Their court proceedings began early in January 1611. The most common motif of these works was that of the countess bathing in her virgin victims' blood to retain beauty or youth. I find it interesting that she was born in Transylvania, the same place that Vlad Tepes (Vlad Dracula) was born. A history of epilepsy from the Greeks to the beginnings of modern neurology", "Bthory Erzsbet Bthory Erzsbet: Short FAQ", "No Blood in the Water: The Legal and GenderConspiracies Against Countess Elizabeth Bathory in Historical Context", "The Early Ottoman Period, Including Royal Hungary, 15261606", "Elizabeth Bthory Drop of Blood Festival: 16 August 2014", "A genealogy of the Ndasdy family, including her descendants", A complete genealogy of all descendants Elizabeth Bthory (17th-20th century), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Elizabeth_Bthory&oldid=1132822934, Wikipedia articles needing page number citations from March 2018, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia references cleanup from March 2021, Articles covered by WikiProject Wikify from March 2021, All articles covered by WikiProject Wikify, Articles containing Hungarian-language text, All articles that may contain original research, Articles that may contain original research from October 2021, All articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases, Articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases from October 2021, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2021, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2017, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2021, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from October 2021, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2021, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 10 January 2023, at 19:35. Through her mother, Elizabeth was the niece of the Hungarian noble Stephen Bthory (15331586), the King of Poland, the Grand Duke of Lithuania of the PolishLithuanian Commonwealth, and Prince of Transylvania. [3] She was well- educated, beautiful and wealthy. Together with four of her servants, she was accused of . After all, legend has it that she bathed in the blood of at least 650 servant girls she had tortured and killed. The investigation into Bthory's crimes was sparked by complaints from a Lutheran minister, Istvn Magyari. An Examination of the Life and Trial of Erzsbet Bthory", "The falling sickness. Instant DIGITAL DOWNLOAD . While historical documents seem to support the accusations against her, modern research indicates that Bthory, a powerful woman, might have been the target of politically motivated slander that allowed relatives to appropriate her lands. The family divided into two major branches, which descended from the sons and grandsons of Yes, there are descendants of Elizabeth Bathory that are living today. Actress Elizabeth Taylor starred in films like 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof' and 'Butterfield 8' but was just as famous for her violet eyes and scandalous love life. The family divided into two major branches, which descended from the sons and grandsons of Yes, there are descendants of Elizabeth Bathory that are living today. Istvan Magyari, a Lutheran minister, filed a complaint about Bathory. However, this is a fairly contemporary copy of that original, probably painted in the late 16th century. After the trials concluded, Thurzo founded Bathory guilty, and she stayed in solitary confinement in her castle, Cachtice, for the rest of her life. Today, Elizabeth Bathory is infamously remembered as the "Blood Countess" who killed up to 650 girls and women in the Kingdom of Hungary. I recognize that most people took little interest in their servants, but I feel like someone would have noticed the mass disappearance of young girls, regardless of their social standing. In this time period, if someone was harmed, or someone even stole a chicken, a letter of complaint was written. Bathorys servants, thirteen in total, testified against her. This role usually included responsibility for the Hungarian and Slovak people, providing medical care during the Long War (15931606), and Bthory was charged with the defense of her husband's estates, which lay on the route to Vienna. A great example of what a bad upbringing can do and the potential of a bad upbringing to not only bring harm to the person involved but the society as well. CONTENT MAY BE COPYRIGHTED BY WIKITREE COMMUNITY MEMBERS. The testimony that Bathory had listed 650 victims was a secondhand accounting of what a court official had discovered yet the official who'd supposedly seen this information didn't testify. This Serial Killer was active in the following countries: Slovakia. [9] The marriage resulted in combined land ownership in both Transylvania and the Kingdom of Hungary. One of the servants provided a list in Bathorys handwriting of all 650 of her victims. Bathory took the advice, which turned out be a mistake for her. While I have no doubt she might have reached the sadistic level she was, I believe her upbringing where her parents tortured and mutilated their servants, combined with the sadistic nature of her husband helped her reach that level much quicker. Soon after her arrest, Bathory attended the trial against her. The third son, Stephen V (d. 1493) excelled as a military commander and was made Voivode of Transylvania, the first of a long line of Bthory rulers of that country. It is sad to know the number is so high for the number of deaths caused by her, but she was noticeably, permanently ill in the head from a young age. [16] The threat of attack was significant, for the village of Csejte had previously been plundered by the Ottomans while Srvr, located near the border that divided Royal Hungary and Ottoman-occupied Hungary, was in even greater danger. There were several instances where Bthory intervened on behalf of destitute women, including a woman whose husband was captured by the Ottomans and a woman whose daughter was raped and impregnated. For the 1982 song by Venom, see, Copy of the lost 1585 original portrait of Elizabeth Bthory, The references used may be made clearer with a different or consistent style of, Lengyel Tnde, Vrkonyi Gbor: Bthory Erzsbet - egy asszony lete / Life of a woman, Letters from Thurz to both men on 5 March 1610, printed in, A letter from 12 December 1610 by Elizabeth's son-in-law Zrnyi to, Szdeczky-Kardoss Irma - Bthory Erzsbet igazsga / The truth of Elizabeth Bthory (10 years of research using contemporary correspondence), Infamous Lady the true story of Countess Erzsebet Bathory Kimberly L. Craft 2009 p.298, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "The Bloody Countess? Anna was born roughly in the year 1585, and Katalin approximately 1594. During the trial, witnesses explained how Bathory would lure in servant girls to kill. [23] Ilona J and Dorottya Szentes had their fingers torn out with a pair of red-hot pincers and were then burned alive. While Elizabeths husband was away at war, she met a witch named Anna Darvulia. My jaw dropped the moment I read that she had more than 600 victims. The most infamous accusation the one that inspired her nickname, the Blood Countess claimed that Elizabeth Bathory bathed in the blood of her young victims in an attempt to maintain a youthful appearance. Her first targets were said to have been poor girls and young women who were lured to the castle with the promise of servant work. In 1575 she married Count Ferencz Ndasdy and moved to Castle Csejte (now in Cachtice, Slovakia), a wedding gift from Ndasdys family. Her family controlled Transylvania, and her uncle, Stephen Bthory, was king of Poland. Elizabeth Bthory (or Erzsbet, to use the Hungarian spelling) was born into a Hungarian noble family on the 7th August, 1560. She has since gone on to become an accomplished activist and author. This article was incredible! [19] In the last month of 1614, she signed her arrangement, in which she distributed the estates, lands and possessions among her children. Great job! Elizabeth Bthory was born in 1560 to Protestant nobility in Hungary. While Nadasdy taught her how to torture, yet another person in her life would teach her how to kill. Liz Torture Throw Pillow. We strive for accuracy and fairness. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Countess Elizabeth Bathory. The family rose to significant influence in Central Europe during the Late Middle Ages, holding high military, administrative and ecclesiastical positions in the Kingdom of Hungary. Others reported having seen traces of torture on dead bodies, some of which were buried in graveyards, and others in unmarked locations. The Ecsed branch commonly sided with the Habsburgs: Stephen VII, who had escaped the battle, fled with Louis' widow to Pozsony (now Bratislava), where he organized the election of Ferdinand of Austria as King of Hungary. Her mother's brother Stephen (or Istvn . The servants confessed under torture, which is not credible in contemporary proceedings. She would bite shoulders and breasts, as well as burning the flesh, including the genitals, of some victims. Her family had many powerful relatives -- a cardinal, princes, and a cousin who was prime minister of Hungary are among these relatives. I guess that is the problem with absolute dynastic systems, you get people in power who really shouldnt be. Thurzo heard screaming, which led him to find one of Bathorys torture chambers. I wouldve expected her to get decapitated or more severely punished. Elizabeth Bathory may have had a secret love child At the age of 11, Elizabeth's family betrothed her to 15-year-old Ferenc Nadasdy, the son of the then Palatine of Hungary. Bthory was born into prominent Protestant nobility in Hungary. Her family lands, dotted across today's Slovakia, were part of the 'Kingdom of Hungary' that was absorbed by the Habsburgs in 1536. It is only when problems start affecting the rich that governments actually take action. [13] At the time, symptoms relating to epilepsy were diagnosed as falling sickness and treatments included rubbing blood of a non-sufferer on the lips of an epileptic or giving the epileptic a mix of a non-sufferer's blood and piece of skull as their episode ended. Bathorys husband enjoyed killing so much, especially during wars, that he received the nickname Black Knight of Hungary.7 Nadasdy taught Bathory new techniques or tricks when torturing her servants. It turns out that King Matthias II owed Bathorys late husband, and then her, a sizable debt. From 1585 to 1595, Bthory bore four children. By mid -1596, we know that Erzsbet Bthory had three living children: daughters Anna, Orsolya (Orsika), and Katalin (Kata), and that Erzsbet was pregnant with son Andrs. Although never tried, Bthory was confined to her chambers at Castle Cachtice. It is unclear whether he died before or after his sisters Elizabeth and Sophia. Elizabeth Bathory was born on August 7, 1560 in modern day Slovakia. However, she was arrested and detained prior to the discovery or presentation of the victims. The evidence against Bathory has flaws: Of 289 witness accounts, more than 250 offered either hearsay or no information whatsoever. Her family contributed to her sadism by torturing their servants and peasants.4 One story suggests that after Bathory witnessed a man being sewn into a horses stomach for theft, she laughed at the sight of it.5 Bathory saw her family members torture their servants for fun, and this turned her adolescent self into a full-blown killer. High-quality Elizabeth Bathory pillows, tapestries, mugs, blankets, shower curtains, aprons, jigsaw. [9] Her older brother, Stephen Bthory (15551605), served as a Judge Royal of Hungary. Bthory is said to have begun killing daughters of the lesser gentry, who were sent to her gynaeceum by their parents to learn courtly etiquette. Thurzo found a dead body of a girl and two other girls wounded. [4], The case of Elizabeth Bthory inspired numerous stories during the 18th and 19th centuries. While she lived unharmed by any authority for years, many young girls went missing or ended up dead. [4] As a young woman, she learned Latin, German, Hungarian and Greek. Descendant of both the Ecsed and Somly branches of the Bathory family. Her family betrothed Bathory to Count Ferencz Ndasdy when she was 11 or 12. But as the story goes, Bathory didnt stop there. It seems most likely that the claim of Thurz's discovering Bthory covered in blood has been the embellishment of fictionalized accounts. [21], Thurz debated further proceedings with Bthory's son Paul and two of her sons-in-law, Nikola VI Zrinski and Gyrgy Drugeth. Stories about Bthory quickly became part of national folklore. Why might Bathory have been subject to outside machinations? with video tutorial . [14][original research? Ndasdy was the son of Baron Tams Ndasdy de Ndasd et Fogarasfld and Orsolya Kanizsai. She descended from multiple noble lineages and included the King of Poland and the prince of Transylvania among her relatives. [2][13][16] Born into a privileged family of nobility, Bthory was endowed with wealth, education and a prominent social rank.[17]. 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