The Snagov Legend: Vlad the Impaler's Hidden Grave

This episode digs into the persistent mystery of Vlad III Dracula's burial place. After his death in battle against the Ottomans in late 1476, his body vanished from the historical record, and a legend grew that he was buried at Snagov Monastery, an island retreat north of Bucharest. We trace the historical evidence—or lack of it—explore the 1930s excavation that found no body, and consider the competing claims of Comana Monastery and even the rumor that his head ended up in Constantinople. Along the way we meet the chroniclers Laonikos Chalkokondyles and the anonymous Moldavian author, and we sort through the layers of legend that have made Snagov the default answer in popular culture. It's a story about how a historical blank space gets filled by storytellers, and how a 15th-century prince became a modern myth.

#VladTheImpaler #Dracula #Snagov #Romania #MedievalHistory #BurialMystery #Constantinople #MehmedII #Wallachia #15thCentury #Archaeology #Legend #FolkTale #BramStoker #HistoryNerd #Podcast #FexingoHistory #History

Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo