Clip from https://youtube.com/live/z7xoWlPVBgY

A prince raised under a sultan’s roof becomes the terror of an empire—then centuries later, a novelist turns him into a vampire. We trace the razor’s edge between Vlad Tepes, the Wallachian defender who stalled the Ottomans after Constantinople fell, and Dracula, the propaganda-fueled myth that outlived its authors. Along the way, we unpack how Saxon pamphlets and Ottoman smears traveled through time to become Gothic canon, and why the real story—captivity, betrayal, night raids, and a grim strategy of deterrence—teaches more than a cape and a coffin ever could.

From there, we widen the lens: how legends shape faith, how faith steadies action, and why a culture that forgets its stories forgets its courage. We talk about saints’ tales that stretch belief, holy places with two explanations—one miraculous, one mundane—and the human desire to choose the narrative that moves the heart. Then we cross the mountains to Spain, where Pelagius held a final ridge at Covadonga, lighting the first spark of the Reconquista that burned for centuries. One remnant, one prayer in a cave, one refusal to surrender—proof that small stands can redirect history.

Expect a clear, candid look at how memory is made, how propaganda morphs into folklore, and what these histories demand from us now. If you’re drawn to medieval frontiers, Ottoman-Europe conflicts, the birth of Dracula, and the first steps of Reconquista, this conversation brings context and urgency in equal measure. Listen, share with a friend who loves real history over recycled myth, and leave a review to help others find the show.

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