Count Vlad Țepeș Dracula (ドラキュラ・ヴラド・ツェペシュ Dorakyura Vurado Tsepeshu?), formerly known as Mathias Cronqvist (マティアス・クロンクビスト Matiasu Kuronkubisuto?), is the primary antagonist of the Castlevania series, as well as the final boss of most of the games. He is loosely based on the eponymous character from Bram Stoker's 1897 novel, Dracula, as well as the historical figure, Vlad Drăculea. Originally a human called Mathias Cronqvist, Dracula fell into madness after the death of his first wife and became an immortal vampire thanks to the powers of the Crimson Stone. With his dark powers, he built an army of creatures and his fortress, Castlevania. Since the 11th Century, the Belmont Clan stood in opposition to Dracula and legendary warriors confronted him each time he came back from the dead. He was eventually definitively destroyed in 1999 by the last descendant of the Belmonts. Dracula serves as the final boss in almost all of the games, except the first and the last two games in the timeline's chronology (Lament of Innocence, Aria of Sorrow and Dawn of Sorrow) and a game where the final boss wears his likeness (Harmony of Dissonance).