Neagu Djuvara Livres

Why "Dracul"? Did he earn this nickname because he was evil, "Dracul" being a folk name for the Devil, the Unclean One? Not at all. What follows is the extraordinary story behind the cognomen that the son of Vlad Dracul, the famous Vlad the Impaler, was also to bear.In the cathedral of the great German city of Nuremberg, King Sigismund proclaimed Vlad Voivode of Wallachia, even though he was yet to reign, and named him a Knight of the Order of the Dragon. It was a great honour to be a member of the Order. For this reason, when he became actual ruler of Wallachia in 1437, Vlad, proud of his membership of the Order of the Dragon, ordered that coins bearing the Order's emblem should be struck: a dragon and a Cross. And given that "dragon" is similar to the Romanian vernacular term drac (which has the same origin), the people nicknamed Vlad "Dracul" or "Drăculea". Since membership of the Order of the Dragon was hereditary, the sons of Vlad Dracul, Vlad the Impaler and Radu the Fair, were also to be called by the same name, both at home and abroad. And so it was that later Vlad the Impaler came to be known throughout Europe as Dracula Voivode. Is it not a strange tale?

This is not an ordinary history book. As readers will realise quite early on, Neagu Djuvara has the audacity to tackle some of the most delicate and controversial issues in Romanian history under the guise of light storytelling. With the addition of illustrations, the book becomes better and easier to understand: we are offered the chance to see how ancient artefacts discovered by archaeologists actually look like, or catch a glimpse of the world of barbarians and medieval warriors depicted in wonderful illuminated manuscripts. As we get nearer to the modern age, the imagery becomes even richer and we get to know Romania's princes and monarchs, their allies and their enemies, the politicians – good and bad – their triumphs, tribulations or even tragedies; and sometimes even the common people going about their daily lives. The photographic discourse focuses on the most important documents, even if their condition is not optimal. You will also find images of pottery, jewellery and weaponry, some of them from unexpected sources, often unknown to the public, accompanied by detailed captions that complement the information provided in the text itself. Together, the story and illustrations intertwine to form a new, enhanced historical account - and hopefully, one not lacking in originality.