Radu cel Frumos or Radu the Handsome

“Rumor had it that Dracula’s younger brother, Radu the Handsome, owing to his lengthy sojourn in the Turkish capital, also wanted to be close to Constantinople, as he was not immune to the pleasures of the sultan’s harem. Gossip accused him, largely because of his good looks, of being one of the minions in the male harem of Mehmed, heir to the Ottoman throne, thus requiring him to be constantly at his master’s disposal.” (from the book In Search of Dracula, page 19-20).

Radu the Handsome was one of the Wallachian contenders who was installed by the Ottoman Turks after Vlad Dracula (Radu's older brother) fled his capital to his mountain castle. Unfortunately, there are not many reliable sources regarding Radu the Handsome apart from a snippet of rumours that he was Mehmed II's lover. Radu is definitely an interesting historical figure and I tried to depict him wearing a mix of embroidered shirt (cămaşa) and fur-lined Ottoman kaftan since he seems to favour the Ottoman Empire a lot. It was said that Radu even participated in the siege of Constantinople to assist Mehmed II in his quest to capture the last Byzantine capital.