Her father was Baron George VI Bthory of the Ecsed branch of the family, brother of Andrew Bonaventura Bthory, who had been voivode of Transylvania. During her childhood, Bathory had a neurological disorder, and the environment around her only contributed to her sadistic ways. In Hungarian the word btor means "brave". 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 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. So, Hungarian King Matthias II sent his highest-ranking representative, Gyrgy Thurz, to investigate the complaints against her. 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. If not, see our friends at Ancestry DNA. One of the servants provided a list in Bathorys handwriting of all 650 of her victims. 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. Elizabeth Bthory (born Ecsedi Bthory Erzsbet in Hungarian) came from the noble Protestant family Bthory, who owned land in the Kingdom of Hungary. The Csejte church and the castle of Csejte do not bear any markings of her possible grave. Today, Elizabeth Bathory is infamously remembered as the Blood Countess who killed up to 650 girls and women in the Kingdom of Hungary. In 1575 she married Count Ferencz Ndasdy and moved to Castle Csejte (now in Cachtice, Slovakia), a wedding gift from Ndasdys family. These servants denied their culpability in the murders but admitted to burying multiple victims, though the number in their accounts varied between 36 and 51. Listen above to the History Uncovered podcast, episode 49: Bloody Mary, also available on, true story behind the real-life Bloody Mary. It is sad to know the number is so high for the number of deaths caused by her, but she was noticeably, permanently ill in the head from a young age. [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. Also known as Bthori Erzsbet, Elizabeth Bathory was born to an incredibly powerful family on August 7, 1560, in Hungary. Rate this book. [3] The use of needles was also mentioned by the collaborators in court. (726) $5.00. According to Thurz's letter to his wife, his unannounced visit found one dead girl and another living "prey" girl in the castle,[19] but there is no evidence that they asked her what had happened to her. 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. Peasant girls looking for servant work in the Csejte Castle were disappearing, and no one knew why. This article caught my eye because there is a Swedish extreme Metal band that goes by the same name (Bathory). George and Anna Bthory produced the most infamous member of the family, Elizabeth, a widow Countess who was eventually tried and found guilty of murdering hundreds of young peasant girls over the course of twenty years, making her the most prolific serial killer in history. She used tools such as knives, razors, and wax to torture them.12 She would also bite pieces of flesh off of her victims.13 The people who lived in the same town as Bathory saw the girls that she tortured while they ran errands. 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. Elizabeth Bathory was born on the family estate of Nyirbator in eastern Hungary on the 7th of August 1560. However, he may have schooled her in techniques of torture when they were together. The King of Hungary, King Matthias II, ordered Gyorgy Thurzo, Palatine of Hungary, to look into the rumors and accusations about Bathory. [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. Descendants of Elizabeth Bathory the Blood Queen being hunted by descendants of her supposed victims. Orsika's year of birth was probably some time between that of Anna and Katalin, around 1590. Thurzo investigated and accumulated hundreds of witnesses, and a few were willing to testify against Bathory. Countess Elizabeth Bthory, (Erzsbet Bthori in Hungarian), was born in 1560 in Nyrbtor in Royal Hungary. The fact that a large debt owed by Matthias to Bthory was canceled by her family in exchange for permitting them to manage her captivity suggests that the acts attributed to her were politically motivated slander that allowed relatives to appropriate her lands. "of Btor".[4]. Bathing in pure girls blood is heard from a lot in movies but Ive never heard it happening in real life. Their hands showed burn marks, or their faces were disfigured. Yes, there are descendants of Elizabeth Bathory that are living today. She was initially buried in the crypt on her estate, but her body was likely moved afterward. [15], Bthory was raised a Calvinist Protestant. However, this depraved action isn't backed up by contemporaneous witness accounts (which otherwise didn't shy away from gore). It seems most likely that the claim of Thurz's discovering Bthory covered in blood has been the embellishment of fictionalized accounts. The Countess came from a very influential family. [4], The case of Elizabeth Bthory inspired numerous stories during the 18th and 19th centuries. [citation needed] Thurz, along with Paul and her two sons-in-law, originally planned for Bthory to be sent to a nunnery, but as accounts of her actions spread, they decided to keep her under strict house arrest.[22]. and Andrew's sons George (d. 1307), Benedict (d. 1321) and Briccius (d. 1322) for their military services by granting them Btor in the county of Szabolcs. The evidence gathered by Thurz also included 289 witness statements. 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. She had received it as a wedding gift from her husband, the famed Hungarian war hero Ferenc Ndasdy. Elizabeth Bthory (1560 - 1614 AD) was a countess from the renowned Bthory family of nobility in the Kingdom of Hungary and cousin of the Hungarian noble Stefan Bthory, King of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Duke of Transylvania. 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. 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. Her cousin, Gyrgy Thurz, count palatine of Hungary, was ordered by Matthias, then king of Hungary, to investigate. Luke possessed wide estates in Szatmr and was granted by King Charles Robert the lordship of Ecsed, where he built the castle called Hsg (loyalty). After all, legend has it that she bathed in the blood of at least 650 servant girls she had tortured and killed. [12] Nicknames and literary epithets attributed to her include The Blood Countess and Countess Dracula. Bathory gave birth to five children. 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. Overall, I believe the author did a good job telling a tragic story. There is no evidence that she actually committed the crimes she of which she was alleged. Serial Killer Elizabeth Bathory (aka) The Blood Countess, The achtice Countess, was active for 20 years between 1590-1609, known to have ( 80 confirmed / 650 possible ) victims. A 15-year-old Bathory married Nadasdy on May 8, 1575. 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. 1). Elizabeth Bthory was born on a family estate in Nyrbtor, Royal Hungary in 1560 or 1561, the daughter of Baron George VI Bthory and Baroness Anna Bthory. She was a widow of one of the most powerful and wealthy noblemen of Hungary, she managed enormous estates and was documented to have been very good to her people offering scholarships and running practically a hospital in her castle. It took 35 years and 650 girls for the King of Hungary to take action. [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. The ruins of Csejte Castle, where Elizabeth Bathory supposedly committed unspeakable crimes. [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. Her family controlled Transylvania, and her uncle Stephen Bthory was king of Poland. Abridged from Female Serial Killers: How and Why Women Become Monsters by Peter Vronsky. After these executions Thurz continued to investigate the countess. She was 25 when the original portrait -- the only known image of her -- was painted. Simon Kezai, Lzl Veszprmy, Frank Schaer (ed. Her family controlled Transylvania, and her uncle, Stephen Bthory, was king of Poland. [21], Thurz debated further proceedings with Bthory's son Paul and two of her sons-in-law, Nikola VI Zrinski and Gyrgy Drugeth. 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. Hambly. the surrounding dragon being the emblem of the Order of the Dragon. However, she was bricked up and isolated in a room at Csejte Castle, where she remained under house arrest for four years until her death in 1614, according to History Today. For other uses, see, "Batory" redirects here. Elisabeth Sherman is a writer living in Jersey City, New Jersey. Bthory was born into prominent Protestant nobility in Hungary. He had also received the castle Bujak from King Albert of Habsburg. Ancient Origins - Elizabeth Bathory 16th century deranged serial killer or victim of betrayal. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. She would soon be accused of not only torturing but killing hundreds of girls and women who entered her castle. Four of Bathory's servants three females and one male were then arrested, questioned, and subjected to torture. The historical evidence on Bthory fundamentally contradicts your source (s). Initially, Thurz made the declaration to Bthory's guests and villagers that he had caught her red-handed. Ferenc and Erzsebet Bathory had six children. Any remains or signs of her or her body cannot be found today. Her uncle, Stephen Bathory, was king of Poland. In the years after Bathorys husband passed, whispers floated around about Bathorys actions, specifically her killing young girls. Later, the interest of the Zpolyas were represented at the Habsburg court by the Voivode's son Stephen IX, who would go on to become Prince of Transylvania and King of Poland. A powerful terror ruled over lands in Hungary in the 16th century. I wouldve expected her to get decapitated or more severely punished. Considering the mythologized elements of Bathorys alleged crimes, it begs the question of how much of her bloody story was actually true and how much was made up just to take a powerful and wealthy woman down. During the trial, witnesses explained how Bathory would lure in servant girls to kill. Elizabeth Bathory (1560-1614) was a countess who lived in Transylvania, then a part of the Kingdom of Hungary. Thurz ordered two notaries, Andrs Keresztry and Mzes Czirky,[19] to collect evidence in March 1610. It is also interesting to note that the King of Hungary only took notice or sent someone to investigate the disappearances of young girls when it was young noble girls disappearing. This branch, since they retained the possession of Btor, are sometimes called of Btor or, as the younger branch, Nyrbtor (New Bathory).[3]. She was born in 1560 to Baron George Bathory and Baroness Anne Bathory ("Blood Countess," par. It was only when noble girls started disappearing and dying that he demanded Thurzo to look into it. It turns out that King Matthias II owed Bathorys late husband, and then her, a sizable debt. Bathory, a scion of a powerful Hungarian family and the product of inbreeding between Baron George Bathory and Baroness Anna Bathory, called the Csejte Castle home. 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. One day, Thurzo showed up to Bathorys castle with armed guards. 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. Therefore, the idea of evil inside the family bond emerges in the Countess's massacres. At the age of 11, Bathory, who was considered a beautiful and well-educated girl, became engaged to Count Ferenc Nadasdy. Today, Elizabeth Bathory is infamously remembered as the "Blood Countess" who killed up to 650 girls and women in the Kingdom of Hungary. When Nadasdy passed away in 1604, he gave his whole estate away to Bathory including his castle, Cachtice, in modern day Slovakia. WIKITREE PROTECTS MOST SENSITIVE INFORMATION BUT ONLY TO THE EXTENT STATED IN THE TERMS OF SERVICE AND PRIVACY POLICY. Elizabeth Bthory (or Erzsbet, to use the Hungarian spelling) was born into a Hungarian noble family on the 7th August, 1560. As a wealthy noblewoman, Bathory evaded the law until 1610, according to the History Channel. Make 2023 the year to let that wonderful you-ness shine. For example, he instructed her to strip her servants naked, cover them in honey, and let bugs eat at them.8 Elizabeths husband, Nadasdy, was yet another influence to why she became obsessed with torturing her servants. However, it's possible Bathory was not guilty of all the crimes that have been laid at her feet. 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. [26], On 25 January 1611, Thurz wrote a letter to King Matthias describing that they had captured and confined Bthory to her castle. The family divided into two major branches, which descended from the sons and grandsons of Bathory was born in Nyrbtor, Hungary, on August 7, 1560. Bthory and four of her servants were accused of torturing and killing hundreds of girls and women between 1590 and 1610. On December 30, 1609, Bthory and her servants were arrested. History has a way of turning powerful women into folklore. 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). But as time went on, rumors that Bathory tortured her servants began to spread. Two died as infants, but two daughters and a son survived. Her mother's brother Stephen (or Istvn . 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. According to Biographics, Bthory also had a steady supply of victims since she had almost 400 peasant women and girls working as servants across her estates. Great job! Elizabeth was born August of 1560 to a powerful branch of the royal family in Hungary. The Simolin family possessed large estates in Prussia and Courland and members served the Russian Empresses Elizabeth and Catherine as diplomats. Her mother was Baroness Anna Bthory (15391570), daughter of Stephen Bthory of Somly, also voivode of Transylvania, who was of the Somly branch. Her family betrothed Bathory to Count Ferencz Ndasdy when she was 11 or 12. However, this is a fairly contemporary copy of that original, probably painted in the late 16th century. Bathory herself was spared from execution due to her status as a noble. [31] The location of her body today is unknown but believed to be buried deep in the church area of the castle. Elizabeth was not the mother of the youngsters she murdered, yet ''she was related by blood or marriage to nearly all the victims named in the testimonies'' (Thorne 31). Elizabeth Bathory's Chilling Secret to Eternal Youth. Wikimedia CommonsThe ruins of Csejte Castle, where Elizabeth Bathory supposedly committed unspeakable crimes. Enter a grandparent's name. Why might Bathory have been subject to outside machinations? Her father was Baron George VI Bthory, brother of the voivode of Transylvania, Andrew Bonaventura Bthory. [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. 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. In the early 17th century, rumors began to circulate around the village of Trenn in present-day Slovakia. Witnesses claimed that Bathorys favorite method of torture was using scissors to mutilate her victims bodies and faces. A student organization of St. Marys University of San Antonio, Texas, featuring scholarly research, writing, and media from students of all disciplines. At times, Bathorys husband went away at war, but when he was at home, he shaped Bathory in how she killed.6 Nadasdy enjoyed torturing peasants and servants in brutal ways. The intimate nature of Bathory's attacks suggests a sexual motivation, though it's impossible to know with certainty what compelled her to act. Sadistic pleasure is considered a far more plausible motive for Bthory's crimes. She has since gone on to become an accomplished activist and author. Salem Press Biographical Encyclopedia, 2018, s.v. My jaw dropped the moment I read that she had more than 600 victims. She was forty-three at the time of Ferencz's death and known to be terrified of growing old and losing her beauty. 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. This is thought to be one of the reasons she became obsessed over blood. Perhaps, historians say, the true story of Elizabeth Bathory looks more like this: The countess owned strategically important land that increased her familys already vast wealth. I find it interesting that she was born in Transylvania, the same place that Vlad Tepes (Vlad Dracula) was born. I had never heard of this story/person prior to reading this article, how disturbing! Nadasdy moved Bathory to his estate in Savar. Imprisonment allowed family members to take control of the powerful widow's possessions (her sons-in-law knew beforehand that her arrest was coming). She went to sleep and was found dead the following morning. Some of Bathory's victims were covered with honey and left outside for insects to devour. Instead, she was diagnosed as criminally insane.17. 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. I also find intriguing that Bathory was not charged with something more serious. 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. Her family had many powerful relatives -- a cardinal, princes, and a cousin who was prime minister of Hungary are among these relatives. She would bite shoulders and breasts, as well as burning the flesh, including the genitals, of some victims. [10] Legends describing her vampiric tendencies, such as the tale that she bathed in the blood of virgins to retain her youth, were generally recorded years after her death and are considered unreliable. 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 . In a way, things that happened back then are still happening now. Erzsebet Bathory, known more commonly in the Western world by the anglicised name Elizabeth, was born August 7th, 1560, the daughter of Baron George Bathory and Baroness Anna Bathory. I wonder if she wouldve grown up to be different if all these people in her life wouldnt have helped her torment her servants. Want to Read. While facing fraud charges, she was publicly revealed to be a transgender woman. After the trials concluded, Thurzo founded Bathory guilty, and she stayed in solitary confinement in her castle, Cachtice, for the rest of her life.
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