25 of the Most Evil People the World Has Ever Seen. Elizabeth (Bathory) Bthory de Ecsed is Notable. During the trial, witnesses explained how Bathory would lure in servant girls to kill. 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. [citation needed], After the wedding, the couple lived in Nadasdy's castle at Srvr. 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. Just go lie down." Her relatives included the governor of Transylvania, The king of Poland, and the prince of Transylvania. She suffered from epilepsy as a child, possibly from familial inbreeding. 1560: Elizabeth Bathory is born into one of the oldest and wealthiest families in Transylvania. Worst case? All of Elizabeth's children were cared for by governesses, as Bthory herself had been. Lancer's True Name is Elizabeth Bthory (, "Erzsbet Bthory"), the virginal fourteen year old aspect that had yet to become the monster Carmilla like her older aspect. But not everyone is convinced of her guilt. 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. Anna Bthory was the widow of the last descendant of the Dragfi family and George now seized the castles of the Dragfi. She allegedly expanded her sights and began killing daughters of the gentry who had been sent to Csejte for their education. Ndasdy was the son of Baron Tams Ndasdy de Ndasd et Fogarasfld and Orsolya Kanizsai. [33] Moreover, Matthias owed a large debt to Bthory, which was cancelled after she was arrested. She allegedly tortured and murdered these women between 1585 and 1609. The theory is consistent with Hungarian history at that time, which included religious and political conflicts, especially relating to the wars with the Ottoman Empire, the spread of Protestantism and the extension of Habsburg power over Hungary. How was Elizabeth Bathory caught? Uncanny parallels between the two. Although never tried, Bthory was confined to her chambers at Castle Cachtice. The servants confessed under torture, which is not credible in contemporary proceedings. Raised in a noble family, Bathory knew a life of privilege from an early age. The servants were put on trial in 1611, and three were executed. A powerful terror ruled over lands in Hungary in the 16th century. She was born in 1560 to Baron George Bathory and Baroness Anne Bathory ("Blood Countess," par. (2009). Bthory and four of her servants were accused of torturing and killing hundreds of girls and women between 1590 and 1610. 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. 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). 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). This legend appeared in print for the first time in 1729, in the Jesuit scholar Lszl Turczi's Tragica Historia, the first written account of the Bthory case. This too may have been politically motivated, as the death penalty meant that the king could seize her land. She would bite shoulders and breasts, as well as burning the flesh, including the genitals, of some victims. Although it is commonly believed that Bthory was caught in the act of torture, she was having dinner. [3] She was well- educated, beautiful and wealthy. Bthory, though never tried, was confined to Castle Csejte (now Cachtice), reportedly kept in a bricked-in room. IMPORTANT PRIVACY NOTICE & DISCLAIMER: YOU HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO USE CAUTION WHEN DISTRIBUTING PRIVATE INFORMATION. It is interesting to read how her childhood and husband shaped her into the serial killer that she became. The possible causes were very well documented and the cruelty leaves me to wonder how many innocent people died at the hands of sadistic powerful rulers who enjoyed torture. The Countess came from a very influential family. The testimony that Bathory had listed 650 victims was a secondhand accounting of what a court official had discovered yet the official who'd supposedly seen this information didn't testify. At the age of 13, before her first marriage, Bthory allegedly gave birth to a child. This diary, however, appears to have only been a legend. [10], Another branch of the family are the Bthory of Simolin family, which was named after their estate Simony (or Simolin). Legend has it that. "use strict";(function(){var insertion=document.getElementById("citation-access-date");var date=new Date().toLocaleDateString(undefined,{month:"long",day:"numeric",year:"numeric"});insertion.parentElement.replaceChild(document.createTextNode(date),insertion)})(); Subscribe to the Biography newsletter to receive stories about the people who shaped our world and the stories that shaped their lives. At the age of 11, Bathory, who was considered a beautiful and well-educated girl, became engaged to Count Ferenc Nadasdy. According to SyFy, this claim didnt even appear in print until after shed been dead for more than a century. [clarification needed] She was detained in the castle of Csejte for the remainder of her life, where she died at the age of 54. But Bathorys case may not have been as cut and dry as it seemed. Elizabeth Bthory, or Bthory Erzsbet in her native Hungarian, was born in Nyrbtor on August 7, 1560. Bathory took the advice, which turned out be a mistake for her. Matthias was not inclined to pay that debt, which historians say may have fueled his move to incriminate the countess in multiple crimes and deny her the opportunity to defend herself in court. However, Thurzo ordered her bricked into a windowless room in Cjsethe Castle. Their court proceedings began early in January 1611. Bathing in pure girls blood is heard from a lot in movies but Ive never heard it happening in real life. 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. I was researching about it today and I found a family tree of her husband Ferenc Nadasdy. The Somly branch, on the other hand, supported John Zpolya, whom the greater part of the Hungarian nobility had elected King. Witnesses claimed that Bathorys favorite method of torture was using scissors to mutilate her victims bodies and faces. After the harsh and fierce battle, Hungary was torn apart by the conflict between the rival royal claims. Katarna Benick received a life sentence after evidence showed that she'd been abused by the other women. Yes, there are descendants of Elizabeth Bathory that are living today. 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. [citation needed] The castle had been bought by his mother in 1569 and given to Ndasdy, who transferred it to Elizabeth during their nuptials, together with the Csejte country house and seventeen adjacent villages. MINIATURE framed painting art. ", in, This page was last edited on 19 August 2022, at 17:33. The servants, accused of aiding her in torture and murder, were put on trial in 1611; three were executed. [4], The case of Elizabeth Bthory inspired numerous stories during the 18th and 19th centuries. In the years after Bathorys husband passed, whispers floated around about Bathorys actions, specifically her killing young girls. In Hungarian the word btor means "brave". [16] The threat of attack was significant, for the village of Csejte had previously been plundered by the Ottomans while Srvr, located near the border that divided Royal Hungary and Ottoman-occupied Hungary, was in even greater danger. Why might Bathory have been subject to outside machinations? 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. 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. "of Btor".[4]. Countess Elizabeth Bthory de Ecsed (Hungarian: Bthori Erzsbet, pronounced[batori rebt]; Slovak: Albeta Btoriov; 7 August 1560 21 August 1614)[1] was a Hungarian noblewoman and alleged serial killer from the family of Bthory, who owned land in the Kingdom of Hungary (now Slovakia). After hearing the accusations, Thurz ultimately charged Bathory with the deaths of 80 girls. Elizabeth Bathory was technically a subject of the Habsburg crown. The Bthory family (Polish: Batory) was a Hungarian noble family of the Gutkeled clan. Countess Elisabeth Bthory (August 7, 1560 - August 21, 1614) was a Hungarian noblewoman who has become renowned as a pre-modern Serial Killer, allegedly kidnapping, torturing, and murdering dozens of young peasant girls. As Gyrgy Thurz wrote, Elizabeth Bthory was locked in a bricked room, but according to other sources (written documents from the visit of priests, July 1614), she was able to move freely and unhindered in the castle, more akin to house arrest. In the 1550s, when Ferdinand briefly gained control of Transylvania in 1551, he installed Stephen's nephew Bonaventura as his lieutenant to govern the country. In this time period, if someone was harmed, or someone even stole a chicken, a letter of complaint was written. In 1575 she married Count Ferencz Ndasdy and moved to Castle Csejte (now in Cachtice, Slovakia), a wedding gift from Ndasdys family. The Ecsed branch commonly sided with the Habsburgs: Stephen VII, who had escaped the battle, fled with Louis' widow to Pozsony (now Bratislava), where he organized the election of Ferdinand of Austria as King of Hungary. Her actions resulted in a nickname of the "Blood Countess" and may have been a source of inspiration for Bram Stoker's Dracula. Elizabeth Bthory (died 1614), daughter of George VI and through her mother niece of the Polish King Stephen Bthory. Through her mother, Elizabeth was the niece of the Hungarian noble Stephen Bthory (15331586), the King of Poland, the Grand Duke of Lithuania of the PolishLithuanian Commonwealth, and Prince of Transylvania. From that time, he never fully recovered, and in 1603 became permanently disabled. Impressed by Stephen, George VI Bthory, of the Ecsed branch, was persuaded to change his allegiance from the Habsburgs to Zpolya, for which the Habsburg king deprived him of his castle Bujak. If all the stories about her are true, then she is likely the most prolific and vicious female serial killer of all time. However, it's possible Bathory was not guilty of all the crimes that have been laid at her feet. [19] In the last month of 1614, she signed her arrangement, in which she distributed the estates, lands and possessions among her children. George strengthened his alliance to Stephen by marrying his sister Anna, uniting the branches. 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]. 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. 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. Elizabeth Bthory (or Erzsbet, to use the Hungarian spelling) was born into a Hungarian noble family on the 7th August, 1560. [1], In 1279, King Ladislaus IV rewarded Andrew's brother Hodos[2] [citation needed], Bthory's daughter, Anna Ndasdy, was born in 1585 and was later to become the wife of Nikola VI Zrinski. She went to sleep and was found dead the following morning. Any remains or signs of her or her body cannot be found today. 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. He had also received the castle Bujak from King Albert of Habsburg. In fact, some modern Hungarian scholars say that it may have been motivated more by others power and greed than her supposed evil. Gyrgy Ndasdy is also supposedly the name of one of the deceased Ndasdy infants, but this cannot be confirmed. I find it interesting that she was born in Transylvania, the same place that Vlad Tepes (Vlad Dracula) was born. Descendants of Elizabeth Bathory the Blood Queen being hunted by descendants of her supposed victims. There is still no physical evidence to this day that proves she is innocent or guilty. [36] It is difficult to know how accurate his account of events is. Those horrific acts of violence and the sometimes-supernatural legends that surround the crimes help define Elizabeth Bathorys terrifying legacy today. Corrections? Overall, I believe the author did a good job telling a tragic story. Seeing that from a young age she would laugh at the torment of the servants I think it wouldve been only a matter of time. She celebrated 70 years on the throne in June 2022 with her Platinum Jubilee. Briccius: The elder branch of the family, the Bthory of Somly were descended from John, Count of Szatmr, the first-born son of Briccius, through his eldest son Ladislaus (died 1373). Some witnesses named relatives who died while at the gynaeceum. I never new much about Elizabeth Bathory other than her obsession with Virgin blood and the occult, but boy did some of these accounts just turn my stomach. Even then, the punishment Bathory faced was nowhere near as cruel as what she did to these young girls. 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. 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. Stole a chicken, a letter of complaint was written was last edited on 19 August 2022 at. 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