His reign was extremely short, as during that period only the strongest could retain their hold on the region for any great length of time.
During that time, the power of the Ottoman Empire became stronger with each year, making them a constant threat to independent Wallachia.
In 1442, Hungarian hero John Hunyadi defeated the Ottomans in battle, and placed Basarab II in power, forcing Vlad Dracul and his family to flee.
However, the following year Vlad Dracul regained the throne with Ottoman support, based on a new treaty that had the conditions that he make the usual annual tribute, in addition to sending Wallachian boys each year to be trained for service in the Ottoman army.
To further show his loyalty, he sent to the Sultan two of his sons, Vlad Țepeș and Radu cel Frumos, as hostages.