Targoviste

Targoviste was an important Romanian city in Wallachia. Lisa Ţepeş was imprisoned there before her execution in 1475. The city was destroyed by Dracula in 1476, as a revenge for his wife's death.
==Historical background==
Târgoviște served as the capital of Wallachia from 1418 until 1659 (which includes the period depicted in the Castlevania animated series), when it was moved to Bucharest and served as the capital of the Principality of Wallachia until 1859, when it united with Moldavia to create the United Principalities of Romania. Romania then became a unified, independent kingdom in 1881, and Bucharest has remained the capital of Romania ever since.
==History==
In 1475, Lisa Ţepeş was arrested in the neighboring village of Lupu under false accusations of practicing witchcraft and brought to the city of Targoviste, where she was briefly incarcerated. Not really having any kind of trial, she was quickly sentenced to die burned at the stake at the city square.
That same day, Vlad Ţepeş, Lisa's husband, was returning from a long journey, only to find his house in Lupu burned down. A local informed him about what had transpired in his absence and Vlad, a powerful vampire, made haste in returning to his castle in Transylvania, where he made use of the magical devices there to communicate with his wife's executors. A fiery visage of him then appeared in front of the people that was congregated at the city square, while the remains of his former wife were still burning, and confronted them. He warned them to leave the city as he would destroy it after one year had passed. Nevertheless, the Targoviste clergy dismissed this threat just as an apparition and most of the people stayed in the city and returned to their normal lives.
One year later, in 1476, a festivity was taking place at the city square. While the Archbishop of Targoviste was addressing the crowd gathered there, the sky suddenly started to darken and blood then began raining down all over the city, along with some demonic fetuses that started dropping from the sky as well. Not long after this, Dracula's castle emerged in the middle of the city. All the windows of the building then opened, releasing a myriad of demons that slaughtered a great number of the city's population, regardless if they were men, women or children.
The city was devastated by this attack and it remained under the control of vampires and other night creatures from that day onward, while the remaining human citizens sought shelter by staying inside secure buildings and other hiding places.
The old Royal Family of Targoviste initially survived this raid and they were brought to an underground catacomb for their safety; however, they didn't survive for long and perished shortly after. The Royal Guard, leaded by the former court guard Zamfir, remained to defend the vestiges of the family, as well as to attempt to fight back this menace.
Trevor Belmont, last surviving member of the ancestral Belmont Family of monster hunters, and Sypha Belnades, a powerful Speaker, at one point arrived to the still devastated city of Targoviste and, after an initial rough start, they ultimately decided to join forces with Zamfir and help the remaining Royal Guard and the surviving citizens.
Using a tracking device they managed to attach to Zamfir during their last encounter, the vampire army, leaded by the powerful vampires Ratko and Varney, finally discovered the location of the underground shelter where the remainder of the Royal Guard were hiding and raided the place, slaughtering most of the population gathered there. Trevor, Sypha and Zamfir's forces barely managed to fight back the monsters. Finally realizing that her true purpose as a warrior was to protect the citizens, Zamfir carried on one final heroic act where she sacrificed herself and died.
Varney ultimately managed to find what they were looking for: a transmission mirror that was in possession of the Royal Family, and used it to escape, although not without being followed by Trevor and Sypha.
==Known inhabitants==
*Archbishop †
*Bishop (formerly) †
*Mayor †
*Ratko †
*Royal Family †
*Varney †
*Zamfir †
==Appearances==
	
==Quotes==
;About Targoviste
:– Zamfir: We are taking back control of our country.
:– Trevor: Targoviste isn't a country.
:– Zamfir: It's the beating heart of the country.
:– Trevor: Not even a city.
:– Zamfir: It's the greatest city in the world.
:— "("The Great Work")
==Gallery==
===Screenshots===
S01E01 Witchbottle Targoviste 1475 (2).jpg
S01E01 Witchbottle Targoviste Square 1475.jpg
S01E01 Witchbottle Targoviste town gathered at Square.jpg
S01E01 Witchbottle Targoviste Square building.jpg
Danny-moll-csc101-249-0112-r1.png|Dracula's Castle appearance.
Targoviste in S4.png|Targoviste in Season 4 trailer.
Targoviste Inner Courtyard and the Dais where Lisa was burned at the stake.png|The inner courtyard and the dais where Lisa was burned at the stake in Season 4 trailer.
===Artworks===
Castlevania Season 1 Background- Targoviste.png
S01E01 Witchbottle Targoviste.jpg
Castlevania Season 1 Background- The Festival in Targoviste.png|The festival after one year of Lisa's execution.
Castlevania Season 1 - Targoviste Key BGs 2.jpg|Dracula's flaming head appears in Targoviste by Danny Moll.
Castlevania Season 1 Visdev of Targoviste Cathedral by Justin Kauffman.jpg|Targoviste cathedral by Robby Johnson.
Castlevania Season 1 Visdev of Targoviste Inner Courtyard (Where Lisa is burned at the stake) by Justin Kauffman.jpg|The cathedral inner courtyard by Justin Kauffman and Robby Johnson.
Castlevania Season 1 Visdev of the Dais where Lisa was burned at the stake by Justin Kauffman.jpg|The dais where Lisa was executed at the stake by Justin Kauffman.
Castlevania Season 4 Background- Targoviste (Sky View).jpg|Targoviste sky view by Bo Li.
Castlevania Season 4 Background- Targoviste Inner Courtyard (Lisa's Stake).jpg|Targoviste's inner courtyard (where Lisa was executed) in ruins by Stephen Stark.
Castlevania Season 4 Background- Targoviste.jpg|Targoviste by Stephen Stark.
Castlevania Season 4 Background- The Underground Court of Targoviste.jpg|The underground court of Targoviste by Tucker Roche.
===Concept art===
Targoviste Underground Guard Model 1.jpg|Targoviste royal guards model 1.
Targovsite Underground Guard Model 2.jpg|Targoviste royal guards model 2.
Targovsite Underground Guard Model 3.jpg|Targoviste royal guards model 3.
Targoviste Kids Model.jpg|Targoviste kids model.
Targoviste People Model 1.jpg|Targoviste survivor model 1.
Targoviste People Model 2.jpg|Targoviste survivor model 2.
==Trivia==
*The name "Targoviste" comes from a Bulgarian word meaning "marketplace".
==External links==
*Târgoviște at Wikipedia
Category:Cities
Category:Castlevania (Animated Series) Locations
es:Târgoviște