Ever heard the legendary story about the bloody serial killer countess of Hungary named Elizabeth Bathory?
In the 16th century, a noblewoman named Elizabeth Bathory was notorious for murder and torture throughout Central Europe. She was known in speculation and myths as the “Blood Countess”, as she was said to be the most high-profile female murderer to date.
Elizabeth Bathory: History of The Blood Countess
Elizabeth Bathory is allegedly murdering and torturing more than 650 young women in the 16th and 17th centuries.
Even historical documents would seem to support the accusations against Elizabeth Bathory – a powerful woman who might have been the target of the politically motivated insult that allowed her relatives to appropriate her lands.
But is Elizabeth Bathory’s story really as evil as history describes her?
In this video, let us go back in time and learn more about the other side of the story of the woman known to history as Countess Elizabeth Bathory de Ecsed, the Blood Countess.
Who was Elizabeth Bathory? – Her Early Life
Elizabeth Bathory was born on the 7th of August in 1560 at their family estate in Nyirbator – east of the Kingdom of Hungary, about 146 miles from Budapest.
The Bathorys are known to be born into a Protestant family in Hungary. They are the family who was in control of Transylvania, and Stephen Bathory, Elizabeth’s uncle, was the king of Poland back then.
Elizabeth was raised at their castle in Ecsed, Hungary. She was married to Count Ferencz Nadasdy in 1575. Her husband was also a part of another aristocratic family in Hungary and later moved to Castle C. They were married for about 29 years, lived in castles owned by Nádasdys, and had four children.
Elizabeth’s father was Baron VI Bathory of Ecsed, and her mother was Baroness Anna Bathory of the Somlyo family. Her parents were related by blood, and their family had a very long history, which dates back to 1310 – when the name Bathory was known to many as a “good hero”. This must be very ironic to be given to Elizabeth as everyone remembers her.
Related Posts
- The Appalling Papin Sisters True Crime
- Scariest African Tribes You Don’t Want to Meet
- Chernobyl Explosion: How It Changes the History of Soviet Union
When Did Her Cruelty Start to Surface?
It was in 1604, after the death of Nadasdy when rumors about Elizabeth Bathory’s cruelty started. Elizabeth Bathory, known as a powerful woman, made everything in her control of the holdings of Nádasdy after his death.
Though there may be preceding accounts of murdering peasant women, which had been disregarded, the claims in 1609 about her slaying women from honorable families seem to get the attention of many.
Count Palatine, György Thurzó, Elizabeth’s cousin, was even ordered by the king of Hungary, Matthias to dig deeper into the investigations. After taking information from people nearby her surrounding estate, her cousin discovered that Elizabeth Bathory tortured and slayed about 600-650 girls! What’s worse is that Elizabeth’s servants were also behind the killings.
In December of 1609, Elizabeth Bathory and her servants were arrested. Her servants were also put on trial, and three of them were executed. And while information about her trial maintained the allegations against her, researchers remained questioning the truth.
The family even canceled that Matthias owed a large debt to Bathory in exchange for allowing them to manage her detention. It was even suggested that the acts made to her were motivated by politics to permit relatives to her lands.
Elizabeth Bathory and Her Vampiric Tendencies
There were hearsays of the belief of Elizabeth that bathing in these girls’ vaginal blood would preserve their youthfulness and beauty. But instead, it gave her to be living in long shame.
She was even rumored that she had vampiric tendencies, as she enjoyed drinking the blood of virgins. Because of her alleged sadism, she inspired plays, television shows, films, operas, and even video games.
It was, in fact, an ugly tale that is stained by blood and even haunted by torture, knowing Elizabeth Bathory. According to some sources, Elizabeth Bathory was sensationalized by sex, making her either a killer maniac or even considered a pawn by her family and enemies, eager to seize her holdings.
This long-standing story is still being questioned by historians and researchers who believe that crimes committed by Elizabeth were exaggerated and unreliable.
However, people intrigued by Elizabeth Bathory’s gruesome legend remained to follow her story across Slovakia, Hungary, and Austria. They believed that stories originated from prevalent disbelief, that it was part of a conspiracy against her. They believed that women like Elizabeth Bathory were not capable of such violence.
Isolation of Elizabeth Bathory
As a member of an aristocratic family, Elizabeth was never put on trial. She was isolated instead, or perhaps, walled up in the Castle Čachtice. She remained there until she died in 1614. She was buried in the crypt on her estate and later moved afterward.
And since she was not convicted of a crime, her holdings were passed to her other family members instead of having everything seized.
Is Elizabeth Guilty or Innocent?
There were flaws in the evidence against Elizabeth Bathory. Out of about 300 witnesses, almost 250 offered only hearsay or no authentic information.
The testimony that Elizabeth Bathory had listed about 650 victims was a secondhand accounting of what court officials discovered. Unfortunately, the official who supposedly saw the information never testified.
Most of the witnesses against Bathory were all indebted to Thurzo, who saw the entire investigation. The thing about Bathory’s servants being tortured makes all of their confessions unreliable.
However, it is unlikely Elizabeth Bathory was innocent. The priest wrote a letter discussing the too much cruelty done by Elizabeth Bathory and her husband toward the servants.
The testimonies against her may be true regarding how harshly she acted with the low classes. The acts were not illegal before, but Elizabeth Bathory was punished because the victims included noblewomen. After all, it still made Elizabeth Bathory responsible for the lives ruined.
Related Posts
Wrapping Up
On one hand, it’s possible that Elizabeth Bathory was framed. It’s possible because none of the testimonies came from the witnesses. On the other hand, it could be possible that she did things she was accused of doing.
Well, let’s just leave it here and let bygones be bygones. After all, it’s impossible to be confident in proclaiming the innocence or guilt of Elizabeth Bathory. Unless further evidence emerges, she is forever known as the Blood Countess and among the most brutal serial killers of all time.
Discussion about this post