At the time Vladislav II had some very pro-Turkish ideas and Hundayi lost respect for him. Hundayi picked Dracula as a new candidate for the throne of Walachia. Dracula remained in Transylvania waiting for an opportunity to retake the throne. (Ratiu, N. pag.) In 1456 Hundayi invaded Turkish Serbia and at the same time Dracula invaded Walachia. While Hundayi was killed and his army defeated, Dracula succeeded in retaking the throne. (LeBlanc, N. pag.) .
Dracula ruled Walachia from 1456 to 1462, and most of the atrocities that made him infamous took place during these years. He ruled with a brutally powerful hand, killing and torturing thousands. Some of the methods used to kill and torture were disembodiment, burning, strangulation, cutting off of facial features, skinning, exposure to the elements, and many more no doubt. (LeBlanc, N. pag.) But his favorite method was impaling, hence the nickname "the impaler." Impaling involves sticking someone on a sharp stick and letting their own gravity cause them to slowly die, sometimes taking a few days. A bizarre fetish of Dracula's was having dinner banquets in the middle of a field of dead and dying corpses. (.Dracula the Impaler, N. pag,).
Dracula was both feared and idolized by his people. Despite his brutality his campaigns against the Turks made him loved by his people. (Geringer, N. pag.) No one dared question or defy him. To prove this he placed a golden cup in the center of Tirgoviste square, which was never stolen or even moved throughout his time in power. (.Dracula the Impaler, N. pag.) To this day a statue of him stands at the old capital Tirgoviste. According to legend, shortly after becoming prince Dracula invited beggars and people either sick, old, or very poor to a banquet. After the meal, Dracula asked, "Would you like to be without cares and lacking nothing in this world?" The crowd of course responded that they did.
