Mad Kings & Queens, Week VIII [Monday, Period 4]

[atreideslioness]

"Today we're working with someone many of you may be familiar with," Ghanima announced as the class assembled. "Especially if you have taken this particular class before."  Possibly because it was the first day after Spring Break, and Ghanima was feeling far too lazy to teach a brand new class.  "If, at any point, today's discussion becomes too much, please feel free to excuse yourselves." 

"The inspiration for Bram Stoker's famous vampire, Count Dracula, Vlad the Impaler may not have actually drunk blood, but he was certainly one of the most bloodthirsty rulers to have ever stalked through the annals of history."

"Raised to be a conventional prince, Vlad III was an exceptional warrior, horseman, and scholar: he was fluent in several languages, as well as the art of etiquette. His father had sworn to uphold an allegiance to fight the Turks, and was honored with membership in a secret society known as the Order of the Dragon, or the Dracul. Thus, Vlad gained his famous title, Drăculea, or "son of the Dragon." At the age of eleven, Vlad and his younger brother, Radu, were taken hostage and held at the palace of a Turkish sultan. Vlad and Radu lived under a constant threat of death or torture, and were often beaten and abused by their captors. The experience marked him for the rest of his life."

( WARNING: Here there be Dracul. )

[OOC: Wait for the OCD is up, go play please! NOTE: Today's class is behind the cut-tag for impalement, violence, and lots of people dying. NOT FLUFFY.]