No, Bram Stoker Did Not Model Dracula On Vlad The Impaler

No, Bram Stoker Did Not Model Dracula On Vlad The Impaler

"So why did Stoker choose that name, 'Dracula'? Well, we can infer that from his own notes. He copied information from a footnote from Wilkinson's book ('An Account of the Principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia') that read in his own notes, 'DRACULA in Wallachian language means DEVIL,' with those capital letters."

"Stoker chose the name, it appears, because of its devilish associations, not because of the history and legends attached to its owner. The truth is, there's no evidence that Bram Stoker was even aware of the name Vlad III — much less that he was called 'Vlad the Impaler.' Vlad the Impaler is the 'real' Dracula in that he is a real historical figure who bore the name Dracula. Beyond that, little else connects him with the fictional count."