On February 11, 1462, Vlad the Impaler sent a letter to the Hungarian king – Matthias Corvinus. It is kept to this day and gives us many interesting details about the relationship between Corvinus and his vassal along with plans for a war against the Conqueror of Constantinople.
There is no mention of the 500 young men the sultan requested in 1459, the year in which Vlad refused to pay tribute; this detail was later found in the chronicles of Chalkokondyles – he was close to the Sultan witnessed many wars of the latter, often writing his chronicles from the front!
The catalyst for the war between Wallachia and the Ottoman Empire is presented as being the refusal to pay tribute. Another chronicler of the time – Doukas – specified the amount of 10,000 gold ducats, representing the tribute for three years plus interest.
Some of the things that jump into attention after a careful reading of the letter are:
§ Over the years Vlad had provided information to his neighbors, so we can assume that Matthias could focus on his internal political struggles for the imperial crown, feeling protected from the SE.
During the reign of Vlad the Impaler, the Turks did not have free passage on Wallachian territory, so they could not do incursions in Transylvania.
§ Vlad was not obliged to marry during captivity, as some historians have assumed. The prince agreed to the union and discussions on the subject with the Hungarian king started as early as 1461.
Turkish spies had informed the sultan, and he feared such a possibility because at that time arranged marriages among aristocrats were still considered to be sustainable alliances. The sultan feared such an union would mean embedding Wallachia in the Austro-Hungarian Empire [at least in a not so distant future].
We know that the ceremony took place in 1463, most likely in Buda, but do not know the exact circumstances and the identity of the bride. It was speculated that she was either a cousin of Corvinus, or an influent aristocrat [the daughter of a Hungarian magnate from the extremely exclusive entourage of the king].
§ Vlad counted about 24,000 casualties [Turks and Bulgarians], not to mention people who perished in their homes that were set ablaze.
Chronicles that included the testimony or the Wallachian army chiefs mention they had received orders from Dracula to spare Christians from those settlements.
§ The prince knew that the sultan had to turn against him so he asked Matthias to send at least part of his army. He also highlights that if Wallachia was conquered by the Ottoman army they would have the enemy at their doorstep.
§ Dracula said that the war had already started anyway and asked for help no matter how insignificant [as number] before St. George [23 April].
The formulation of the letter is reminiscent of the Crusades that the papacy was trying to start.
๑۞๑ Related:๑۞๑
† Vlad the Impaler
† Count Dracula