the Crusade of Varna. Polish historian Callimachus tells that the leaders of the crusade would not listen, so Vlad II went back to Wallachia, but not before he had left Mircea II in command of an auxiliary unit of 4,000 Wallachian cavalrymen. The unit participated in the Battle of Varna on 10 November 1444 and after the defeat, Mircea led the remainder of his unit and the Christian forces across the Danube. An able military commander, he successfully recaptured the fortress of Giurgiu in 1445. However, in yet another treaty with the Ottomans, his father allowed the Ottomans to again have control of the fortress in an effort to retain their support of his having the throne and in an effort to keep his two captive sons safe. In 1447, Hunyadi launched yet another attack against Wallachia, once more defeating the armies supporting Vlad Dracul and Mircea II, forcing Vlad Dracul to flee. Mircea II, however, was captured by Saxon elite, which were part of the ruling council in Tîrgoviște, and was blinded with a red-hot poker, then buried alive. His father was captured and killed shortly thereafter. Following their deaths, his brother Vlad Țepeș was placed on the throne by the Ottomans but was soon forced out. Vlad Țepeș would regain the throne in 1456, and would also carry out vengeance against the Saxon elite, whom he held responsible for his father and brother's deaths. Vlad Țepeș would also fight successfully against the Ottomans for a number of years. Vlad's skilful political maneuverings, his capable administration skills and great tactical thinking, made him a very dangerous opponent to his enemies, which in turn would paint him as a ruthless, tyrannical leader. Popular culture In Karen Chance's Cassandra Palmer series and Dorina Basarab series, Mircea Basarab features as the love interest of the former and father of the latter. He is also the North American Vampire Senate's chief negotiator. (Novels) In the comic strip Alley Oop, Mircea Ţepeş, a direct descendant of Mircea, appears in a series of strips published during 1981. In David Weber's novel Out of the Dark, there is a Romanian soldier named Mircea Basarab, who eventually reveals himself to be Vlad Ţepeş, who chose to take his brother's name after renouncing his vampiric nature. References Sources External links Vlad the Impaler Wallachian Ruler Timeline |- Rulers of Wallachia House of Drăculești 1428 births 1447 deaths 15th-century