Who was Vlad the Impaler's younger brother, known as the Handsome?

Vlad the Impaler’s younger brother known as the Handsome was Radu the Handsome.

Radu III of Wallachia was the younger son of Vlad II Dracul and the brother of Vlad III, better known as Vlad the Impaler. His Romanian byname, Radu cel Frumos, is commonly rendered in English as Radu the Handsome, Radu the Fair, or Radu the Beautiful.

The brothers’ careers diverged sharply. Both were sent to the Ottoman court as hostages during their youth, but Radu adapted to Ottoman political life and became closely associated with Sultan Mehmed II. In 1462, Ottoman support helped Radu challenge Vlad for control of Wallachia.

Radu ruled Wallachia several times during the 1460s and 1470s, while his brother became famous for resisting Ottoman expansion and for the cruelty associated with his later legend. Radu’s sobriquet is therefore historical, not a nickname from Bram Stoker’s Dracula. He died in January 1475, decades before the modern vampire myth took shape.