Orsika's year of birth was probably some time between that of Anna and Katalin, around 1590. A 15-year-old Bathory married Nadasdy on May 8, 1575. [4], The case of Elizabeth Bthory inspired numerous stories during the 18th and 19th centuries. There is still no physical evidence to this day that proves she is innocent or guilty. One of the servants provided a list in Bathorys handwriting of all 650 of her victims. By . In 1602 a priest wrote a letter that discussed the excessive cruelty exhibited by Bathory and her husband towards their servants. Wikimedia CommonsThe ruins of Csejte Castle, where Elizabeth Bathory supposedly committed unspeakable crimes. [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. While I had known that this Elizabeth Bathory character would kill her servant girls for blood, I had no idea that she would delight in torturing them. Elizabeth Bathory was born on August 7, 1560 in modern day Slovakia. Descendant of both the Ecsed and Somly branches of the Bathory family. [30] She was buried in the church of Csejte on 25 November 1614,[30] but according to some sources due to the villagers' uproar over having the Countess buried in their cemetery, her body was moved to her birth home at Ecsed, where it was interred at the Bthory family crypt. Tony Thorne. (2009). 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. [15] The child, said to have been fathered by a peasant boy, was supposedly given away to a local woman who was trusted by the Bthory family. She celebrated 70 years on the throne in June 2022 with her Platinum Jubilee. Even then, the punishment Bathory faced was nowhere near as cruel as what she did to these young girls. However, this is a fairly contemporary copy of that original, probably painted in the late 16th century. In 1573,[9] Bthory was engaged to Count Ferenc Ndasdy, a member of the Nadasdy family. [2] Her family ruled Transylvania as an independent region within the Hungarian kingdom. A genealogy of the Nadasdy family, including her descendants Arkiveret 7. juni 2008 hos Wayback Machine; A genealogy of the Bthory family Arkiveret 7. juni 2008 hos Wayback Machine; A Brief on the life and death of Hungary's infamous Blood Countess, Elizabeth Bathory-Nadasdy Btor had been the estate of Vajda son of Lngos, who had married a relative of Andrew but died without issue. In the 15th century, Michael's brothers George and Ladislaus, who both died without issue, had sold their heritage to the then-head of the Somly branch, Nicolaus. Said bloodline was also one of generational inbreeding. 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. is that there is "a 400-year-old war between the uncanny descendants of "Blood Countess" Elizabeth Bathory, the most prolific female serial killer of all time, and a . 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. 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. Thurzo found a dead body of a girl and two other girls wounded. discoveries. Those horrific acts of violence and the sometimes-supernatural legends that surround the crimes help define Elizabeth Bathorys terrifying legacy today. It has been said that over hundred young women were among her victims. One witness stated that Bthory herself had listed 650 victims in her papers, though the number of victims varied in other testimonials and the countess' exact death toll remains unknown. (shelved 3 times as elizabeth-bathory) avg rating 3.75 256 ratings published 1997. 155 Results. While documents from the 1611 trial supported the accusations made against her, modern scholarship has questioned the veracity of the allegations. She did this by saying she would give them a higher salary.11 The testimonies included how she killed the girls by mutilating their bodies, starving them, freezing them, and torturing them. Liz Torture Throw Pillow. In 1610 she was accused of gruesome acts of serial murder and confined to her home of Castle achtice, where she remained until her death. On December 29, 1610, Count Gyrgy Thurz, who oversaw judicial matters as the lord palatine of Hungary, arrived at Bathory's Castle achtice to investigate the countess' alleged crimes against women of noble birth (any mistreatment of servants was not a concern to authorities). She allegedly expanded her sights and began killing daughters of the gentry who had been sent to Csejte for their education. Want to Read. [4][32] Nagy argued that the proceedings against Bthory were largely politically motivated, possibly due to her extensive wealth and ownership of large areas of land in Hungary, which increased after the death of her husband. Raised in a noble family, Bathory knew a life of privilege from an early age. She met Erzsi Majorova soon after, who practiced witchcraft. I really liked your article! It was interesting to read about the impact her family and husband had on her and how they tortured so many women made my skin crawl. How did they find each other? Elizabeth Bathory, a Hungarian countess, was the daughter of Ann and George Bathory.1 She was born on August 7th, 1590, in Transylvania.2 She came from a wealthy, Protestant family that were significant landowners in Hungary. Anna (Ndasdy) Ndasdy de Ndasd et Fogarasfld, Mikls (Ndasdy) Ndasdy de Ndasd et Fogarasfld, Katalin (Ndasdy) Ndasdy de Ndasd et Fogarasfld, Orsolya (Ndasdy) Ndasdy de Ndasd et Fogarasfld, Pl (Ndasdy) Ndasdy de Ndasd et Fogaras-Fld, Erzsbet (Bathory) Bthory de Ecsed (1560-1614), http://www.macse.hu/gudenus/mfat/fam.aspx?id=15945, http://genealogy.euweb.cz/hung/bathori3.html#EG, Erzsbet (Bthory) Bthory de Somly (bef.1528-1562). Elizabeth's father was George VI Bthory, who was from the Bthory family's Esced branch. In the 19th century, long after the demise of the other branches, the family claimed name and title of Counts Bthory, since their ancestor Michael had never consented to the sale conducted by his brothers, and in 1852 the Russian government confirmed the legitimacy of their claims.[6][11][12]. 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. While Nadasdy taught her how to torture, yet another person in her life would teach her how to kill. I truly never realized how sadistic she wasshe definitely puts some of the modern centurys serial killers to shame. [12] Nicknames and literary epithets attributed to her include The Blood Countess and Countess Dracula. [14][original research? [23] Ilona J and Dorottya Szentes had their fingers torn out with a pair of red-hot pincers and were then burned alive. The historical evidence on Bthory fundamentally contradicts your source (s). It seems most likely that the claim of Thurz's discovering Bthory covered in blood has been the embellishment of fictionalized accounts. A late 16th-century copy of the now-lost portrait of Elizabeth Bathory, painted in 1585 when she was 25 years old. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Elizabeth-Bathory. Since the Dragfi estates were legally due to the crown, the Habsburgs forced George to yield the castles and withdrew to Csitsva in Zempln County. [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. Thurz collected evidence from some 300 witnesses who leveled a bevy of truly horrifying charges against the countess. If not, see our friends at Ancestry DNA. [3] Some insist she inspired Bram Stoker's Dracula (1897),[11] although Stoker's notes on the novel provided no direct evidence to support this hypothesis. In the years after Bathorys husband passed, whispers floated around about Bathorys actions, specifically her killing young girls. Bthory of Simolin [ edit] Her family controlled Transylvania, and her uncle Stephen Bthory was king of Poland. [1], In 1279, King Ladislaus IV rewarded Andrew's brother Hodos[2] The Bathory Nadasdy family agreed to cancel Matthias's debts- and Matthias decided that Elizabeth Bathory would disappear behind the walls of her castle. There were many suspected forms of torture carried out by Bthory. The King of Hungary, King Matthias II, ordered Gyorgy Thurzo, Palatine of Hungary, to look into the rumors and accusations about Bathory. That said, families of her stature could pretty much do as they wished provided that they were not overtly disloyal to the crown. Both her parents' side were nobility and this they had achieved from small beginnings. Just go lie down." Bathory is reputed to have killed at least six hundred victims, earning her a Guinness World Record for most prolific female murderer. In 1575 she married Count Ferencz Ndasdy and moved to Castle Csejte (now in Cachtice, Slovakia), a wedding gift from Ndasdys family. Darvulia supposedly implanted in Bathorys mind that if she killed young virgins and bathed in their blood, she could maintain her youth.9 Bathory confided in Darvulia and took interest in learning more about witchcraft and Satanism. She supposedly used the instrument to cut off their hands, noses, and genitals. in order to explain Bthory's cruelty later in her life is that she was trained by her family to be cruel. 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 citizens of Hungary did not even speak Bathorys name for hundreds of years.18 Conspiracy theories argue that Bathory was actually innocent. . Countess Elizabeth Bathory was a member of the aristocracy in Hungary. The fact that her parents started this sadistic behavior instead of helping her. After these executions Thurz continued to investigate the countess. It is crazy to think someone could find pleasure in killing and torturing other people, but crazier to find somebody you marry that have the same interests! 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. [citation needed], Several authors, such as Lszl Nagy and Dr. Irma Szdeczky-Kardoss, have argued that Elizabeth Bthory was a victim of a conspiracy. 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. Have you taken a DNA test? This family was literally so powerful, they had multiple branches. And when Bathorys husband died in 1604, these views became much more widespread and dramatic. 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars. We strive for accuracy and fairness. She would bite shoulders and breasts, as well as burning the flesh, including the genitals, of some victims. Between 1602 and 1604, after rumors of Bthory's atrocities had spread throughout the kingdom, Lutheran minister Istvn Magyari made complaints against her, both publicly and at the court in Vienna. Bathory was born in Nyrbtor, Hungary, on August 7, 1560. Elizabeth Bathory was technically a subject of the Habsburg crown. Bathing in pure girls blood is heard from a lot in movies but Ive never heard it happening in real life. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. [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. The youngest son, Nicolaus III (d. 1506), bishop first of Syrmia and after 1474 of Vc, excelled as a renaissance scholar and served as counselor to King Matthias Corvinus. Together with four of her servants, she was accused of . Some witnesses named relatives who died while at the gynaeceum. When Darvulia died a few years later, Bathory had to find another women to confide in while doing her killings. She was a bloodsucking demon sent from Hell to murder young women. High-quality Elizabeth Bathory pillows, tapestries, mugs, blankets, shower curtains, aprons, jigsaw. In the way that governments and authorities dont act if something happens to the poor or unprivileged. As a wealthy noblewoman, Bathory evaded the law until 1610, according to the History Channel. But as the story goes, Bathory didnt stop there. Better known in the West as Elizabeth Bathory and Vlad Dracula, they were in their own places and ages already infamous, though for different reasons. Elizabeth was born August of 1560 to a powerful branch of the royal family in Hungary. Likewise, some historians say that witnesses probably provided the incriminating yet contradictory testimonies under duress and that the king called for the death penalty before Bathorys family could intervene on her behalf. They descended from George II, the younger son of John I, through the George's grandson Michael. [citation needed], Bthory's daughter, Anna Ndasdy, was born in 1585 and was later to become the wife of Nikola VI Zrinski. The servants, accused of aiding her in torture and murder, were put on trial in 1611; three were executed. Her mother was Baroness Anna Bthory (15391570), daughter of Stephen Bthory of Somly, also voivode of Transylvania, who was of the Somly branch. Ndasdy was the son of Baron Tams Ndasdy de Ndasd et Fogarasfld and Orsolya Kanizsai. 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. The Csejte church and the castle of Csejte do not bear any markings of her possible grave. [clarification needed] She was detained in the castle of Csejte for the remainder of her life, where she died at the age of 54. Bathory sometimes tortured girls by driving needles into their fingers, cutting their noses or lips or whipping them with stinging nettles. Beauty pioneer Elizabeth Arden opened the doors of her first salon in 1910. She had an elder brother named Stephen. According to widespread misbelief, Elizabeth Bthory was one of the most notorious serial killers in history, supposedly murdering over 600 women in her castle during her lifetime. Stammtafel nach Alexander von Simolin - printed in Farin, Voivode (and later Prince) of Transylvania, List of titled noble families in the Kingdom of Hungary, "Bram Stoker, Elizabeth Bathory and Dracula", "A genealogy of the founders of the Bthory family", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bthory_family&oldid=1105322508, Articles lacking reliable references from August 2012, Short description is different from Wikidata, All articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases, Articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases from February 2019, Pages using infobox family with unknown parameters, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. How was Elizabeth Bathory caught? (726) $5.00. Vitus killed it with three thrusts of his lance and as a reward received the castle. I also did not know that part of the reason for her sadism came from her upbringing and husband. The evidence against Bathory has flaws: Of 289 witness accounts, more than 250 offered either hearsay or no information whatsoever. 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. 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. However, this depraved action isn't backed up by contemporaneous witness accounts (which otherwise didn't shy away from gore). The fourth was spared immediate execution; what happened to her afterward is unknown. Many modern Hungarian scholars believe that the accusations against Elizabeth Bathory were exaggerated. 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. Elizabeth I was a long-ruling queen of England, governing with relative stability and prosperity for 44 years. For years, citizens were frightened of Elizabeth Bathory. But although this story is by far the most memorable, its also extremely unlikely to have been true. Inside her castles, there were torture chambers. Make 2023 the year to let that wonderful you-ness shine. Bthory was born into prominent Protestant nobility in Hungary. [8] Szdeczky-Kardoss argues that the physical evidence was exaggerated and Thurz misrepresented dead and wounded patients as victims of Bthory, as disgracing her would greatly benefit his political state ambitions. Hungarian countess and alleged serial killer, This article is about the Hungarian countess. Hambly. 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