[4][6][24] Two trials were held in the wake of Bthory's arrest: the first was held on 2 January 1611, and the second on 7 January 1611. Another servant, Erzsi Majorova, initially escaped capture, but was burned alive after being apprehended. [27][28], She wrote a will in September 1610, in which she left all current and future inheritance possession to her children. Her mother's brother Stephen (or Istvn . She tried to cover it up by saying the girl committed suicide. It is unclear whether he died before or after his sisters Elizabeth and Sophia. Although it is commonly believed that Bthory was caught in the act of torture, she was having dinner. However, Thurzo ordered her bricked into a windowless room in Cjsethe Castle. A student organization of St. Marys University of San Antonio, Texas, featuring scholarly research, writing, and media from students of all disciplines. However, it's possible Bathory was not guilty of all the crimes that have been laid at her feet. The citizens of Hungary did not even speak Bathorys name for hundreds of years.18 Conspiracy theories argue that Bathory was actually innocent. [1], In 1279, King Ladislaus IV rewarded Andrew's brother Hodos[2] However, this depraved action isn't backed up by contemporaneous witness accounts (which otherwise didn't shy away from gore). 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. As a member of a powerful family, Bathory was not put on trial. Some witnesses named relatives who died while at the gynaeceum. Elizabeth Bathory Home & Living. (726) $5.00. ", in. That evidence included numerous bodies and dead and dying girls found when the castle was entered by Thurz. Her cousin, Gyrgy Thurz, count palatine of Hungary, was ordered by Matthias, then king of Hungary, to investigate. Her parents were both Bthory, her father was Baron George VI Bthory of the Ecsed branch of the Bthory family and her mother was Baroness Anna Bthory. Bathory gave birth to five children. The fact that her parents started this sadistic behavior instead of helping her. According to witnesses, Bathorys crimes took place between 1590 and 1610, with most of the vicious murders happening after her husbands death in 1604. Her victims were usually aged between 10 and 14. Zpolya appointed Stephen VIII Voivode of Transylvania, which he governed until his death in 1534. For other uses, see. Anna Bthory was the widow of the last descendant of the Dragfi family and George now seized the castles of the Dragfi. I wonder if she wouldve grown up to be different if all these people in her life wouldnt have helped her torment her servants. [33] Moreover, Matthias owed a large debt to Bthory, which was cancelled after she was arrested. These theories suggest that the King brought these charges against her because he did not like that she was Protestant and a powerful women.19 However, no evidence exists to back up these theories. 2 She came from a wealthy, Protestant family that were significant landowners in Hungary. [citation needed], On 8 May 1575, Bthory and Ndasdy were married at the palace of Vranov nad Topou (Varann in Hungarian). [21], Thurz debated further proceedings with Bthory's son Paul and two of her sons-in-law, Nikola VI Zrinski and Gyrgy Drugeth. This branch, since they retained the possession of Btor, are sometimes called of Btor or, as the younger branch, Nyrbtor (New Bathory).[3]. However, he may have schooled her in techniques of torture when they were together. She has since gone on to become an accomplished activist and author. She had an elder brother named Stephen. The investigation into Bthory's crimes was sparked by complaints from a Lutheran minister, Istvn Magyari. 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? I really liked the introduction of this article because it made me wonder what she did and ask why should she have gotten a stricter punishment, and boy did I find out. [37], Bthory has been labelled by Guinness World Records as the most prolific female murderer, though the number of her victims is debated.[38]. Tony Thorne. [6] A further division occurred under the great-grandsons of Ladislaus (latter half of the 15th century): John and Stephen dropped the name Bthory and founded the Szaniszlfi family, while Nikolaus continued the Somly branch. She was born into a powerful and very well connected Transylvanian family. [15], Bthory was raised a Calvinist Protestant. [citation needed], Several authors, such as Lszl Nagy and Dr. Irma Szdeczky-Kardoss, have argued that Elizabeth Bthory was a victim of a conspiracy. From that time, he never fully recovered, and in 1603 became permanently disabled. Elizabeth Bthory (or Erzsbet, to use the Hungarian spelling) was born into a Hungarian noble family on the 7th August, 1560. One of those children (Pl) had two children. During colder parts of the year young women might be stripped naked and forced into deadly ice baths. There are only secondary accounts of her actions. Elizabeth I was a long-ruling queen of England, governing with relative stability and prosperity for 44 years. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. The couple's first child was born 10 years later, in 1585. She was 25 when the original portrait -- the only known image of her -- was painted. 1590 is when she was said to have started her crimes. [4], The case of Elizabeth Bthory inspired numerous stories during the 18th and 19th centuries. But as time went on, rumors that Bathory tortured her servants began to spread. This diary, however, appears to have only been a legend. Then, discover the true story behind the real-life Bloody Mary. Her father was George VI Bathory, the voivode of Transylvania, the senior government official in this region, approximating to eastern Romania today, but which was then, like Hungary, a constituent part of the broad territories of the Habsburg . [18] This does not contribute to the notion of a Catholic/Habsburg plot against the Protestant Bthory, although religious tension is still a possible source of conflict, as Bthory was raised Calvinist, not Lutheran. [3] The use of needles was also mentioned by the collaborators in court. I never new much about Elizabeth Bathory other than her obsession with Virgin blood and the occult, but boy did some of these accounts just turn my stomach. Listen above to the History Uncovered podcast, episode 49: Bloody Mary, also available on, true story behind the real-life Bloody Mary. He had also received the castle Bujak from King Albert of Habsburg. [29][7][contradictory] On the evening of 20 August 1614, Bthory complained to her bodyguard that her hands were cold, whereupon he replied "It's nothing, mistress. 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. This is the turning point where Bathory began killing sporadically, and it eventually led to her arrest.10. Her uncle, Stephen Bathory, was king of Poland. There she died in 1614 at age 54. They were the king's witnesses, but they were executed. The accusations of murder were based on rumors. A 15-year-old Bathory married Nadasdy on May 8, 1575. [5][bettersourceneeded] Ladislaus' younger brother George II is the ancestor of the Simolin family, later called Bthory of Simolin (see below). Printable . She told her guard that her hands were cold, and the next day the guard found her dead.20 She was buried somewhere around her castle, Cachtice. "of Btor".[4]. But not everyone is convinced of her guilt. To cure her epilepsy, her family took blood from servants and put it on her lips. Witnesses claimed that Bathorys favorite method of torture was using scissors to mutilate her victims bodies and faces. Before dying, Ndasdy entrusted his heirs and widow to Gyrgy Thurz, who would eventually lead the investigation into Bthory's crimes. Initially, Thurz made the declaration to Bthory's guests and villagers that he had caught her red-handed. After all, legend has it that she bathed in the blood of at least 650 servant girls she had tortured and killed. While facing fraud charges, she was publicly revealed to be a transgender woman. Transylvanian Countess Elizabeth Bthory "The Blood Countess" (1560-1614) is often described as the first atypical and very rare, pathological hedonist lust female serial killer, as opposed to the more typical profit-motivated "black widows . Nadasdy moved Bathory to his estate in Savar. Her relatives included the governor of Transylvania, The king of Poland, and the prince of Transylvania. 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. 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. 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. Elizabeth received a strong education, and she became fluent in several languages.3 Although she seemed to be a regular noble woman, there was a dark truth behind her family and her. On 13 December 1612, Nikola VI Zrinski confirmed the agreement with Thurz about the imprisonment of Bthory and distribution of the estate. The King of Hungary, King Matthias II, ordered Gyorgy Thurzo, Palatine of Hungary, to look into the rumors and accusations about Bathory. [25], The highest number of victims cited during the trial of Bthory's accomplices was 650, but this number comes from the claim by a servant girl named Susannah that Jakab Szilvssy, Bthory's court official, had seen the figure in one of Bthory's private books. The Chilling Story Of Simon Monjack, The 'Disturbed' Husband Of Brittany Murphy, Michael Hutchence Was One Of The World's Biggest Rock Stars Then He Choked Himself To Death In A Sydney Hotel, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. She was a bloodsucking demon sent from Hell to murder young women. Want to Read. Ferenc Ndasdy 's wife, and after his death, the wealth and properties were inherited by her. 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