the Hungarians. Throughout the 1450s, it was thought that a war would break out against the Turks and at the center of it was the king of Hungary – Matthias Corvinus.

Paying attention to the turn of events that may unfold; Vlad would create an alliance with Corvinus around 1460. This angered the Turks, who tried to have him removed. After this failed attempt, Vlad would travel the Danube during the winter of 1461 and by 1462, the land that stretched between Serbia and the Black Sea was left in total devastation. He was responsible for taking the lives of more than 20,000 people.

The sultan (Mehmed) was infuriated and wanted to respond to this atrocity. He had just finished conquering Constantinople, but was interested in raising his army to take care of Vlad. 60,000 troops and 30,000 other people were gathered during the spring of 1462. They made their next destination Wallachia. At the time, Vlad only had an army that numbered about 20,000 to 30,000 men and was unable to stop the Turks as they marched right into Wallachia. The capital was occupied and a guerilla war broke out. Small attacks were launched on the Turks. They also faced many ambushes.