![]() In addition to shifting blame to their mistress and each other, they also implicated a deceased servant, Darvulia, who'd served as a maid and governess. These servants denied their culpability in the murders but admitted to burying multiple victims, though the number in their accounts varied between 36 and 51. Their court proceedings began early in January 1611. He reportedly surprised Bathory in the middle of tormenting a victim and in response immediately imprisoned her in her home (her high status meant she would not be jailed as a common criminal).įour of Bathory's servants - three females and one male - were then arrested, questioned, and subjected to torture. On December 29, 1610, Count György Thurzó, who oversaw judicial matters as the lord palatine of Hungary, arrived at Bathory's Castle Čachtice to investigate the countess' alleged crimes against women of noble birth (any mistreatment of servants was not a concern to authorities). The first mention of Bathory's blood baths came 100 years after her death and thus seems to be an invention. However, this depraved action isn't backed up by contemporaneous witness accounts (which otherwise didn't shy away from gore). ![]() The intimate nature of Bathory's attacks suggests a sexual motivation, though it's impossible to know with certainty what compelled her to act.ĭepictions of Bathory often mention her bathing in the blood of virgin victims in an attempt to recapture her lost youth. She would bite shoulders and breasts, as well as burning the flesh, including the genitals, of some victims. Bathory sometimes tortured girls by driving needles into their fingers, cutting their noses or lips or whipping them with stinging nettles. During colder parts of the year young women might be stripped naked and forced into deadly ice baths. Some of Bathory's victims were covered with honey and left outside for insects to devour. Most of her alleged assaults and murders took place after she was widowed in 1604. Crimesīathory was accused of a haunting litany of crimes against both female servants and minor noblewomen who'd come to her for training and education. After Nadasdy died in January 1604, Bathory took control of her extensive estates. However, he may have schooled her in techniques of torture when they were together. Two died as infants, but two daughters and a son survived.Īs her husband was a soldier who was often off fighting Ottoman Turks, the couple spent most of their marriage apart. The couple's first child was born 10 years later, in 1585. Some accounts of her life include her giving birth to an illegitimate child, fathered by another man, before her marriage.Ī 15-year-old Bathory married Nadasdy on May 8, 1575. Early Life and Marriageīathory was born in Nyírbátor, Hungary, on August 7, 1560.Īt the age of 11, Bathory, who was considered a beautiful and well-educated girl, became engaged to Count Ferenc Nadasdy. However, it's possible Bathory was not guilty of all the crimes that have been laid at her feet. Her actions resulted in a nickname of the "Blood Countess" and may have been a source of inspiration for Bram Stoker's Dracula. Bathory is reputed to have killed at least six hundred victims, earning her a Guinness World Record for most prolific female murderer. In 1610 she was accused of gruesome acts of serial murder and confined to her home of Castle Čachtice, where she remained until her death. Countess Elizabeth Bathory, or Erzsébet Báthory, was a wealthy and powerful Hungarian noblewoman whose relations included an uncle who was king of Poland and a nephew who was prince of Transylvania. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |