Who is Who and What is What
A difficulty arising for readers of historical fiction is remembering the names of characters and places. This stems from unfamiliarity with foreign names, and from the reoccurrence of names with variations in spelling. The Dracula Chronicles has sought to alleviate this burden for its readers by making appropriate name substitutions.
In cases where the name of a historical character has been altered or replaced, the original name is provided for reference.
Names and places in bold font have a particular significance in the story.
Birth dates provided only for characters who play a more-than-casual role.
Death dates withheld and marked with *** in cases that could constitute plot spoilers.
A pronunciation key in [...] is provided for selected characters and places; the syllable stress is indicated by a diacritical mark and/or special underlining.
Aaron: Michael Novak’s valet
Adela’s Twins: Site northeast of Bucur’s Crossing; place where Akinci raiders were spotted by the Monk Arcadicus; see the Glossary for the term Akinci
Alba Clan: Wealthy family of Wallachian boyars; see the Houses of Dracula Chronicles
Alba, Dan (b. 1401 – ***): Head of the Alba Clan in the time of Dracula; treasurer at the court of King Dracul; see the Houses of Dracula Chronicles
Alba, Esmeralda (b. 1427 – ***): Daughter of Dan and Helena Alba; see the Houses of Dracula Chronicles
Alba, Ghenadios (b. 1300 – d. 1365): Founder of the Alba Clan; treasurer at the court of King Alexander Basarab; see the Houses of Dracula Chronicles
Alba, Helena (b. 1403 – ***): Wife of Dan Alba; mother of Esmeralda; see the Houses of Dracula Chronicles
Alba, Julius (b. 1420 – ***): Son of Peter Alba; see the Houses of Dracula Chronicles
Alba, Lucas (b. 1332 – d. 1375): Son of Ghenadios Alba; see the Houses of Dracula Chronicles
Alba, Martin (b. 1330 – d. 1395): Son of Ghenadios Alba; see the Houses of Dracula Chronicles
Alba, Peter (b. 1403 – ***): Brother of Dan Alba; father of Julius Alba; see the Houses of Dracula Chronicles
Alcibiades: Prominent Athenian statesman, orator, and general
Alexander Basarab: king of Wallachia; founder of the House of Basarab; see the Houses of Dracula Chronicles
Alexander: Alexander of Macedon; a.k.a. Alexander the Great; king of Macedonia
Amasya: Ottoman town in northeastern Anatolia
Anatolia: The Asia Minor zone of the Ottoman Empire; region corresponding roughly to the Asia Minor part of modern Turkey; see the Maps of Dracula Chronicles
Arcadicus: Monk who spotted the Akinci raiders at Adela’s Twins
Argesh Court: Wallachian town on the Argesh River; royal seat until the time of King Justus
Argesh River: River in Wallachia, west of Targoviste; originating in the southern flank of the Carpathian Mountains; tributary of the Danube River; see the Maps of Dracula Chronicles
Athos: a.k.a. Holy Mount Athos; peninsula in northern Greece; host to a large number of Orthodox monasteries; see the Maps of Dracula Chronicles
Baba [báh-bah]: see Novak, Baba
Baragan [burr-a-góhn] Plain: Vast field stretching east and west in the space between the Devil’s Belt forest and the Danube River; see the Maps of Dracula Chronicles
Bektashi Dervish Order: An Islamic Sufi order founded Bektash Veli; see the Glossary for the term dervish
Bey of Nicopolis: Ottoman Governor of Nicopolis; see the Glossary for the term “bey”
Beyazid (1354 – 1403): Ottoman sultan; nicknamed Yıldırım, “the Thunderbolt”
Black Sea: Body of water situated southeast of Wallachia; see the Maps of Dracula Chronicles
Bosphorus: Also spelled “Bosporus”; narrow waterway draining the Black Sea into the Sea of Marmara; it separates Europe from Asia Minor; see the Maps of Dracula Chronicles
Bran Castle [brohn]: Castle situated in the Bran Pass; border checkpoint between Wallachia and Transylvania; see the Maps of Dracula Chronicles
Bran Pass [brohn]: Pass in the Carpathian Mountains connecting Wallachia and Transylvania; see the Maps of Dracula Chronicles
Brankovich, George (b. 1377 – ***): Original name Đurađ Branković; king of Serbia; see the Houses of Dracula Chronicles
Bucur’s [boo-kuhr’s] Crossing: Hamlet on the Baragan Plain, southeast of Targoviste; located at the crossroads of commercial roads; today’s Bucharest; see the Maps of Dracula Chronicles
Buda: Fortress town situated on the Danube River; capital of the Kingdom of Hungary
Büyük: Ottoman prisoner in Eisenmarkt; see the Glossary for the meaning of the name in Turkish
Caesar: Roman general and statesman
Caffa: Genovese commercial outpost on the Crimean Peninsula
Cardinal Cesarini (b. 1398 – ***): Full name Julian Cesarini the Elder; papal legate to the Kingdom of Hungary
Carpathian Mountains: A range of mountains forming an arc across Central and Eastern Europe; the second-longest mountain range in Europe
Chancellor Novak: Founder of the Novak Clan; chancellor at the court of King Alexander Basarab
Christina: A shepherd’s wife; lives with her child in the Devil’s Belt Forest
Constantinople: Capital of Byzantium; capital of the Eastern Roman Empire; capital of the Latin Empire; seat of the Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch
Cozia [kóh-z-ya]: Monastery and nunnery on the Olt River; place of burial for King Justus, Dracula’s grandfather
Dalmatia: A historical region of Croatia; situated on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea
Damyan: Christian Bulgarian barge master on the Danube
Dan: See Alba, Dan
Danube: Europe’s second-longest river; it originates in the Black Forest, Germany, and drains into the Black Sea through a delta; see the Maps of Dracula Chronicles
Dar al-Harb: See the Glossary
Dar al-Islam: See the Glossary
Dardanelles: Narrow waterway draining the Sea of Marmara into the Aegean Sea; it separates Europe from Asia Minor; see the Maps of Dracula Chronicles
Darius: king of Persia as Darius III
Devil’s Belt: Vast forest in Wallachia, extending east and west in the space between the Baragan Plain and the southern Carpathian Mountains; see the Maps of Dracula Chronicles
Dracul [dráh-kool] (b. 1398 – ***): Original name Vlad; king of Wallachia as Vlad II; Dracula’s father; see the Glossary for the meaning of the name
Dracula [drah-kool-ah] (b. 1428 – ***): Son of Dracul; see the Glossary for the meaning of the name
Edirne: Formerly Adrianople; capital of the Ottoman Empire in the time of Dracula; see the Maps of Dracula Chronicles
Eisenmarkt: “Hunedoara” in Romanian; fortress town in Transylvania; seat of the Hunyadi Clan; see the Maps of Dracula Chronicles
Elizabeth (b. 1403 – ***): Only child of Emperor Sigismund; widow of Albert II, king of Hungary; regent of Hungary on behalf of her infant son Roland; see the Houses of Dracula Chronicles
Elsa: Wife of Thomas Siegel; mother of Katharina
Emperor Frederick: See Frederick
Enea Silvio Piccolomini (b. 1405 – ***): Poet Laureate at the Vienna court of Emperor Frederick III
Esmeralda: See Alba, Esmeralda
Florian: Royal Verderer; see the Glossary for the term verderer
Florica: Servant girl in Dan Alba’s Targoviste mansion
Frederick: King of the Germans; Holy Roman Emperor as Frederick III
Gaugamela: Site of a battle between Alexander the Great and Darius III
Gehenna: Word of Greek origin meaning Hell
Genoa: City-state in Liguria (Italy), on the Tyrrhenian Sea; maritime republic in the time of Dracula
Genovese: Citizens of Genoa
George: See Brankovich, George
Ghenadio
s: See Alba, Ghenadios
Gold Dust: King Dracul’s mare
Gruya [grew-ya]: see Novak, Gruya
Gunther (b. 1380 – ***): Page to a Bavarian knight; taken into slavery at the Battle of Nicopolis, 1396
Gypsy’s Twat: Location of a faux waterfall in the Devil’s Belt forest
Hannibal: Carthaginian general
Hassan Bey: See Hassan
Hassan Pasha: See Hassan
Hassan: Governor of Nicopolis; also addressed as Hassan Bey and Hassan Pasha; see the Glossary for the terms bey and pasha
Helena: See Alba, Helena
Hermannstadt: “Sibiu” in Romanian; fortress town in Transylvania; see the Maps of Dracula Chronicles
Hohenstaufen: House of Hohenstaufen, also known as the Swabian dynasty or the Staufer; dynasty of German monarchs in the High Middle ages; Dracula’s mother was the last descendant of this house
House of Basarab: Dynasty of Wallachian kings (voievodes); see the Houses of Dracula Chronicles
Hristo: Damyan’s grandson
Hungary: Danubian kingdom located on the Pannonian Plain; capital at Buda
Hunyadi [hoon-ya-deeh] Clan: Hungarian lower nobility family; see the Houses of Dracula Chronicles
Hunyadi [hoon-ya-deeh], Janko [yáhn- koh] (b. 1405 – ***): Governor of Transylvania; Captain General of the Kingdom of Hungary; see the Houses of Dracula Chronicles
Hunyadi [hoon-ya-deeh], László [Láhss-low] (b. 1428 – ***): Son of Janko Hunyadi; see the Houses of Dracula Chronicles
Ignatius: Wallachian boyar; member of King Dracul’s Royal Council; master of the horse
Ilaria: Marissa’s name as a nun
Ilie: One of King Alexander’s riders sent to fetch Theodore
Ioanides: Robber standing watch in the Devil’s Belt Forest
Jacob: King Dracul’s valet
Janko [yáhn- koh]: See Hunyadi, Janko
Joan of Arc: French seer; burned at the stake for heresy in 1431 at the age of 19
Job: Gatekeeper at Peter Alba’s mansion
Joseph: Mounted castle guard in the service of King Dracul
Josiah: Abbot at the Cozia monastery
Judas Iscariot: One the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ; known for his kiss and betrayal of Jesus
Julius: See Alba, Julius
Justus (b. 1353 – d. 1418): Original name Mircea [meer-cha]; King Mircea I, a.k.a. Mircea the Elder; King Dracul’s father; Dracula’s grandfather
Karaman: An Islamic province neighboring the Ottoman Empire on its southern Anatolian border; see the Maps of Dracula Chronicles
Katharina: Saxon girl from Kronstadt; daughter of Thomas and Elsa Siegel
Kilia [key-lee-yah]: Wallachian outpost near the Black Sea in the Danube Delta
King Alexander: See Alexander Basarab
King Justus: See Justus
King Zaal: Persian king; father to Rostam; character in Shahnameh; see the Glossary for Shahnameh
Klausenburg: “Cluj” in Romanian; fortress town in Transylvania; see the Maps of Dracula Chronicles
Kronstadt: “Brasov” in Romanian; fortress town in Transylvania; see the Maps of Dracula Chronicles
Lash (b. 1424 – ***): Dracula’s Gypsy manservant
László [láhss-low]: See Hunyadi, László
Leonidas: Spartan king; hero of the battle of Thermopylae
Longchamps: One of Michael Novak’s estates
Lorenzo: Abbot of the Targoviste Catholic monastery
Lucas: See Alba, Lucas
Macarios: Priest at the court of King Alexander; in charge of the inquiry into the claims of the seer Theodore
Marcus (b. 1426 – ***): Original name Mircea [meer-cha]; oldest son of King Dracul; Dracula’s older stepbrother.
Marissa (b. 1380 – ***): King Justus’ concubine; Dracula’s grandmother
Marmara: See Sea of Marmara
Martin: See Alba, Martin
Mathilda: See Novak, Mathilda
Mecca: Holiest city in Islam; located on the Arabian Peninsula
Medwesch: “Mediaş” in Romanian; fortress town in Transylvania
Mezid: Governor of the Ottoman fortress town of Vidin; see Vidin below
Michael: see Novak, Michael
Moldavia: Moldova in Romanian; See the World of Dracula Chronicles; see the Maps of Dracula Chronicles
Mühlbach: “Sebeş” in Romanian; fortress town in Transylvania
Mullah Sivasi: Omar’s childhood madrasah instructor; see the Glossary for the terms mullah and madrasah
Murad (b. 1404 – ***): Ottoman Sultan during Dracula’s teenage years; known as Murad II; see the Houses of Dracula Chronicles
Nestor (b. 1420 – ***): Original name Vladislav [Vláhd-y-slahv]; nicknamed “the Usurper”; Wallachian prince from the House of Basarab; second cousin to Dracula; see the Houses of Dracula Chronicles
Nicholas: Greek secretary to Hassan Bey
Nicopolis: Fortress town on the right bank of the Danube River; site of the last Crusade before Dracula’s time; see the Maps of Dracula Chronicles
Nikifor: Gatekeeper at the Targoviste monastery
Norbert (b. 1424 – ***): Original name Władysław; king of Poland from 1434; also king of Hungary from 1440
Novak Clan: Wallachian boyar house
Novak, Baba [báh-bah] (b. 1402 – ***): Wallachian boyar; sword-bearer to King Dracul; member of King Dracul’s Royal Council; member of King Dracul’s small council; son of Michael; father to Gruya
Novak, Gruya [grew-ya] (b. 1426 – ***): Dracula’s squire; Baba Novak’s son; Michael Novak’s grandson; see the Houses of Dracula Chronicles
Novak, Mathilda (b. 1382 – ***): Dracula’s governess; wife to Michael Novak; grandmother to Gruya
Novak, Michael (b. 1380 – ***): Wallachian boyar; chancellor at the court of King Dracul; member of King Dracul’s Royal Council; member of King Dracul’s small council; father to Baba Novak; grandfather to Gruya Novak; Dracula’s mentor; see the Houses of Dracula Chronicles
Nuremberg: Town in Bavaria; the unofficial capital of the Holy Roman Empire during Emperor Sigismund’s time
Olt River: River in Wallachia; it originates in Transylvania; tributary of the Danube River; see the Maps of Dracula Chronicles
Oma: German for “grandmother”; Dracula picked up the habit of using this term as a child in the Saxon town of his birth, Schassburg
Omar (b. 1407 – ***): Akinci raider; oldest brother of Redjaï, Sezaï, and Zekaï
Opa: German for “grandfather”; Dracula picked up the habit of using this term as a child in the Saxon town of his birth, Schassburg
Ottoman Empire: Turkish empire founded by Osman in early 14th century; began in Anatolia and spread to Europe, Middle East, and northern Africa; lasted until early 20th century; see the Houses of Dracula Chronicles
Pavel: Mounted castle guard in the service of King Dracul
Persia: Territory covering parts of today’s Iran, Afghanistan, and Iraq
Peter: See Alba, Peter
Petrica: Wallachian boy abducted by Akinci raiders
Philip: Secretary to Ghenadios Alba
Plutarch: Greek historian
Pope Eugene (b. 1383 – d. 1447): Eugene IV, pope during Dracula’s teenage years
Radu [ráh-do] (b. 1435 – ***): Third son of King Dracul; Dracula’s youngest stepbrother; see the Houses of Dracula Chronicles
Rakhsh: Rostam’s horse
Raluca: King Alexander’s daughter-in-law; mother to King Justus
Redjaï (b. 1413 – ***): Akinci raider; Omar’s brother
Roland (b. 1440 – ***): Original name Ladislaus; not mentioned by name in Book One, Son of the Dragon; son of King Albert II of Hungary; born after his father’s death, hence nicknamed “the Posthumous”; see the Houses of Dracula Chronicles
Rostam: Character in the Persian epic poem Shahnameh, the Book of Kings; national Persian hero; son of King Zaal
Roter Turm: German for “Red Tower”; “Turnu Roşu” in Rom
anian. Narrow mountain pass on the Olt River and border checkpoint between Wallachia and Transylvania; see the Maps of Dracula Chronicles
Rumelia: The European zone of the Ottoman Empire. Region corresponding to parts of current Bulgaria, Serbia, and Northern Greece; see the Maps of Dracula Chronicles
Sandomierz: County seat in Poland
Satan’s Wrath: Glade in the Devil’s Belt forest; site containing ruins resulting from an Akinci raid
Schassburg: “Sighişoara” in Romanian; fortress town in Transylvania; Dracula’s birthplace.
Sea of Marmara: Body of water between Anatolia and the southeastern shores of Europe; see the Maps of Dracula Chronicles
Selim bin Sedad: See Tirendaz
Sezaï (b. 1415 – ***): Akinci raider; Omar’s brother
Shaytan’s Belt: Name given by Muslim barge master to Devil’s Belt; see the Glossary for the meaning of Shaytan
Siena: Town in Tuscany
Sigismund (b. 1368 – 1437): Holy Roman Emperor and king of Hungary; see the Houses of Dracula Chronicles
Silk Road: Ancient commercial road with numerous branches; stretches from China to Asia Minor
Slatina: Locality in Wallachia known for salt mines
Stan: Wallachian boy abducted by Akinci raiders
Tabriz: Town in Persia
Targoviste [tahr-gó -veesh-teh]: The capital of Wallachia at the time of Dracula; see Maps of Dracula Chronicles
Temeschwar: “Timisoara” in Romanian
The Old Man of the Forest: See Theodore
Theodore (b. 1341 – ***): Seer who is the recipient of the prophecy foretelling the advent of the Son of the Dragon; nicknamed “the Old Man of the Forest”
Theophil: A novice at Cozia monastery
Thomas Siegel: Saxon from Kronstadt, Transylvania; alderman of the Weaver’s Guild; father to Katharina; Ottoman slave
Timur: Dracula’s horse
Tirendaz [tea-ren-dahz] (b. 1404 – ***): Nickname of Selim bin Sedad; advisor to Sultan Murad II; agha of the sultan’s bodyguard; see the Glossary for the meaning of the name and for the term agha
Todor: Wallachian boyar; member of King Dracul’s Royal Council
Transylvania: Region of the Kingdom of Hungary; See the World of Dracula Chronicles; see the Maps of Dracula Chronicles
Trebizond: Also known as “Trebizond Empire”; small Christian Orthodox remnant of the Byzantine Empire; situated on the southeastern shore of the Black Sea; see the Maps of Dracula Chronicles