This well-known portrait of Vlad III—wearing a princely cap adorned with pearls and precious stones—is a copy of one painted during his lifetime (1431-1476) now displayed in Ambras Castle in Innsbruck, Austria.

Vlad the Impaler's thirst for blood was an inspiration for Count Dracula

The ruthless brutality of Vlad III of Walachia, forged by the 15th-century clash between the Kingdom of Hungary and the Ottoman Empire, would partly inspire Bram Stoker's classic vampire novel centuries later.

This well-known portrait of Vlad III—wearing a princely cap adorned with pearls and precious stones—is a copy of one painted during his lifetime (1431-1476) now displayed in Ambras Castle in Innsbruck, Austria.
Erich Lessing/Album
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