I first heard Countess Elizabeth Bathory’s story when I read a book involving her and immediately became intrigued. For those who are not familiar with the Blood Countess or “Lady Dracula” as she is often named, Bathory was a 16-century born noble woman of Hungary who for some inexplicable reason developed a late-in-life, sudden vengeful streak, blood lust, and desire to remain young previously largely unassociated with her personality. In what would prove to be one heck of a mid-life crisis, the countess is said to have murdered 600, maybe 650 young women so she could bath in, or drink their blood, believing this “beauty” ritual would somehow preserve her youthful looks.
As I came to research this so-called Bloody Countess, I quickly learned all was not as it seemed. Early on, I found myself questioning much of the narrative shared at trial and I began to seriously wonder if I really knew Elizabeth Bathory’s story at all.
When one peels back the sensational headlines and looks at the testimony and historical events of the time, it starts looking more like this lone woman may have been preyed upon by wealthy, vengeful men, rather than it does she did any biodegradable fluid skinny dipping.
Obviously, any real evidence to decide her guilt is now lost to time, making it even more imperative one look at the social and economic situations of the period when judging this spectacularly bloody tale for its alleged accuracy. Elizabeth Bathory was from a wealthy family in her own right, and her marriage to Count Ferencz Nadasdy by no means lessened her social or financial standing, as she outranked him. Nadasdy was known for his success and savagery on the battlefield. The latter is important because many believe when her husband was home from war, he occupied his time teaching his young bride the fine art of torture.
After her husband passed, Elizabeth became the sole heir to all the fortune and lands of her husband’s estate. Prior to her husband’s death, he lent members of the nobility a large sum of money they were now refusing to pay his widowed bride. Additionally, two of Elizabeth’s cousins supported the “wrong” political and religious side of the time and when they found themselves imprisoned, Elizabeth spoke out in support of them, further endearing her to the nobility as a constant thorn in their side. Not to mention, the boys seemingly just plain couldn’t handle a woman having as much financial control and land wealth as she did.
Whispers began with the words of a priest, and not long after, whispers became a roar as young girls really did start dying off around her. Bathory ran a gynaeceum [school for noble girls] to teach young women had to be successful ladies. At first, Bathory attributed these deaths to a cholera outbreak, which was a plausible explanation for a time. As the bodies continued to pile up, more people became concerned, and rumors grew until Countess Bathory was arrested December 30, 1609, along with some of her servants.
Bathory never stood trial, but excerpts from the trial of her servants show witnesses were paid off and at least one powerful man conveniently saw his debt to Bathory wiped away by her arrest. Many witness accounts were proven to be untrue, or at best, sensationalized. Leading the investigation into her alleged crimes, György Thurzó, was the same man appointed by Nadasdy’s will to assist Bathory in managing the couple’s estate. When her servants were found guilty, Bathory was sentenced to house arrest; allegedly locked away inside a windowless room at Csetje Castle.
Confined from 1609-1614, Elizabeth Bathory was found dead at the age of 54 on August 21, 1614. It’s hard to say if she lasted so few years into her sentence because of her reported sunless imprisonment or if she really did require blood to survive.
What do you think; did the most prolific serial killer in history ever kill anybody, was she a victim of evil plotting by wicked men, or a little bit of both?