She was forty-three at the time of Ferencz's death and known to be terrified of growing old and losing her beauty. If all the stories about her are true, then she is likely the most prolific and vicious female serial killer of all time. Elizabeth pleaded her innocence to Thurzo, though he did not believe her, and he eventually arrested her.15 Bathory was only put on house arrest, because they did not want to cause a scene to the public, but rumors were already going around about what she did. Bthory was born into prominent Protestant nobility in Hungary. [15] Evidence of this pregnancy came up long after Elizabeth's death, through rumors spread by peasants; therefore, the validity of the rumor is often disputed. 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. 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. Their court proceedings began early in January 1611. As an intelligent, powerful woman who ruled without a man at her side, and as a member of a family whose wealth intimidated the king, his court went on a mission to discredit and ruin her. [36] It is difficult to know how accurate his account of events is. In 1526, he fought in the disastrous Battle of Mohcs against the Ottomans, in which King Louis II fell. [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. She has since gone on to become an accomplished activist and author. Elizabeth Bthory, Hungarian form Bthory Erzsbet, (born August 7, 1560, Nyrbtor, Hungarydied August 21, 1614, Castle Cachtice, Cachtice, Hungary [now in Slovakia]), Hungarian countess who purportedly tortured and murdered hundreds of young women in the 16th and 17th centuries. However, she was arrested and detained prior to the discovery or presentation of the victims. [1], There are counter-arguments made against this theory. Great job! This page has been accessed 12,844 times. There she died in 1614 at age 54. The first mention of Bathory's blood baths came 100 years after her death and thus seems to be an invention. 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. She was sentenced to life imprisonment (but living in relative luxury) in one of the Bthory castles, instead of being executed, due to her family's influence. While slightly lower down the social . Vitus killed it with three thrusts of his lance and as a reward received the castle. Such acts weren't illegal at the time Bathory was only punished because her victims were said to have included noblewomen but would still make Bathory responsible for many ruined lives. That said, families of her stature could pretty much do as they wished provided that they were not overtly disloyal to the crown. Istvan Magyari, a Lutheran minister, filed a complaint about Bathory. Elizabeth Bthory's subsequent trial would see over 300 witnesses and survivors testify against her, weaving a story of suffering and death that made the court shudder, and it became a major scandal that would become intertwined with folklore and whispered amongst the populace. Tags: elizabeth bathory, fate, fate grand order, fgo, fate elizabeth bathory, fate elizabeth, fate liz. [21], Thurz debated further proceedings with Bthory's son Paul and two of her sons-in-law, Nikola VI Zrinski and Gyrgy Drugeth. It has been said that over hundred young women were among her victims. Simon Kezai, Lzl Veszprmy, Frank Schaer (ed. She had everything going for her in her life, she was rich, beautiful, and her family was well . Elizabeth Bathory was the Countess of Ecsed, born on August 7, 1560, in Hungary. [3], The younger branch of the family, the Bthory of Ecsed, were descended from Luke, the youngest son of Briccius. Although it is commonly believed that Bthory was caught in the act of torture, she was having dinner. Said bloodline was also one of generational inbreeding. While facing fraud charges, she was publicly revealed to be a transgender woman. Bthory was a powerful woman, made more so by her control of Ndasdys holdings after his death. 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. Updates? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). [19] On 31 December, Thurz went to Csejte Castle and arrested Bthory along with four of her servants, who were accused of being her accomplices: Dorotya Semtsz, Ilona J, Katarna Benick and Jnos jvry ("Ibis" or Fick). During the trial, witnesses explained how Bathory would lure in servant girls to kill. 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. The Bthory family (Polish: Batory) was a Hungarian noble family of the Gutkeled clan. Her mother's brother Stephen (or Istvn . As was the case with many noble families at the time, the family had long been marrying relatives to keep their status; thus, some theorize that Elizabeth's inbred ancestry could have left her vulnerable to mental instability. No one living in Bthory's century alleged she was a vampire or a witch. Bthory was the great-great-granddaughter of Barbara Aleksandrwna and Bolesaw IV of Warsaw, and Mikalojus Radvila the Old; the 3rd great-granddaughter of Bolesaw Januszowic; the 4th great-granddaughter of Vladimir Olgerdovich; and the 5th great-granddaughter of Algirdas. Before dying, Ndasdy entrusted his heirs and widow to Gyrgy Thurz, who would eventually lead the investigation into Bthory's crimes. Bathorys servants, thirteen in total, testified against her. After the harsh and fierce battle, Hungary was torn apart by the conflict between the rival royal claims. The family divided into two major branches, which descended from the sons and grandsons of . This too may have been politically motivated, as the death penalty meant that the king could seize her land. The Myth of the "Blood Countess" Elizabeth Bathory. The Habsburg court owed her money they didn't want to pay. In the early modern period, the family brought forth several Princes of Transylvania and one King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania (Stephen Bthory). 1 She was born on August 7th, 1590, in Transylvania. Descendant of both the Ecsed and Somly branches of the Bathory family. In an attempt to maintain her vast network of servants and victims, she began luring peasant girls to her estate with the promise of work. The accusations of murder were based on rumors. During this time, no laws protected servants or peasants from being tortured. [9] The marriage resulted in combined land ownership in both Transylvania and the Kingdom of Hungary. She was brought up in the rarefied atmosphere of 16th century elites - her every whim was satisfied, and people from all walks of life fawned over the beautiful aristocrat. She eventually was put on trial. If all the stories about her are true, then she is likely the most prolific and vicious female serial killer of all time. The countess is also known as one of the bloodiest women in . In this time period, if someone was harmed, or someone even stole a chicken, a letter of complaint was written. [26], On 25 January 1611, Thurz wrote a letter to King Matthias describing that they had captured and confined Bthory to her castle. Its really interesting to learn about women serial killers because they are less common than men. Today, Elizabeth Bathory is infamously remembered as the "Blood Countess" who killed up to 650 girls and women in the Kingdom of Hungary. ", in. [9], In 1578, three years into their marriage, Ndasdy became the chief commander of Hungarian troops, leading them to war against the Ottomans. The Ecsed branch first rises to prominence with the sons of Luke's grandson John V. His eldest son Bartholomew I fell in 1432 fighting against the Hussites. 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. Therefore, the idea of evil inside the family bond emerges in the Countess's massacres. Stephen VII first proved himself as Count of Temesvr and in 1519 was elected Palatine of Hungary, as which he had to contend with the opposition of the nobility. [citation needed]. Some of Bathory's victims were covered with honey and left outside for insects to devour. The Simolin family possessed large estates in Prussia and Courland and members served the Russian Empresses Elizabeth and Catherine as diplomats. The testimony against Bathory could have included true tales about how harshly she acted with lower classes. Elizabeth Warren is a Democrat from Massachusetts who was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2012 and ran for her party's presidential nomination in 2020. The Csejte church and the castle of Csejte do not bear any markings of her possible grave. Despite being a noblewoman, she was a famous serial killer. Hungarian countess and alleged serial killer, This article is about the Hungarian countess. She allegedly tortured and murdered these women between 1585 and 1609. Most of her alleged assaults and murders took place after she was widowed in 1604. As was the custom, the young bride to be left her own home once the betrothal was official and the family of her fiance took over her education. On December 30, 1609, Bthory and her servants were arrested. High-quality Elizabeth Bathory pillows, tapestries, mugs, blankets, shower curtains, aprons, jigsaw. and she had complete control over the lives of the peasants living in the . In 1575 she married Count Ferencz Ndasdy, a member of another powerful Hungarian family, and subsequently moved to Castle Cachtice, a wedding gift from the Ndasdy family. Elizabeth Bthory, Hungarian form Bthory Erzsbet, (born August 7, 1560, Nyrbtor, Hungarydied August 21, 1614, Castle Cachtice, Cachtice, Hungary [now in Slovakia]), Hungarian countess who purportedly tortured and murdered hundreds of young women in the 16th and 17th centuries. Her family betrothed Bathory to Count Ferencz Ndasdy when she was 11 or 12. Another indication that I am an irrelevant old fart! Ferenc and Erzsebet Bathory had six children. The best-case scenario is that Bathory abused her servants but came nowhere near the level of violence alleged at her trial. Overall, I believe the author did a good job telling a tragic story. In 1602 a priest wrote a letter that discussed the excessive cruelty exhibited by Bathory and her husband towards their servants. But not everyone is convinced of her guilt. Countess Elizabeth Bathory, or Erzsbet Bthory, was a wealthy and powerful Hungarian noblewoman whose relations included an uncle who was king of Poland and a nephew who was prince of. Elizabeth Bthory, or Bthory Erzsbet in her native Hungarian, was born in Nyrbtor on August 7, 1560. After hearing the accusations, Thurz ultimately charged Bathory with the deaths of 80 girls. I was also struck by the punishment she got because from everything she did, I would have thought she would have gotten a stricter punishment. 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 . She remained there until she died. Transylvania is also infamous for the reputation of . Her mother was Baroness Anna Bthory, daughter of another voivode of Transylvania. Countess Elizabeth Bthory de Ecsed (Bthory Erzsbet in Hungarian, Albeta Btoriov in Slovak; 7 August 1560 - 21 August 1614) was a countess from the renowned Bthory family of Hungarian nobility. One day, Thurzo showed up to Bathorys castle with armed guards. Instant DIGITAL DOWNLOAD . Bathory was accused of a haunting litany of crimes against both female servants and minor noblewomen who'd come to her for training and education. Also known as Bthori Erzsbet, Elizabeth Bathory was born to an incredibly powerful family on August 7, 1560, in Hungary. [12] Nicknames and literary epithets attributed to her include The Blood Countess and Countess Dracula. Bathory Erszabet and Vlad III Tepes are separated by more than a century, but united in the reputation they developed outside of Eastern Europe for cruelty, brutality, and bloodthirstiness. That said, one witness claimed to have seen a book kept by Bathory herself, where she recorded the names of all of her victims 650 in total. Her actions resulted in a nickname of the "Blood Countess" and may have been a source of inspiration for Bram Stoker's Dracula. However, Thurzo ordered her bricked into a windowless room in Cjsethe Castle. It was a political arrangement within the circles of the aristocracy. [19] Her family, which ruled Transylvania, sought to avoid the loss of Bthory's property which was at risk of being seized by the crown following a public scandal. Elizabeth Bthory (or Erzsbet, to use the Hungarian spelling) was born into a Hungarian noble family on the 7th August, 1560. Her family lands, dotted across today's Slovakia, were part of the 'Kingdom of Hungary' that was absorbed by the Habsburgs in 1536. Depictions of Bathory often mention her bathing in the blood of virgin victims in an attempt to recapture her lost youth. Elizabeth Bthory, a Hungarian noblewoman and alleged serial killer from the 16th and 17th centuries, is certainly at the top of the. [45] Almost everyone has heard the legend of cruel Elisabeth Bthory who bathed in the blood of young virgins to preserve eternal youth. My jaw dropped the moment I read that she had more than 600 victims. In the way that governments and authorities dont act if something happens to the poor or unprivileged. This witch inspired most of Bathorys brutal and sadistic killings. [3][6][7][bettersourceneeded] Bathory gave birth to five children. Although in modern times she has been labelled the most prolific female serial killer in . I also did not know that part of the reason for her sadism came from her upbringing and husband. Answer (1 of 8): Jesus Christ of Nazareth is God, He is more than a prophet or a saint, He never married because He considered all women as His sisters and daughters and men as His sons and brothers, He is pure hearted and completely innocent unlike people today. Bthory and four of her servants were accused of torturing and killing hundreds of girls and women between 1590 and 1610. The Blood Countess, as she would be known in the centuries to come, was born into a prominent family who held power over an ironic region: Transylvania, which was then part of Hungary. [2][13][16] Born into a privileged family of nobility, Bthory was endowed with wealth, education and a prominent social rank.[17]. I find it interesting that she was born in Transylvania, the same place that Vlad Tepes (Vlad Dracula) was born. She allegedly burned her victims with hot irons, beat them to death with clubs, stuck needles under their fingernails, poured ice water over their bodies and left them to freeze to death outside in the cold, covered them in honey so that bugs could feast on their exposed skin, sewed their lips together, and bit off chunks of flesh from their breasts and faces. This is the turning point where Bathory began killing sporadically, and it eventually led to her arrest.10. 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. There are only secondary accounts of her actions. Being creative was fun for a while, but, we, at ElizabethBathory.Org, no longer publish educational material, nor details about the portrait for security reasons, just an image of the painting, once lost, then found, without commentary, and at considerably lower resolution. Liz Torture Throw Pillow. At the age of 11, Bathory, who was considered a beautiful and well-educated girl, became engaged to Count Ferenc Nadasdy. You can see in the photo that II. . Due to his youth and the belief that he was less culpable, Jnos jvry was executed by a much less painful method: beheading. [2] Her family ruled Transylvania as an independent region within the Hungarian kingdom. Majorova convinced Bathory to kill noble women because fewer and fewer servants wanted to work for Bathory. [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. Countess Elizabeth Bthory de Ecsed (Hungarian: Bthori Erzsbet, pronounced [batori rebt]; Slovak: Albeta Btoriov; 7 August 1560 - 21 August 1614) was a Hungarian noblewoman and alleged serial killer from the family of Bthory, who owned land in the Kingdom of Hungary (now Slovakia).. Bthory and four of her servants were accused of torturing and killing hundreds of . 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