Gabriella Erzsébet Báthory-Nádasdy de Ecsed,
The Bloody Lady of Čachtice
The Bloody Lady of Čachtice
“We get these unusual, cruel people who make us think about what it is in human nature that makes us behave that way against other human beings”
Ganza
Vampirism has long been linked to those who do particularly bloody things. There are historical figures who became vampires by legend. One of them is Elizabeth Bathory, a Hungarian countess that was accused of murdering more than 650 young women in the most sadisctic and heartless acts.
Countess Elizabeth Bathory (1560-1614), often referred to by her Hungarian name, Erzsebet, was a Hungarian noblewoman, born to one of Hungary's wealthiest and most influential families. As with most European aristocratic dynasties, the Bathory clan was fraught with mental illness resulting from a long tradition of inbreeding. King Stephan of Poland ranks as one of Elizabeth's more memorable relatives; the less savory included a bisexual, sadistic aunt and a schizophrenic uncle. Small wonder, then, that Elizabeth began suffering from epileptic fits at the age of four or five. The young Countess was a spoiled child, raised by a string of governesses employed to cater to her every need. Though her erratic fits and stand-offish personality were bothersome, she was generally regarded as an intelligent and capable young woman.
At the age of eleven (or fifteen, by some accounts) Elizabeth became engaged to twenty-six-year-old Count Fernencz Nadasdy, a renowned war hero whose sadistic flair would ultimately earn him fame as "The Black Hero of Hungary." As was not uncommon in aristocratic circles, the marriage was a purely political union engineered by Elizabeth's opportunistic mother. The Nadasdy clan also climbed a few rungs on the social ladder - the Bathorys were a more powerful family with greater seniority. Though much speculation has been published with regard to the Countess' marriage, Fernencz's frequent absences were a hard fact. The first few years of their marriage produced few children, and it was during these long periods of solitude that Elizabeth's sadistic nature took rein.
As a member of aristochrasy, Elizabeth was raised under the assumption that commoners' lives were expendable. Gypsies, villagers, they were all the same, and their lifes, just as their deaths, were meaningless.
In her early twenties, Elizabeth, perhaps in a fit of boredom, discovered that torturing servants "tickled her fancy," if you will. It is said that his husband taught Elizabeth several torture technichs. No clear reasons have yet been given as to why the Countess took such exquisite pleasure in the pain of others, but overwhelming evidence proves that she did. Unfortunately for the teenage females in the servant population, Elizabeth's choice targets were adolescent girls. She began by ripping their bodies apart with red-hot pincers, setting them on fire, and torturing them with "star-kicking," which entailed oiled bits of paper being placed inbetween the servants' toes; the paper would be lit on fire while the Countess delighted in the spectacle of the girls attempting to kick away the flames. (How utterly delightful.) She was known to rip girls' heads apart - literally - by pulling their mouths open until they tore at the edges and the neck snapped. On her better days, she delighted in humiliating girls by forcing them to strip naked and perform their household duties in full view of men.
As the Countess grew steadily older, her thirst for innocent girls' flesh heightened. She invented new forms of torture, "water torture," in which a girl was stripped naked, taken out into sub-zero temperatures, and showered with cold water until she froze to death. Following the death of her husband (which some attribute to the Countess herself, though no strong evidence exists), she became ever more concerned with her fading beauty and began the regular blood-baths which earned her notoriety.
Elizabeth was worried about her fading beauty, and so she asked her wet nurse how could she regain it. The nurse told her that blood is powerful, and human sacrifices "works wonders"; she tells the countess that, if she takes baths with virgin's blood, she would be beautiful forever.
When an unfortunate servant girl pulled the Countess' hair while styling it, Elizabeth slapped the girl so hard that blood splashed on her hand. As she went to wipe it off, she believed that the skin touched by the blood had regained the smooth, creamy complexion for which it had once been famous. Elizabeth ordered the maid's throat slashed and her blood drained into a large vat; she bathed lavishly in the blood while it was still warm.
That was the beginning of a horrible series of murders; hundres of girls were kidnapped for their blood, and their parents never saw them again. During 11 years, the villagers saw how the black carruage of the Countess Báthory came to town, searching young girls, who would dissappear shortly after.
The lifeless bodies were burried close to the castle, till they were so many that the only choice was to throw them in the fields as the beasts' dinner.
Rumors started to circulate - no one could stop thinking that something seriously wrong was going on at the castle. Finally, one fatidic they, they find bones and rests of dozens of girls. The villagers raised their voices, terrified, and complained to their king. There were demons and vampires at the castle!
The authorities took some time to respond to Magyari's complaints. Finally, in 1610, Emperor Matthias assigned György Thurzó, the Palatine of Hungary, to investigate. Thurzó ordered two notaries to collect evidence in March 1610. Even before obtaining the results, Thurzó debated further proceedings with Elizabeth's son Paul and two of her sons-in-law. A Trial and execution would have caused a public scandal, disgraced a noble and influential family (which at the time ruled Transylvania) and Elizabeth's considerable property would have been seized by the crown. Thurzó agreed that Elizabeth Báthory should be kept under strict house arrest, but that further punishment should be avoided.
Testimonies collected in 1610 and 1611 contain a total of more than 300 witness accounts. Trial records include testimonies of the four defendants, as well as 13 more witnesses. Priests, noblemen and commoners were questioned. Eye-witnesses included the castellan and other personnel of Sárvár castle.
Her initial victims were local peasant girls, many of whom were lured to Čachtice by offers of well-paid work as maids in the castle. Later she may have begun to kill daughters of lower gentry, who were sent to her gynaeceum by their parents to learn courtly etiquette by the opportunity to attend a sort of 'finishing school'. Abductions seem to have occurred as well.
Elizabeth was never brought to trial but remained under house arrest in a single room until her death.
Countess Elizabeth Bathory (1560-1614), often referred to by her Hungarian name, Erzsebet, was a Hungarian noblewoman, born to one of Hungary's wealthiest and most influential families. As with most European aristocratic dynasties, the Bathory clan was fraught with mental illness resulting from a long tradition of inbreeding. King Stephan of Poland ranks as one of Elizabeth's more memorable relatives; the less savory included a bisexual, sadistic aunt and a schizophrenic uncle. Small wonder, then, that Elizabeth began suffering from epileptic fits at the age of four or five. The young Countess was a spoiled child, raised by a string of governesses employed to cater to her every need. Though her erratic fits and stand-offish personality were bothersome, she was generally regarded as an intelligent and capable young woman.
At the age of eleven (or fifteen, by some accounts) Elizabeth became engaged to twenty-six-year-old Count Fernencz Nadasdy, a renowned war hero whose sadistic flair would ultimately earn him fame as "The Black Hero of Hungary." As was not uncommon in aristocratic circles, the marriage was a purely political union engineered by Elizabeth's opportunistic mother. The Nadasdy clan also climbed a few rungs on the social ladder - the Bathorys were a more powerful family with greater seniority. Though much speculation has been published with regard to the Countess' marriage, Fernencz's frequent absences were a hard fact. The first few years of their marriage produced few children, and it was during these long periods of solitude that Elizabeth's sadistic nature took rein.
As a member of aristochrasy, Elizabeth was raised under the assumption that commoners' lives were expendable. Gypsies, villagers, they were all the same, and their lifes, just as their deaths, were meaningless.
In her early twenties, Elizabeth, perhaps in a fit of boredom, discovered that torturing servants "tickled her fancy," if you will. It is said that his husband taught Elizabeth several torture technichs. No clear reasons have yet been given as to why the Countess took such exquisite pleasure in the pain of others, but overwhelming evidence proves that she did. Unfortunately for the teenage females in the servant population, Elizabeth's choice targets were adolescent girls. She began by ripping their bodies apart with red-hot pincers, setting them on fire, and torturing them with "star-kicking," which entailed oiled bits of paper being placed inbetween the servants' toes; the paper would be lit on fire while the Countess delighted in the spectacle of the girls attempting to kick away the flames. (How utterly delightful.) She was known to rip girls' heads apart - literally - by pulling their mouths open until they tore at the edges and the neck snapped. On her better days, she delighted in humiliating girls by forcing them to strip naked and perform their household duties in full view of men.
As the Countess grew steadily older, her thirst for innocent girls' flesh heightened. She invented new forms of torture, "water torture," in which a girl was stripped naked, taken out into sub-zero temperatures, and showered with cold water until she froze to death. Following the death of her husband (which some attribute to the Countess herself, though no strong evidence exists), she became ever more concerned with her fading beauty and began the regular blood-baths which earned her notoriety.
Elizabeth was worried about her fading beauty, and so she asked her wet nurse how could she regain it. The nurse told her that blood is powerful, and human sacrifices "works wonders"; she tells the countess that, if she takes baths with virgin's blood, she would be beautiful forever.
When an unfortunate servant girl pulled the Countess' hair while styling it, Elizabeth slapped the girl so hard that blood splashed on her hand. As she went to wipe it off, she believed that the skin touched by the blood had regained the smooth, creamy complexion for which it had once been famous. Elizabeth ordered the maid's throat slashed and her blood drained into a large vat; she bathed lavishly in the blood while it was still warm.
That was the beginning of a horrible series of murders; hundres of girls were kidnapped for their blood, and their parents never saw them again. During 11 years, the villagers saw how the black carruage of the Countess Báthory came to town, searching young girls, who would dissappear shortly after.
The lifeless bodies were burried close to the castle, till they were so many that the only choice was to throw them in the fields as the beasts' dinner.
Rumors started to circulate - no one could stop thinking that something seriously wrong was going on at the castle. Finally, one fatidic they, they find bones and rests of dozens of girls. The villagers raised their voices, terrified, and complained to their king. There were demons and vampires at the castle!
The authorities took some time to respond to Magyari's complaints. Finally, in 1610, Emperor Matthias assigned György Thurzó, the Palatine of Hungary, to investigate. Thurzó ordered two notaries to collect evidence in March 1610. Even before obtaining the results, Thurzó debated further proceedings with Elizabeth's son Paul and two of her sons-in-law. A Trial and execution would have caused a public scandal, disgraced a noble and influential family (which at the time ruled Transylvania) and Elizabeth's considerable property would have been seized by the crown. Thurzó agreed that Elizabeth Báthory should be kept under strict house arrest, but that further punishment should be avoided.
Testimonies collected in 1610 and 1611 contain a total of more than 300 witness accounts. Trial records include testimonies of the four defendants, as well as 13 more witnesses. Priests, noblemen and commoners were questioned. Eye-witnesses included the castellan and other personnel of Sárvár castle.
Her initial victims were local peasant girls, many of whom were lured to Čachtice by offers of well-paid work as maids in the castle. Later she may have begun to kill daughters of lower gentry, who were sent to her gynaeceum by their parents to learn courtly etiquette by the opportunity to attend a sort of 'finishing school'. Abductions seem to have occurred as well.
Elizabeth was never brought to trial but remained under house arrest in a single room until her death.
