Historical Study: Vlad the Impaler, who inspired Dracula, may have been a vegetarian

The bloodthirsty Romanian military leader Vlad the Impaler, who is said to have inspired the legend of Dracula after killing more than 80,000 people according to historians, may have been a vegetarian or even a vegetarian, according to chemical analysis of his letters.

“Dracula may have been a vegetarian or vegan due to poor diet or poor health,” study co-author Dr. Gleb Zilberstein told The Independent on Tuesday.

But unlike modern vegetarians, the bloodthirsty Romanian prince Vlad III, who is said to have inspired the legend of the vampire Dracula, may have owed his diet not to moral choices, but rather to the “really cold climate” that Europe was experiencing at the time. ., leaving the possibility of obtaining very little food, the researchers said.

By analyzing thousands of molecular fragments from the surface of ancient letters, the researchers were able to trace and isolate the oldest 100 letters. From this, they estimated that 16 of them would be of human origin, and most likely came from a historical figure.

Because although more medieval people may have touched these documents in the meantime, the most important ancient proteins “must be linked to Prince Vlad the Impaler, who wrote and signed these letters,” the scientists said.

However, they were surprised by the absence of animal dietary protein, which would have indicated a carnivorous diet, rather than a vegetarian diet, British media reported.

The study, published in the journal Analytical Chemistry, revealed that the Prince of Roumain had caused it to prevent respiratory problems, as well as a rare condition of haemolacria, which caused the larmes “mélanges avec du sang”, auraient écrit. Researchers.