Eventually, Dracula regained the favor and support of the Hungarian king. In 1476 he once again invaded Wallachia. His small force consisted of a few loyal Wallachians, a contingent of Moldavians sent by his cousin Prince Stephen the Great of Moldavia, and a contingent of Transylvanians under their prince, Stephen Bathory. The allies succeeded in driving Basarab out of the country and placing Dracula on the throne (November 1476). However, after Dracula was once again in control, Stephen Bathory returned to Transylvania taking most of Dracula's army with him. The Turk's soon counter-attacked with overwhelming force. Dracula was killed fighting the Turks near Bucharest in December of 1476. His head was sent to Constantinople where the Sultan had it displayed on a stake to prove that the terrible Impaler was really dead.
通过不懈努力，德古拉终于重新得到了匈牙利国王的欢心和支持。1476年，德古拉又一 次攻入瓦拉几亚。他手下的部队由三部分组成：对他忠心耿耿的瓦拉几亚军团；德古拉的表弟，摩尔达维亚大公，斯蒂芬派来援助他的摩尔达维亚军团：以及他的盟 友，特兰西瓦尼亚大公，斯蒂芬.巴瑟瑞亲自率领的军团。德古拉成功于1476年11月击败了土耳其的傀儡大公，将之逐出境外。但是就在这胜利之时，斯蒂 芬.巴瑟瑞带着大部分军队回了特兰瓦尼西亚，而土耳其大军随后便卷土重来。德古拉于1476年12月，在布加勒斯特附近的一次战役中战死。他的头颅被送回 君士坦丁堡，向苏丹证明他的强敌，那位“穿刺公”终于死了。


II. What's in a name?
II．他的名字从何而来?
There has been considerable debate among scholars concerning the meaning of the name 'Dracula'. The name is clearly related to Dracula's father's sobriquet 'Dracul'. Drac in Romanian means devil and "ul" is the definitive article. Therefore, "Dracul" literally means "the devil." The "ulea" ending in Romanian indicates "the son of." Under this interpretation Dracula becomes Vlad III, son of the devil. The experts who support this interpretation usually claim that Vlad II earned his devlish nickname by his clever and wily political maneuvering.
对于 “德古拉”这个名字的内涵，各方学者争论不休。显然，这个名字来源于德古拉父亲弗拉德二世的绰号“Dracul”。Drac在罗马尼亚语中意为“恶魔”， 而“ul”是定性词根。“ulea”意为“X的儿子”。所以，德古拉意为“恶魔之子”，以此表明弗拉德三世是弗拉德二世的儿子。支持这个解释的专家们相信 弗拉德的父亲被称为“Dracul”源于他聪慧狡诈的政治手腕。
The second interpretation of the name is more widely accepted. In 1431 Vlad II was invested with the Order of the Dragon by the Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund of Luxembourg. The Order of the Dragon was a knightly order dedicated to fighting the Turk. Its emblem was a dragon, wings extended, hanging on a cross. From 1431 onward Vlad II wore the emblem of the order. His coinage bore the dragon symbol. The dragon was the symbol of the devil and, consequently, the alternate meaning of 'drac' was dragon. (Note: "dragon", noun, Middle English from Old French, derivation of the Latin, "draco"; served as the emblem of the Roman Cavalry. ed.-MLW) Under this interpretation Vlad II Dracul becomes Vlad II, the Dragon， and his son, Vlad III Dracula, becomes Vlad III, the Son of the Dragon.
另一种解释传播更广，也更广泛的 被人们所接受。1431年，弗拉德二世加入了神龙骑士团。该骑士团由神圣罗马帝国皇帝，卢森堡的西格斯蒙德皇帝所成立，以对抗奥斯曼土耳其为己任。骑士团 的徽章是一条龙，双翼展开，盘踞在十字架上。从此以后，弗拉德二世就把骑士团的徽章绣在了衣服上，同时，他还用龙纹作为铸币的印记。龙是恶魔的象征，于此 相关的词语“drac”也代表龙。（古英语和法语中龙一词都由拉丁语“draco”发展而来）。这样，弗拉德二世就被人称为弗拉德.德拉古，“神龙公”。 而他的儿子弗拉德三世，也就被人称为弗拉德.德古拉，“龙之子”。

Impalement was Dracula's favorite but by no means his only method of torture. The list of tortues employed by this cruel prince reads like an inventory of Hell's tools: nails in heads, cutting off of limbs, blinding, strangulation, burning, cutting off of noses and ears, mutilation of sexual organs (especially in the case of women), scalping, skinning, exposure to the elements or to wild animals and boiling alive.
虽说穿刺刑是德古拉的最爱，不过这也不妨碍他对受害者们施用其他酷刑。这些酷刑听上去简直是地狱的创造物：在头部钉钉子；切去拇指；挖眼；活绞；火焚；割去耳鼻；挖去生殖器官（通常对女性）；剥头皮；活剥皮肤；喂给野兽；烹刑……等等酷刑。
No one was immune to Dracula's attentions. His victims included women and children, peasants and great lords, ambassadors from foreign powers and merchants. However, the vast majority of his victims came from the merchants and boyars of Transylvania and his own Wallachia. Many have attempted to justify Dracula's actions on the basis of nascent nationalism and political necessity. Many of the merchants in Transylvania and Wallachia were Saxons who were seen as parasites, preying upon Romanian natives of Wallachia, while the boyars had proven their disloyalty time and time again. Dracula's own father and older brother were murdered by unfaithful boyars. However, many of Dracula's victims were Wallachians and few deny that he derived a perverted pleasure from his actions.
没人能逃出德古拉的手掌心。女人、小孩、农民、贵族、外国使节、还有商人都曾成为 过他的暴行的受害者。不过，德古拉的残暴主要针对的是特兰瓦尼西亚和瓦拉几亚的贵族。现在很多史学家认为德古拉的暴行被夸大了，并同时认为德古拉这样做是 基于萌芽中的民族Ｚ义和政治上加强中央集权的必要性。许多在特兰瓦尼西亚和瓦拉几亚经商的外国商人（许多来自萨克森）在当地为非作歹，压榨当地百姓，被人 们公认为是寄生虫。同样，瓦拉几亚的贵族也被证明是一群背叛成性的家伙，德古拉的父兄就是死在这些叛徒手里。但是，与此同时德古拉也用残酷的手段杀害了许 多无辜的瓦拉几亚人，并且从中得到了一种残酷的快感。
Dracula began his reign of terror almost as soon as he came to power. His first significant act of cruelty may have been motivated by a desire of revenge as well as a need to solidify his power. Early in his main reign he gave a feast for his boyars and their families to celebrate Easter. Dracula was well aware that many of these same nobles were part of the conspiracy that led to his father's assasination and the burying alive of his elder brother, Mircea. Many had also played a role in the overthrow of numerous Wallachian princes. During the feast Dracula asked his noble guests how many princes had ruled during their life times. All of the nobles present had out lived several princes. One answered that at least thirty princes had held the throne during his life. None had seen less than seven reigns. Dracula immediately had all the assembled nobles arrested. The older boyars and their families were impaled on the spot. The younger and healthier nobles and their families were marched north from Tirgoviste to the ruins of a castle in the mountains above the Arges River. Dracula was determined to rebuild this ancient fortress as his own stronghold and refuge. The enslaved boyars and their families were forced to labor for months rebuilding the old castle with materials from another nearby ruin. According to the reports they labored until the clothes fell off their bodies and then were forced to continue working naked. Very few of the old gentry survived the ordeal of building Castle Dracula.
德古拉在登基伊始即开始推行他的恐怖政策。首先，他必须巩固自己的权力。但同时，他还要复仇。以庆祝复活节为名，德古 拉把许多贵族请到首都来参加一场宴会。德古拉很清楚这些人杀害了自己的父亲和长兄。这些人同样是使许多任瓦拉几亚大公丧命的罪魁祸首。席间，德古拉以开玩 笑的口吻询问贵族们曾经为多少任大公效忠过。所有贵族都傲慢的表示自己早就是几朝元老了。甚至有一位贵族满不在乎地吹嘘，自己曾见证过30位瓦拉几亚大公 的统治。复仇心切的德古拉当即下令把列席的所有的贵族都抓了起来，并立即把其中的年老者都戳在了尖桩上。那些年轻的贵族和他们的家人被带到了首都特尔戈维 什泰城北方的一座山上，那里有一座古老的城堡废墟，可以俯瞰阿尔戈斯河。德古拉计划重建这座城堡，将之作为自己的私人要塞。史料记载，贵族们被迫在那里服 苦役，搬运用于建造德古拉城堡的石材。当他们的衣服逐渐变成烂布条，从身上脱落时，这些人只得赤身**的工作。经过几个月的苦役后，只有几个人最终活了下 来。

德古拉城堡

Throughout his reign Dracula systematically eradicated the old boyar class of Wallachia. The old boyars had repeatedly undermined the power of the prince during previous reigns and had been responsible for the violent overthrow of several princes. Apparently Dracula was determined that his own power be on a modern and thoroughly secure footing. In the place of the executed boyars Dracula promoted new men from among the free peasantry and middle class; men who would be loyal only to their prince. Many of Dracula's acts of cruelty can be interpreted as efforts to strengthen and modernize the central government at the expense of the feudal powers of nobility and great towns.
德古拉在统治期间一步步消灭了瓦拉几亚的大贵族势力。那些旧贵族割据一方，削弱了大 公的权力，并且弑主成性。很明显，德古拉希望把自己的权力建立在更稳固的基础上。在旧贵族被清洗后，德古拉破格提拔了一些新贵族，让他们辅佐自己的统治。 这些人大多出身于农村自由民或者城市中产阶级，在政治上除了德古拉的信任外这些人一无所有，所以他们只会效忠于德古拉。在今天看来，德古拉的许多残酷之举 的目的性都很强。德古拉试图建立和加强瓦拉几亚的中央集权，并向贵族阶级和城市扩张大公的权力。为此，那些反对者必须付出血的代价。
Dracula was also constantly on guard against the adherents of the Danesti clan. Some of his raids into Transylvania may have been efforts to capture would-be princes of the Danesti. Several members of the Danesti clan died at Dracula's hands. Vladislav II was murdered soon after Dracula came to power in 1456. Another Danesti prince was captured during one of Dracula's forays into Transylvania. Thousands of citizens of the town that had sheltered his rival were impaled by Dracula. The captured Danesti prince was forced to read his own funeral oration while kneeling before an open grave before his execution.
德古拉同时把铁拳挥向家族的世仇丹尼斯提家。 他曾多次侵入特兰瓦尼西亚，目的就在于消灭潜在的竞争者。许多丹尼斯提家的成员死在德古拉的手上。1456年，弗拉德斯拉夫二世在德古拉即位后没多久后就 被杀掉了。另一位丹尼斯提家的大贵族在德古拉对特兰瓦尼西亚的一次突袭中被捕。在抓获此人后，德古拉将这位贵族城堡中的千余人——大多是平民——毫不留情 地处以穿刺之刑。这位大贵族在被处刑前，被迫在为自己准备的坟墓前念诵为自己写的自己的悼文。
Dracula's atrocities against the people of Wallachia were usually attempts to enforce his own moral code upon his county. He appears to have been particularly concerned with female chastity. Maidens who lost their virginity, adulterous wives and unchaste widows were all targets of Dracula's cruelty. Such women often had their sexual organs cut out or their breasts cut off. They were also often impaled through the vagina on red-hot stakes that were forced through the body until they emerged from the mouth. One report tells of the execution of an unfaithful wife. Dracula had the woman's breasts cut off, then she was skinned and impaled in a square in Tirgoviste with her skin lying on a nearby table. Dracula also insisted that his people be honest and hard working. Merchants who cheated their customers were likely to find themselves mounted on a stake beside common thieves.
而德古拉对平民采取的恐怖政策主要是为了推行自己 的价值观。他显然对女性的贞洁相当看重，那些与主人通奸的侍女、不忠的妻子、以及失贞的寡妇都会被处以酷刑。刽子手会活活挖出她们的子宫或者割去她们的 （哗——），最后还会用烧红的铁杆插入她们的（哗——）然后从口腔穿出来。一份记录忠实记载了一位不忠的妻子被处刑的场面。德古拉下令割掉她的（哗—— ），剥掉她全身的皮肤，并摊开在一旁的桌子上，最后将她穿刺在尖桩上。德古拉同时坚定地认为，诚实和勤劳是作为人类的基本准则。欺骗顾客的奸商会和小偷一 起**在杆子上。

这难道是大叔的偶像？？

德古拉这货小时候肯定被性0虐过。不然即使目的性再强，也不会这么变0态。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。好吧，我挖坟了~~~~

网易公开课里赏课栏目中 BBC一个视频《吸血鬼》讲述的就是德古拉的真实故事。

瓦拉几亚的王子罢了，幼年被送往匈牙利，父亲哥哥弟弟都死于奥斯曼人之手，最后被迫借助奥斯曼人力量登上王位，在位期间面对奥斯曼征服者穆罕穆德二世的大举侵攻，率领军队决一死战，将俘获的敌军全部用木桩从臀部贯穿到喉咙，以残忍著称的穆罕穆德二世面对自己军队的惨烈下场也面有余戚的说道：“面对再凶狠的敌人我也丝毫不畏惧，但是恶魔除外。”
晚年下场很惨

翻译得非常好！话说 Vlad TEPES 也只能叫做大公 Voivode 而不是王子 Prince吧