He took the throne from Mircea III Dracul on 8 April 1510 with the help of the Ottomans and with the support of the Craiovești family.
On 17 August 1511, Vlad signed the treaty with the King of Hungary, in which he swore allegiance to the crown.
At the time, the head of the Divan was Bogdan, and not the Craiovești family, which although it caused anger to the boyars, still remained faithful to the Prince.
The Craiovești proved their faithfulness on 28 November when, they helped repel Mircea, son of Mihnea take over the throne using the Magyar army at Gherghița.
Moreover, Vlad suspected Neagoe, the son of Parvu Craiovescu, of wanting to become the Prince of Wallachia.