Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia (c. 1431 – December 1476), more commonly known as the Impaler (Romanian: Vlad Ţepeş or Draculea, was a three-time voivode of Wallachia, ruling mainly from 1456 to 1462.
Historically, Vlad is best known for his resistance to the Ottoman Empire and it's expansion and for the cruel punishments he imposed on his enemies.
In the English-speaking world, Vlad III is perhaps most commonly known for inspiring the name of the vampire in Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula.
The first performance of Ben Stevenson's full-length ballet version of Dracula was held March 13, 1997, at the Wortham Center in Houston.
