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LiveScience
LiveScience
Jennifer Nalewicki

Vlad the Impaler may have cried tears of blood, chemical analysis of his letters finds

Two letters written by Vlad the Impaler

Vlad the Impaler, also known as Count Vlad Drăculea, was not only a blood-thirsty and ruthless leader, but he also suffered from a rare condition that caused him to cry tears of blood, a new study suggests.

Scientists made the discovery after conducting a chemical analysis of a trio of letters written by Vlad III during his three separate reigns as voivode (military leader) of Wallachia, a historical region of Romania, from A.D. 1448 until his death in A.D. 1476, according to a study published Tuesday (Aug. 8) in the journal Analytical Chemistry.

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