SHORT HISTORY, LONG ECHOES · A2/B1 · 50 min

Vlad the Impaler

A real prince who fought a huge empire — and gave his name to Dracula.

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Today: tell the story of Vlad the Impaler, a real prince who fought a big empire and later gave his name to Dracula. Grammar: the past simple and used to for the past.
Warm up — five words to remember. Each one comes from an earlier story in the series. Do you know it? Say what it means and use it in a sentence. Is it new? Good — learn it now. Click Reveal to check, and follow a link to read the story.
an empire — from The Romanovs
What does it mean? Name one empire from history.
an empire — a large group of countries or lands ruled by one country or one leader.
an army — from The Terracotta Army
What does it mean? Say what an army does.
an army — a large group of soldiers who fight for a country.
to escape — from Pompeii
What does it mean? Use it in a sentence about danger.
to escape — to get away from danger or from a place where you are kept.
a castle — from The Tudors
What does it mean? Say one castle you know.
a castle — a big strong building with high walls, where a king or lord lived and was safe from enemies.
a legend — from The Trojan War
What does it mean? Name a legend or old story you know.
a legend — an old, famous story that people tell, which may be true, false, or a mix of both.

Now — the words for today's story

These are the new words for Vlad the Impaler. Match each word (1–8) to its meaning (A–H). Say your answers out loud — "I think 1 is D" — then check.

Words

  1. a prince
  2. a country
  3. an enemy
  4. a battle
  5. cruel
  6. a prisoner
  7. afraid
  8. a vampire

Meanings

  • A. a fight between two armies
  • B. a person or group that wants to hurt or fight you
  • C. the son of a king, or a ruler of a small state
  • D. feeling fear; scared
  • E. hurting people and enjoying it; not kind at all
  • F. a place with its own land and its own people
  • G. a monster in stories that drinks blood at night
  • H. a person who is kept in a place and cannot leave

1 = C (a prince) · 2 = F (a country) · 3 = B (an enemy) · 4 = A (a battle)

5 = E (cruel) · 6 = H (a prisoner) · 7 = D (afraid) · 8 = G (a vampire)

Now talk — out loud

Before we read:
  • Which words are about war? Which word is from a scary story?
  • Use three of the words to guess: what do you think happens in this story?

The story, in three parts

Read each part. Then try the questions from memory, and talk about the last one.

Part 1 — A prince and a prisoner

His name was Vlad. He was born about 1431, and he was a prince. His country was called Wallachia. It was a small country. Today it is part of Romania.

His father was in a special group of knights called the Order of the Dragon. In the old language, "dragon" was Dracul. So people called Vlad "Dracula" — it meant "son of the dragon". There was no vampire in the name. That came much later.

Wallachia was in a hard place. Next to it there was a very big and strong empire — the Ottoman Empire. When Vlad was a boy, his family sent him and his brother to the Ottoman court. They were prisoners there. They lived far from home for years. When Vlad's father died, Vlad wanted to go home and be the prince of his country.

Quick check — answer from memory, then reveal:

1. Where did the name "Dracula" come from? What did it mean?

2. Where did Vlad live when he was a boy, and why?

1. From his father's group, the Order of the Dragon. Dracul meant "dragon", so Dracula meant "son of the dragon". It was not about vampires.

2. He lived at the Ottoman court as a prisoner. His family sent him there when he was a boy.

Talk about it:
  • Vlad lived far from home as a prisoner when he was young. How do you think this changed him?

Part 2 — The prince who fought an empire

Vlad became the prince of Wallachia. The Ottoman Empire was very big and strong. The Sultan, Mehmed II, wanted money from Vlad every year. But Vlad said no. This made the Sultan very angry.

In 1462, the Sultan came with a huge army. Vlad had a small army. He could not win a normal battle. So he used clever and hard ideas. He burned his own villages and fields, so the enemy army had no food. His soldiers attacked at night and then ran away. And Vlad made himself very frightening. People were afraid of him, and he used their fear like a weapon.

Vlad was cruel to his enemies. He punished them without mercy, and stories about this spread all over Europe. People called him Vlad the Impaler. Many of the stories were very dark, and some were probably not true — his enemies told them to make him look bad. But one thing is clear: people were very, very afraid of him. And for a short time, that fear kept his small country safe.

Quick check — answer from memory, then reveal:

1. Why was the Sultan angry with Vlad?

2. How did Vlad fight the huge Ottoman army?

1. The Sultan wanted money every year, but Vlad said no. This made the Sultan angry.

2. He had a small army, so he burned his own villages and fields (no food for the enemy), attacked at night, and made everyone very afraid of him.

Talk about it:
  • Vlad used fear to protect his country. Do you think fear is a good way to be safe? Why, or why not?

Part 3 — From a real prince to Dracula

Vlad did not stay safe for long. Other people turned against him. He was a prisoner again for some years. Then he was the prince one more time, but not for long. He died in a battle in about 1476.

In Romania today, people do not agree about Vlad. Some say he was a hero, because he fought a very big empire and protected his people. Other people say he was a cruel man. Both stories are still alive after more than 500 years.

Then, in 1897, an Irish writer called Bram Stoker wrote a famous book. It was about a vampire — a monster who drinks blood — in Transylvania. Stoker used the name "Dracula" for his monster. But his Dracula was not the real prince. It was a new story from the writer's mind. Now the world knows the vampire Dracula very well, but not many people know the real Prince Vlad. To understand the real story, we have to keep the two apart: the real prince, and the vampire in the book.

Quick check — answer from memory, then reveal:

1. Why do people in Romania not agree about Vlad?

2. What did Bram Stoker take from Vlad, and what did he make up?

1. Some people say he was a hero who fought a big empire and protected his people. Others say he was cruel. Both ideas are still here after 500 years.

2. Stoker took the name "Dracula". But the vampire who drinks blood was a new story from his mind, not the real prince.

Talk about it:
  • Many people know the vampire Dracula, but not the real prince. Why do you think the story is more famous than the real man?

Grammar: Past Simple & used to

This is a story about the past. We use the past simple to say what happened. We use used to to talk about things that were true for a long time in the past, but are not true now.

Past simple = one action or fact in the past.
• Regular verbs add -ed: want → wanted, live → lived, burn → burned.
• Many common verbs are irregular: be → was/were, have → had, go → went, fight → fought, say → said, die → died.
used to + verb = something was true for a long time in the past, but it is different now.
• "Vlad used to live at the Ottoman court." (before — not now)
• "People used to be afraid of him." (in the past)
Note: after used to, we use the base verb (live, be, fight) — not the past form.
Feel the difference:
• Past simple = one time or a simple fact: "He fought the Sultan in 1462."
• used to = a long habit or state in the past that is over now: "He used to be a prisoner."

1. Write the past simple

Put the verb in brackets into the past simple.

1. Vlad (be) a prince of a small country.

2. The Sultan (want) money every year.

3. Vlad (say) no to the Sultan.

4. Vlad (fight) the huge army with clever ideas.

1. was (be → was)

2. wanted (regular: want + -ed)

3. said (say → said, irregular)

4. fought (fight → fought, irregular)

2. used to

Complete each sentence with used to and the verb in brackets. Then read it out loud.

1. When he was a boy, Vlad (live) at the Ottoman court.

2. People all over Europe (be) afraid of him.

3. The two young brothers (be) prisoners far from home.

1. used to live (used to + base verb)

2. used to be (used to + be)

3. used to be (used to + be)

3. Tell a short part of the story

Fill each gap with the past simple, or with used to + verb. Read it aloud when you finish.

Vlad (be) a prince of Wallachia. When he was young, he (live) far away as a prisoner. Later, the Sultan (come) with a huge army, but Vlad (fight) back in clever ways. People (be) very afraid of him.

was (past simple) · used to live (long past state) · came (past simple) · fought (past simple) · used to be (long past state)

Use the past simple for what happened, and used to for something that was true for a long time before.

Listen

There is a real podcast about Vlad the Impaler. It is for native speakers, so it is fast and quite difficult — that is normal! You do not need to understand every word.

🎧 Heard it already? Good — use this lesson as your recap, and listen for new details next time. Haven't? No problem — you now know the story and the key words, and that makes a fast podcast much easier to follow. The podcast is optional; this lesson works on its own.

Short History Of… Vlad The Impaler

From the Noiser podcast network. About 50 minutes. It plays on the Noiser site, or search "Short History Of Vlad The Impaler" on Spotify.

Play on Noiser →
While you listen:
  • Write down three words you hear and know from today's lesson (prince, army, enemy, battle, prisoner, afraid…).
  • Can you hear the names Vlad, Dracula and Mehmed?
  • Find one new thing the podcast says, and tell me about it next time — even just one sentence.

Speak

Do all three tasks out loud. Use the timer to keep talking.

Useful language: use the past simple for what happened ("Vlad fought the army", "the Sultan wanted money"), and used to for a long time in the past ("he used to live at the Ottoman court", "people used to be afraid of him"). To give an opinion: "I think…", "In my opinion…", "For me, the reason is…".
Time remaining: 3:00
Task A · Tell the story (3 minutes)

Tell the story of Vlad the Impaler in your own words. Use these steps to help you: a prince of a small country → a prisoner far from home when he was young → the fight against the huge Ottoman army → very famous and very frightening → later, his name became "Dracula" in a book.

Try to use the past simple and used to, and some of the key words (prince, country, enemy, battle, cruel, prisoner, afraid, vampire).

Task B · Hero or bad man? (3 minutes)

Some people say Vlad was a hero, because he protected his small country from a huge empire. Other people say he was cruel. What do you think? Can a person be both? Say why.

Task C · A story from the past (3 minutes)

Tell a story about the past. Use the past simple and used to.

Not sure what to talk about? Choose one:

  • A place where you used to live, or a school you used to go to.
  • A leader or a hero from the history of your country.
  • A famous monster or a scary story from your country.
  • A film or book about a vampire or a monster that you like.
  • A time when you were afraid, but everything was fine in the end.
  • Something you used to do when you were a child, but you do not do now.

To finish

  1. Vlad fought a very big empire with a very small army. Do you think he was brave, or was it a bad idea? Why?
  2. The vampire Dracula is more famous than the real Prince Vlad. Is this fair? Why, or why not?
  3. From memory: say one sentence in the past simple, and one sentence with used to. Why is each one right?