The third reign

The events regarding the fights with the Ottomans showed the necessity of the rebuild of the anti-Ottoman front. The initiative was taken by Stephan the Great, who addressed to Matei Corvin, asking him to free Vlad the Impaler and to enthrone him in Wallachia. Matei Corvin understood and freed Vlad the Impaler in 1475. He took part at the fight with the Ottomans in Bosnia and came, in November 1476, in Wallachia with the support of the Hungarian army, led by Stephan Bathori, and Stephan the Great. In 26th November 1476, a great Meeting of the High Council decided to enthrone Vlad the Impaler.
Unfortunetly, the Impaler's third reigndidn't last more than two months because he was assassinated by his own boyars, with the support of the Turks and of his own brother, Radu the Handsome.
After the death of the Impaler, Wallachia entered again under the influence of the Ottoman Empire.

Vlad the Impaler's Portrait

Fear and terror spread among the Saxons thus contributing to the ruler's ill fame. He gradually became the hero of dreadful legends and horror stories. The hatred for this cruel ruler was so exaggerated that even his portrait, both physical and moral, was denaturated, far from reality. Here is the hyperbolical description of Vlad Tepes given by the Italian Niccolo di Modrussa while he was at the court of Hungary: ² i saw that tyrant called Dracula - the Romanian word for <<evil>>, with my own eyes when i was at the Hungarian court as a representative of the Pope Piu II; he was not very tall, yet stout and strong, cruel and frightening in appearance a great aquiline nose and big nostrils, and a thin reddish face; he had long lashes surrounding his green large eyes and the black hairy eyebrows made them seem threatening. His round templets made his head greater, a taurine neck linked his large nape to his back which was covered by a long curled hair².
The harshness of this words has crossed the centuries. This symbol, loved and appreciated by the medieval world for his brilliant victory against Mehmed II, was a prisoner at Mathew Corvin's court where he appeared as a freak of nature to Niccolo di Modrussa and to many others.