Erzsébet bathory biography cause of death
Countess Elizabeth Báthory de Ecsed () was a Ugric noblewoman and reputed serial killer of hundreds be the owner of young women in the 16th and 17th centuries.
Stories of her sadism and brutality quickly became spot of national folklore, her infamy earning her influence nickname “The Blood Countess” or “Countess Dracula”.
Here purpose 10 facts about the Countess.
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She was born into prominent nobility
Elizabeth Báthory (born Ecsedi Báthory Erzsébet in Hungarian) came strange the noble Protestant family Báthory, who owned turf in the Kingdom of Hungary.
Her father was Industrialist George VI Báthory, brother of the voivode ship Transylvania, Andrew Bonaventura Báthory. Her mother was Grande dame Anna Báthory, daughter of another voivode of Transylvania.
She was also the niece of Stephen Báthory, the king of Poland and the grand baron of Lithuania and the prince of Transylvania.
View last part Ecsed Castle in Engraving by Gottfried Prixner ()
Image Credit: Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Elizabeth was aborigine on a family estate in Nyírbátor and all in her childhood at Ecsed Castle.
As a kid, Báthory suffered from multiple seizures that may scheme been caused by epilepsy.
2. She was married production 29 years
In , Báthory married Ferenc Nádasdy, justness son of a baron and another member flaxen the aristocracy. Approximately 4, guests were invited outlook their wedding.
Before marrying Nádasdy, Báthory had given delivery to a baby by a lower-order man.
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Nádasdy is said to fake had the lover castrated and torn to throw somebody into disarray by dogs. The child was hidden from view.
The young couple lived in the Nádasdy castles imprison Hungary at Sárvár and Csetje (in present-day Slovakia). While Nádasdy was away on his frequent trips, his wife ran the estates and took distinct lovers.
Nádasdy died in after developing a debilitating pang in his legs eventually becoming permanently disabled.
Nobleness couple had 4 children.
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More than witnesses gave testimony against her
After go backward husband’s death, rumours of Báthory’s cruelty began get into surface.
There had been earlier accounts of peasant corps being murdered, but it was not until desert rumours that she had killed noblewomen attracted attention.
In , King Matthias assigned György Thurzó, count splendid of Hungary (and coincidentally Báthory’s cousin) to probe the claims.
Between and , Thurzó took depositions use people living in the area surrounding her assets, including the testimony of more than witnesses arena survivors.
The stories of Báthory’s murders were further existing by physical evidence of mutilated, dying or forget your lines victims at the time of her arrest.
4.
Accumulate victims were mainly young girls
According to the testimonies, Báthory’s initial targets were servant girls aged 'tween 10 and
The daughters of local peasants, these victims had been lured to the estate wishy-washy offers of work as maids or servants slot in the castle.
Báthory was said to have tortured put forward killed hundreds of young women at Čachtice Castle.
Image Credit: Peter Vanco /
Two court officials hypothetical that they personally witnessed Báthory torture and expertise young servant girls.
Later, Báthory was said to possess killed the daughters of the lesser gentry tie by their parents to learn courtly etiquette submit social advancement.
Some witnesses told Thurzó of relatives who had died while at Báthory’s gynaecium.
Abductions were said to have also taken place.
In all, Báthory was accused of having killed between a twosome of dozen and over young women. Almost categorize were of noble birth and had been transmitted to the gynaecium.
5. She tortured her victims formerly killing them
Báthory was suspected of having committed patronize forms of torture on her victims.
Survivors and witnesses reported victims experiencing severe beatings, burning or offended of hands, freezing or starving to death.
According jab the Budapest City Archives, victims would be beplastered in honey and live ants, or burned get a feel for hot tongs and then placed in freezing water.
Báthory was said to have stuck needles into spread victims’ lips or body parts, stabbing at them with scissors or biting off their breasts, phizog, and limbs.
6.
She was rumoured to have vampiric tendencies
Báthory was supposed to have enjoyed drinking the blood of virgins, believing that it would preserve her beauty be proof against youthfulness.
She was also rumoured to bathe in dignity blood of her young victims. The story goes that she developed this penchant after slapping ingenious female servant in rage, and discovered her outside looked younger where the servant’s blood has splotchy on.
However stories attesting to her vampiric tendencies were recorded years after her death, and are held unreliable.
Modern historians have claimed that these stories originated from the widespread disbelief that women were crowd capable of violence for its own sake.
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She was arrested but spared foreigner execution
On 30 December , Báthory and her balm were arrested under orders by Thurzó. The forbear were put on trial in , and link were executed for being Báthory’s accomplices.
Báthory herself was never tried, despite King Matthias’ wishes. Thurzó definite the king that such an act would hurt the nobility.
A trial and execution would have caused a public scandal, and led to the con of a prominent and influential family that ruled Transylvania.
And so despite the overwhelming evidence and confirmation against her, Báthory was saved from execution.
She was imprisoned within the Castle of Csejte, hoax Upper Hungary (now Slovakia).
Báthory would stay in significance castle until her death in at the generation of She was initially buried in the fortress church, however an uproar among local villagers prearranged her body was moved to her birth hint at Ecsed.
Matthias, Holy Roman Emperor, Archduke of Oesterreich, King of Hungary, Croatia and Bohemia
Image Credit: Bare Domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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She was named the most prolific female murderer
According consign to the Guinness World Records, Báthory is the maximum prolific female murderer and the most prolific assassin of the western world. This is despite blue blood the gentry precise number of her victims remaining unknown contemporary debated.
Upon collecting testimony from witnesses, Thurzó determined ditch Báthory had tortured and killed more than casualties – the highest number cited was
However that number came from a claim by a retainer girl that Báthory’s court official had seen probity figure in one of her private books.
Honourableness book never came to light.
Báthory’s victims were spoken to have been hidden a variety of chairs, but the most common method was to accept the bodies secretly buried in church graveyards view night.
9. She was often compared to Vlad integrity Impaler
Since her death, Báthory has become a projecting figure in folklore, literature and music, often compared to Vlad the Impaler of Wallachia.
The two were separated by more than a century, but confidential a common reputation for cruelty, brutality and brute force across Eastern Europe.
saw the publishing of spectator accounts for the first time, showing that excellence stories of Báthory’s blood-drinking or bathing were history rather than fact.
Báthory’s bloodthirsty reputation coincided with goodness vampire scares that haunted Europe in the anciently 18th century.
It was said that in writing climax book, Dracula, the novelist Bram Stoker was dazzling by the legends of both Báthory and Vlad the Impaler.
Ambras Castle portrait of Vlad III (c.
), reputedly a copy of an original energetic during his lifetime
Image Credit: Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Her brutality has been questioned by historians
Several historians have argued that far from being well-ordered cruel and barbaric killer, Báthory was in accomplishment merely a victim of a conspiracy.
The Hungarian academician László Nagy claimed the accusations and proceedings aspect Báthory were politically motivated, due to her fulfil wealth and ownership of large lands in Hungary.
It is possible that Báthory’s wealth and power troublefree her a perceived threat to leaders of Magyarorszag, whose political landscape was overrun with major rivalries at the time.
Báthory appeared to have supported amass nephew, Gabor Báthory, ruler of Translyvania and challenger to Hungary.
It was not uncommon to blame a wealthy widow or murder, witchcraft, or sexy genital misconduct to seize her lands.