Alexander Petrov

Vlad III, or as he was widely known, Vlad the Impaler or Vlad Dracula, was a 15th-century voivode (or prince) of Wallachia, the historical and geographical region of Romania.Vlad III, or as he was widely known, Vlad the Impaler or Vlad Dracula, was a 15th-century voivode (or prince) of Wallachia, the historical and geographical region of Romania. His life had inspired several legends even when he was alive and after his death, he has become a figure of fascination across the world. Raised in the House of Drăculești, a branch of House of Basarab, Vlad III, alongside his younger brother Radu, began to serve as hostages in the Ottoman Empire in 1442 to secure their father's loyalty. After the murders of his father and elder brother, Vlad III attacked Wallachia with an Ottoman army and began his first reign as voivode in 1448. However, he was soon deposed and he had to seek refuge with the Turks. In 1456, he invaded his home country a second time with the Hungarian support. During his second reign, Vlad III systematically purged the Wallachian boyars to strengthen his position. He killed Transylvanian Saxons and ransacked their villages as they previously supported his rivals for the throne. In 1461, he reignited the war against the Ottoman Empire after first refusing to pay homage and then executing Sultan Mehmed II’s envoys. He also tried to unsuccessfully assassinate the sultan himself. Seeking assistance from Matthias Corvinus, King of Hungary, in his struggle against the empire, he visited Hungary but was captured instead. Between 1463 and 1475,Vlad was held captive in Visegrád. It was during this period that the tales of his cruelty began to spread all over Europe. He regained his throne one more time after his release in the summer of 1475 before he was killed in 1476 or 1477.

First Reign

First Reign

First Reign

Following the death of his father and brother, Vlad III began to be considered as a possible heir to his father’s seat. In September 1448, Vladislav II participated in Hunyadi’s campaign into the Ottoman territory. Sensing an opportunity, Vlad III invaded Wallachia with Ottoman soldiers and captured the fortress of Giurgiu on the Danube and helped in strengthening it. On October 18, 1448, the Ottoman forces defeated Hunyadi's army in the Battle of Kosovo.

However, Vladislav II returned to Wallachia soon after and Vlad III had to make a reluctant and hasty retreat in December. He went to Edirne in the Ottoman Empire after he was ousted from power for the first time. He later relocated to Moldavia, where one of his uncles had captured the throne, to ask for support. However, that uncle was killed and Vlad III had to flee to Transylvania with his cousin. They petitioned Hunyadi's for help but he had committed to a three-year peace with the Ottoman Empire already.

Who was Vlad the Impaler?

Who was Vlad the Impaler?

Who was Vlad the Impaler?

Vlad III, or as he was widely known, Vlad the Impaler or Vlad Dracula, was a 15th-century voivode (or prince) of Wallachia, the historical and geographical region of Romania. His life had inspired several legends even when he was alive and after his death, he has become a figure of fascination across the world. Raised in the House of Drăculești, a branch of House of Basarab, Vlad III, alongside his younger brother Radu, began to serve as hostages in the Ottoman Empire in 1442 to secure their father's loyalty. After the murders of his father and elder brother, Vlad III attacked Wallachia with an Ottoman army and began his first reign as voivode in 1448. However, he was soon deposed and he had to seek refuge with the Turks. In 1456, he invaded his home country a second time with the Hungarian support. During his second reign, Vlad III systematically purged the Wallachian boyars to strengthen his position. He killed Transylvanian Saxons and ransacked their villages as they previously supported his rivals for the throne. In 1461, he reignited the war against the Ottoman Empire after first refusing to pay homage and then executing Sultan Mehmed II’s envoys. He also tried to unsuccessfully assassinate the sultan himself. Seeking assistance from Matthias Corvinus, King of Hungary, in his struggle against the empire, he visited Hungary but was captured instead. Between 1463 and 1475,Vlad was held captive in Visegrád. It was during this period that the tales of his cruelty began to spread all over Europe. He regained his throne one more time after his release in the summer of 1475 before he was killed in 1476 or 1477.

Alexander II of Russia inherited the throne after his father's death, on February 19, 1855, at a time when the country was on the verge of a disastrous defeat in the Crimean WarAlexander II of Russia inherited the throne after his father's death, on February 19, 1855, at a time when the country was on the verge of a disastrous defeat in the Crimean War. After the fall of the fortified city of Sevastopol on September 9, 1855, he began peace negotiations, signing the Treaty of Paris on March 30, 1856, which cost Russia naval rights in the Black Sea.

Alexander II of Russia was the Emperor of Russia, as well as the King of Poland and the Grand Duke of Finland, who reigned from March 1855 to March 1881, before being assassinated by members of the Narodnaya Volya (People's Will) movement.Alexander II of Russia was the Emperor of Russia, as well as the King of Poland and the Grand Duke of Finland, who reigned from March 1855 to March 1881, before being assassinated by members of the Narodnaya Volya (People's Will) movement. He is remembered in history for his numerous reforms that ushered the modern age for the Russian Empire, and is revered as 'Alexander the Liberator' for the emancipation of the serfs in 1861. While he grew up in the autocratic system governing Russia at the time, his liberal education under Vasily Zhukovsky created a clear conflict in him which is easily noticeable through his actions during his reign. While he did bring in a number of reforms, they emerged more out of necessity than from true humanitarian outlook. Even for his most memorable reform, the emancipation of the serfs, he believed that it would eventually be necessary and wanted the change to happen "from above than from below". However, irrespective of his intentions, he did modernize the Russian Empire by reforming the military, the judicial system, education system, and by eradicating noble privileges.

Reforms During His Reign

Reforms During His Reign

Reforms During His Reign

Alexander II of Russia inherited the throne after his father's death, on February 19, 1855, at a time when the country was on the verge of a disastrous defeat in the Crimean War. After the fall of the fortified city of Sevastopol on September 9, 1855, he began peace negotiations, signing the Treaty of Paris on March 30, 1856, which cost Russia naval rights in the Black Sea.

He was formally crowned the Russian Emperor on August 26, 1856 in Moscow. Following the first major defeat of the Russian army since 1812, he was forced to modernize the military and the entire political system in order to be on par with more advanced Western countries.

One of the first endeavors he undertook was the improvement of communications by extending the coverage of railway tracks throughout Russia. It resulted in faster movement of economic goods, especially grain, Russia's major export product, as well faster response in defense and attack.

He followed this reform with another more significant one, the emancipation of the serfs, for which he is still remembered as 'Alexander the Liberator'. While the actual implementation of this reform was slow and unsatisfactory to some extent, it still had an immense psychological impact at the time.

In the following years, he enlisted the service of a number of enlightened bureaucrats who performed reforms in their respective fields. He appointed Dmitry Milyutin as the Minister of War who carried out sweeping military reforms including compulsory 6-year military service for all males aged 21, including nobles. Introduced on January 1, 1874, the reform changed the face of the Russian army permanently.

Milyutin was also responsible for creating the military district system, splitting the Russian states into 15 military districts, and extending the reserve forces. The military education system also received an overhaul, with all the draftees being offered elementary education, and corporal punishment was banned in the military.

Alexander II of Russia proclaimed the zemstvo system which introduced local self-governance for the rural districts in 1864 and later extended that to large towns in 1870. Elective assemblies were given limited rights of taxation and the Minister of the Interior supervised the formation of municipal police.

The judiciary system was reorganized as well, allowing judges to be appointed for life, and, for the first time, allowing trial in open court by jury members who dealt with minor offences. The new administration, modeled after the French system, introduced security of tenure, a new penal code and simplified proceedings for civil and criminal laws.