Elizabeth Báthory: Who Is She?
Elizabeth Bathory was a stunning European countess who reveled in torturing and murdering young ladies. It is estimated that she murdered approximately 650 young women. Báthory exemplifies the worst of what a vicious, affluent, and powerful woman can achieve. She is considered to be one of the first serial killers in recorded history. Her deeds have become legendary in folklore, with many attributing them to her status as a vampire or witch.
Over the decades, Elizabeth Báthory has been the subject of various stories and legends, including one that claimed she bathed in the blood of virgins to stay youthful and beautiful.
She is also known as Countess Dracula and The Blood Countess.
Baron George VI and Baroness Anna Báthory were her parents.
Theirs was one of the most powerful and affluent families in Transylvania, which is now part of Romania.
Stephen Báthory, who went on to become King of Poland, was her uncle.
Many parts of her life are still debated by researchers and historians, including why she was dubbed the “Blood Countess.”
According to a 2018 study, she was suffering from epileptic seizures, extreme mood swings, and excruciating headaches.
Her poor health could be explained by the fact that her parents are first cousins.
Elizabeth’s relatives would draw blood from the servants and apply it to her for treatment.
Few believe it is the reason she was captivated with the blood.
When Elizabeth was a child, she saw maids brutally punished for the smallest error.
Unfortunately, that was a common practice.
She witnessed so many horrible events as a child that she found it hilarious.
Ferenc Nádasdy’s Influence on Elizabeth Báthory
She married Ferenc Nadasy, who was 20 at the time when she was 15.
Ferenc was a nobleman and soldier from Hungary.
He belonged to the Order of the Dragon, an exclusive order of noblemen sworn to defend Christianity against the Ottoman Empire.
Ferenc was also known for his unrelenting ruthlessness, which made his opponents shiver.
Elizabeth moved home with her husband at his parents’ palace after their marriage.
He gave her a castle called Castle Cachtice in the Little Carpathians of modern-day Slovakia as a wedding gift.
It will eventually become Hungary’s most desolate gothic castle.
Furthermore, historians allege that he trained Bathory in the art of torture.
He even restrained a honey-lathered and insect-ravaged damsel.
Ferenc also gave her claw-spiked gloves to punish servants for their errors.
As the Hungarian Empire was at war with the Ottoman Empire,
He was frequently absent from the battlefields, leaving his wife to run their estates and supervise their serfs.
Historians charge Elizabeth with having an affair with various men, including her brother, while he was away.
In addition, historians disagree on whether she was a lesbian.
Her aunt Clara, the bisexual wife of Stephen Báthory, led her to orgies and a dark group of sorcerers, witches, and alchemists.
Ferenc died in 1604, as a result of a wound inflicted by a prostitute when he refused to pay for her services.
It eventually led to illnesses, and he died two years later.
Anna Darvolya is the next prominent name.
Anna was a Croatian woman who worked as a servant in Bathory’s castle beginning in 1601.
She was said to be a witch who influenced Elizabeth to become more vicious.
Darvolya effectively turned her into a serial killer.
The Cachtice Castle, where she lived after her husband died, was turned into a playground.
Anna died of a stroke in 1609.
Elizabeth Báthory is being investigated
Following several protests and pressure from the Noble family,
King Matthias II decided to look into the problem. Some historians believe the King had further motivations.
He owed the Bathorys a large sum of money, and this appeared like an ideal opportunity.
If she is found guilty, the whole family fortune will be transferred to the reigning monarchs.
He charged Count Gurgyo Thurzo with looking into the deaths and disappearances of these noblewomen.
Two court employees claimed to have seen the countess torture and murder young servant girls.
She also bit off bits of flesh from her victims.
Because of her family’s influence, only her accomplices were tried.
Also read:
Punishment and Trial
Elizabeth Báthory’s trial lasted five days, commencing on January 2, 1611, in Byte.
Janos Ujvary, also known as Ficzko, was one of them.
He acknowledged to knowing 37 of the murdered girls and taking part in the torture;
his major task was to dispose of the dead and attract fresh victims into the castle.
Illona Jo, a Bathory children’s nursemaid, was found guilty of enticing, torturing, and killing females.
She would also assist in the concealment and burial of the dead.
Dorottya Szentes, who had only worked for the Countess for five years, testified about 36 victims.
She admitted to enticing, torturing, killing, and burying the maids.
She was shut up in her bedchamber for three years, getting food through a narrow entrance and air through thin apertures.
A guard discovered her body on the floor in August 1614.
