Editing Elizabeth Báthory

{{Short description|Hungarian countess and alleged serial killer (1560–1614)}}
{{Western name order|Ecsedi Báthori Erzsébet}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{More citations needed|date=January 2023}}
{{POV|date=April 2023}}
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{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2024}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Elizabeth Báthory
| image              = Elizabeth Báthory.jpg
| caption            = 
| other_names        = Bloody Countess<ref name="Barker">{{cite book |last=Barker |first=Roland C. |date=2001 |title=Bad People in History |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4TTqlswnuqAC&q=%22known%20as%20the%20bloody%20countess%22 |location=New York |publisher=Gramercy Books |page=7 |isbn=9780517163115}}</ref>
| birth_name         = Báthori Erzsébet
| birth_date         = 7 August 1560
| birth_place        = [[Nyírbátor]], [[Kingdom of Hungary (1526–1867)|Kingdom of Hungary]]
| death_date         = {{death date and age|1614|8|21|1560|8|7|df=y}}
| death_place        = [[Čachtice Castle|Csejte]], Kingdom of Hungary<br/>{{small|(now [[Čachtice]], Slovakia)}}
| known_for          = {{hlist|[[Hungarian nobility|Hungarian noblewoman]]|subject of [[folklore]]|alleged serial killer}}
| spouse             = {{marriage|[[Ferenc Nádasdy|Ferenc II Nádasdy]]|1575|1604|end=died}}
| children           = {{hlist|Anna|Orsika|Katalin|András|Paul}}
| family             = [[Báthory]]
| relatives          = {{plainlist|
*[[Stephen Báthory|Stephen Báthory, King of Poland]] (uncle)
* [[Stephen VII Báthory]] (paternal grandfather)
* [[Stephen VIII Báthory]] (maternal grandfather)
* [[Andrew Báthory]] (cousin)
* [[Gabriel Báthory]] (cousin)}}
}}

'''Countess Elizabeth Báthory of Ecsed''' ({{langx|hu|Báthori Erzsébet}}, {{IPA|hu|ˈbaːtori ˈɛrʒeːbɛt|pron}}; {{langx|sk|Alžbeta Bátoriová}}; 7 August 1560 – 21 August 1614)<ref name="britannica">{{cite web|last=Pallardy|first=Richard|title=Elizabeth Bathory &#124; Biography & Facts|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Elizabeth-Bathory|url-status=live|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150724160924/https://www.britannica.com:80/biography/Elizabeth-Bathory |archive-date=24 July 2015 }}</ref> was a [[Hungarian nobility|Hungarian noblewoman]] and alleged [[serial killer]] from the powerful [[Báthory|House of Báthory]], who owned land in the [[Kingdom of Hungary (1526–1867)|Kingdom of Hungary]] (now Slovakia). Báthory and four of her servants were accused of [[torturing]] and killing hundreds of girls and women from 1590 to 1610.<ref name="Ramsland">{{cite web |last=Ramsland |first=Katherine |title=Lady of Blood: Countess Bathory |url=http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial_killers/predators/bathory/countess_1.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140311102723/http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial_killers/predators/bathory/countess_1.html |archive-date=11 March 2014 |access-date=13 June 2014 |author-link=Katherine Ramsland |website=Crime Library |publisher=Turner Entertainment Networks Inc. }}</ref> She and her servants were put on trial and convicted. The servants were executed, whereas Báthory was imprisoned within the [[Čachtice Castle|Castle of Csejte]] ([[Čachtice]]) until she died in her sleep in 1614.<ref>{{cite book |last=McNally |first=Raymond T. |title=Dracula Was a Woman: In Search of the Blood Countess of Transylvania |publisher=McGraw Hill |year=1983 |isbn=978-0-07-045671-6 |location=New York |author-link=Raymond T. McNally|page=81}}</ref><ref name="Kardoss2"/>

The charges levelled against Báthory have been described by several historians as a [[witch-hunt]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Levack|first=Brian P.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yFloAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA348|title=The Oxford Handbook of Witchcraft in Early Modern Europe and Colonial America|date=28 March 2013|publisher=OUP Oxford|isbn=978-0-19-164883-0|pages=348}}</ref><ref name=":2"/> Other writers, such as Michael Farin in 1989, have said that the accusations against Báthory were supported by testimony from more than 300 individuals, some of whom described physical evidence and the presence of [[mutilation|mutilated]] dead, dying and imprisoned girls found at the time of her arrest.<ref name="autogenerated293">{{cite book |last=Farin |first=Michael |title=Heroine des Grauens: Wirken und Leben der Elisabeth Báthory: in Briefen, Zeugenaussagen und Phantasiespielen |year=1989 |page=293 |language=de |trans-title=Heroine of Horror: The Life and Work of Elisabeth Báthory: In Letters, Testimonies and Fantasy Games |oclc=654683776}}</ref> Recent sources claim that the accusations were a spectacle to destroy her family's influence in the region, which was considered a threat to the political interests of her neighbours, including the [[Habsburg empire]].<ref name=":5">{{cite journal |last=Bartosiewicz |first=Aleksandra |date=December 2018 |title=Elisabeth Báthory – a true story |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/331911064 |journal=Przegląd Nauk Historycznych |publisher=Lodz University Press, Poland |volume=17 |issue=3|pages=103–122|doi=10.18778/1644-857X.17.03.04|s2cid=188107395|doi-access=free|hdl=11089/27178 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>

Stories about Báthory quickly became part of national [[folklore]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The Plain Story |url=http://elizabethbathory.net/Countess-Bathory-s-case.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020214427/http://www.elizabethbathory.net/Countess-Bathory-s-case.html |archive-date=20 October 2013 |access-date=18 November 2013 |publisher=Elizabethbathory.net}}</ref> Legends describing her [[vampirism|vampiric]] tendencies, such as the tale that she bathed in the blood of virgins to retain her youth, were based on rumours and only recorded as supposedly factual over a century after her death. Although these stories were repeated by at least three historians in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, they are considered unreliable by modern historians.<ref>{{cite book |last=McNally |first=Raymond T. |title=Dracula Was a Woman: In Search of the Blood Countess of Transylvania |publisher=[[McGraw-Hill]] |year=1983 |isbn=978-0-07-045671-6 |location=New York City |author-link=Raymond T. McNally|pages=11–13}}</ref> Some insist that Elizabeth's story inspired [[Bram Stoker]]'s novel ''[[Dracula]]'' (1897),<ref>{{cite book |last=Joshi |first=S. T. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CaqE82YIh4QC&q=Báthory+Stoker%27s+Dracula&pg=PA6 |title=Encyclopedia of the Vampire: The Living Dead in Myth, Legend, and Popular Culture |date=2011 |publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]] |isbn=9780313378331 |location=Santa Barbara, California |page=6 |access-date=29 September 2018}}</ref> although Stoker's notes on the novel provided no direct evidence to support this hypothesis.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Stoker |first1=Bram |authorlink1=Bram Stoker |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=geFgAQAAQBAJ&q=Elizabeth+Báthory++Stoker&pg=PA131 |title=Bram Stoker's Notes for Dracula: A Facsimile Edition |last2=Eighteen-Bisang |first2=Robert |last3=Miller |first3=Elizabeth |date=2008 |publisher=[[McFarland & Company]] |isbn=9780786477302 |location=Jefferson, North Carolina |page=131 |access-date=29 September 2018}}</ref> Nicknames and literary [[epithets]] attributed to her include ''Blood Countess'' and ''Countess Dracula''.<ref name="Barker"/>

==Biography==
===Early life and education===
[[File:Ecsed vára Das ehmals gedrückte, vom Türken berückte, nun trefflich erquickte Königreich Hungarn. Frankfurt u. Leipzig 1688.jpg|thumb|left|Ecsed, the lake and the old castle]]

Elizabeth was born in 1560 on a family estate in [[Nyírbátor]], [[Kingdom of Hungary (1526–1867)|Royal Hungary]], and spent her childhood at [[Nagyecsed|Ecsed]] Castle. Her father was Baron George VI [[Báthory family|Báthory]] (d. 1570), of the Ecsed branch of the family, brother of Andrew Bonaventura Báthory (d. 1566), who had been ruling [[Voivode of Transylvania]]. Her mother was Baroness Anna Báthory of Somlyó (1537–1570), member of the other line of the Báthory family, daughter of [[Stephen VIII Báthory|Stephen Báthory of Somlyó, Palatine of Hungary]]. Through her mother, Elizabeth was the niece of [[Stephen Báthory]] (1533–1586), [[Prince of Transylvania]], who became the ruler of the [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth|Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth]] as [[King of Poland]] and [[Grand Duke of Lithuania]].<ref name=":6"/> She had several siblings; her older brother [[Stephen Báthory (1555–1605)|Stephen]] (1555–1605) served as a [[Judge royal|Judge Royal]] of Hungary.<ref name=":5"/>

Báthory was raised a [[Calvinist]] [[Protestant]],<ref name="Kardoss2"/> and learned [[Latin]], [[German language|German]], [[Hungarian language|Hungarian]], and [[Greek language|Greek]] as a young woman.<ref name="Ramsland"/><ref name=":0"/> Born into a privileged noble family, she was endowed with wealth, education, and a prominent social rank.<ref name=":6"/> A proposal made by some sources{{Who|date=October 2021}} in order to explain Báthory's cruelty later in her life is that she was trained by her family to be cruel.<ref name=":3">{{cite book|last=Leslie|first=Carroll|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LlMoDgAAQBAJ&pg=PP1|title=Royal Pains: A Rogues' Gallery of Brats, Brutes, and Bad Seeds|date=2014|publisher=[[New American Library]]|isbn=9781101478776|location=New York City|pages=160–161|oclc=883306686}}</ref>

As a child, Báthory had multiple [[seizure]]s that may have been caused by [[epilepsy]].<ref name=":0">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cpM-DgAAQBAJ|title=The most notorious serial killers : ruthless, twisted murderers whose crimes chilled the nation.|publisher=TI Incorporated Books|year=2017|isbn=9781683300274|location=United Kingdom|oclc=982117998}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Holmes |first=Gregory L. |date=January 1995 |title=The falling sickness. A history of epilepsy from the Greeks to the beginnings of modern neurology |journal=Journal of Epilepsy |publisher=[[Elsevier]]|location=Amsterdam, Netherlands|volume=8 |issue=1 |pages=214–215 |doi=10.1016/s0896-6974(95)90017-9 |issn=0896-6974 |pmc=1081463}}</ref>{{original research inline|date=October 2021}}

At the age of 13, before her first marriage, Báthory allegedly gave birth to a child.<ref name=":3"/> The child, said to have been fathered by a [[peasant]] boy, was supposedly given away to a local woman who was trusted by the Báthory family.<ref name=":3"/> The woman was paid for her actions, and the child was taken to [[Wallachia]].<ref name=":3"/> Evidence of this pregnancy came up long after Elizabeth's death, through rumours spread by peasants; therefore, the validity of the rumour is often disputed.

===Marriage and land ownership===

[[File:Nádasdy Ferenc és Ecsedi Báthori Erzsébet portréja Csejte múzeum.jpg|thumb|375px|Portraits of Nádasdy and Báthori from the Čachtice Museum]]

In 1573,<ref name=":5"/> Báthory was engaged to Count [[Ferenc Nádasdy]], a member of the [[Nadasdy family]]. It was a [[arranged marriage|political arrangement]] within the circles of the aristocracy. Nádasdy was the son of Baron [[Tamás Nádasdy|Tamás Nádasdy de Nádasd et Fogarasföld]] (1498–1562) and his wife, Orsolya Kanizsai (1523–1571).

On 8 May 1575, Báthory and Nádasdy were married at the palace of [[Vranov nad Topľou|Varannó]] (today Vranov nad Topľou, Slovakia).<ref name=":5"/> The marriage resulted in combined land ownership in both Transylvania and the Kingdom of Hungary.<ref name=":5"/>

Nádasdy's wedding gift to Báthory was his household in the [[Čachtice Castle|Castle of Csejte (Čachtice)]], situated in the [[Little Carpathians]] near Vág-Ujhely and Trencsén (present-day [[Nové Mesto nad Váhom]] and [[Trenčín]], [[Slovakia]]).<ref name=":5"/> At the time, [[Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor|King Maximilian II]] owned the castle, but made Ferenc's mother, Orsolya Kanizsai, official [[Steward (office)|steward]] in 1569. Nádasdy finally bought the castle in 1602 from [[Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor]], but during his constant military campaign, Elizabeth maintained the castle in his absence, along with the Csejte country house and seventeen adjacent villages.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cachtickyhrad.eu/en/historia-hradu/|title=História hradu|accessdate=8 September 2024}}</ref>

After the wedding, the couple lived in Nadasdy's castle at [[Sárvár]].<ref name=":5"/>

In 1578, three years into their marriage, Nádasdy became the chief commander of Hungarian troops, leading them to [[Ottoman–Habsburg wars|war against the Ottomans]].{{citation needed|date=September 2021}} Báthory managed business affairs and the family's multiple estates during the war. This role usually included responsibility for the Hungarian and [[Slovaks|Slovak]] people, providing medical care during the [[Long Turkish War|Long War]] (1593–1606), and Báthory was charged with the defence of her husband's estates, which lay on the route to [[Vienna]]. The threat of attack was significant, for the village of Csejte had previously been plundered by the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]] while [[Sárvár]], located near the border that divided [[Royal Hungary]] and [[Ottoman Hungary|Ottoman-occupied Hungary]], was in even greater danger.

Báthory's daughter, Anna Nádasdy, was born in 1585 and was later to become the wife of [[Nikola VI Zrinski]]. Báthory's other known children include Orsolya (Orsika) Nádasdy (1590–unknown) who would later become the wife of István II [[House of Benyovszky|Benyó]]; Katalin (Kata or Katherina) Nádasdy (1594-unknown); András Nádasdy (1596–1603); and Pál (Paul) Nádasdy (1598–1650), father of [[Franz III. Nádasdy|Franz III Nádasdy]], who was one of the leaders of the [[Magnate conspiracy]] against [[Holy Roman Emperor]] [[Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor|Leopold I]].{{citation needed|date=October 2017}} Some chronicles also indicate that the couple had another son, named Miklós Nádasdy, who married Zsuzsanna [[Zrinski family|Zrinski]]. However, this cannot be confirmed, and it could be that he was simply a cousin or died young, as he is not named in Báthory's [[will and testament|will]] from 1610. György Nádasdy is also supposedly the name of one of the deceased Nádasdy infants, but this cannot be confirmed. All of Elizabeth's children were cared for by [[governess]]es, as Báthory herself had been.{{citation needed|date=September 2021}}

Ferenc Nádasdy died on 4 January 1604 at the age of 48. Although the exact nature of the illness which led to his death is unknown, it seems to have started in 1601 and initially caused debilitating pain in his legs. From that time, he never fully recovered, and in 1603 became permanently disabled.{{citation needed|date=September 2021}} He had been married to Báthory for 29 years. Before dying, Nádasdy entrusted his heirs and widow to [[György Thurzó]], who would eventually lead the investigation into Báthory's crimes.{{citation needed|date=September 2021}}

===Accusations===
[[File:Alžbeta Bathory.jpg|alt=|thumb|Elizabeth Báthory from Zay artist. Probably a copy of the other painting which is at the [[Hungarian National Museum]], in [[Budapest]] (also made by Zay). Mentioned in the Magyar Várak book, page 34.]]
Between 1602 and 1604, after rumours of Báthory's atrocities had spread throughout the kingdom, [[Lutheran]] minister István Magyari made complaints against her, both publicly and at the court in Vienna.<ref name="Farin, pp. 234">{{cite book |last=Farin |first=Michael |title=Heroine des Grauens: Wirken und Leben der Elisabeth Báthory: in Briefen, Zeugenaussagen und Phantasiespielen |year=1989 |pages=234–237 |language=de |trans-title=Heroine of horror: the life and work of Elisabeth Báthory: in letters, testimonies and fantasy games |oclc=654683776}}</ref> In 1610, [[Matthias, Holy Roman Emperor|Matthias II]] assigned [[György Thurzó]], the [[Palatine of Hungary]], to investigate. Thurzó ordered two [[notaries]], András Keresztúry and Mózes [[:hu:Cziráky család|Cziráky]],<ref name="Kord2009">{{cite book |last=Kord |first=Susanne |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m-Cu8KaaIPAC |title=Murderesses in German Writing, 1720–1860: Heroines of Horror |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-521-51977-9 |pages=56–57}}</ref> to collect evidence in March 1610.<ref>Letters from Thurzó to both men on 5 March 1610, printed in {{cite book |last=Farin |first=Michael |title=Heroine des Grauens: Wirken und Leben der Elisabeth Báthory: in Briefen, Zeugenaussagen und Phantasiespielen |year=1989 |pages=265–266, 276–278 |language=de |trans-title=Heroine of horror: the life and work of Elisabeth Báthory: in letters, testimonies and fantasy games |oclc=654683776}}</ref> By October 1610 they had collected 52 witness statements;<ref name="Kord2009"/> by 1611, that number had risen to over 300.

Bathory is said to have tortured or killed peasants for years; their disappearances were not likely to provoke an investigation.<ref name="natGeo bloody"/> The abuse of lower classes by nobles was frowned upon but not actually prohibited by law.<ref name="natGeo bloody"/> However, she eventually began killing daughters of the lesser [[gentry]], some of whom were sent to live with her hoping to learn from her and benefit from a connection to the high-ranking countess.<ref>{{cite book |last=McNally |first=Raymond T. |title=Dracula Was a Woman: In Search of the Blood Countess of Transylvania |publisher=McGraw Hill |year=1983 |isbn=978-0-07-045671-6 |location=New York |author-link=Raymond T. McNally|pages=44, 48–49}}</ref>

Some witnesses named relatives who died while at the gynaeceum. Others reported having seen traces of torture on dead bodies, some of which were buried in graveyards, and others in unmarked locations.

====Veracity of accusations====
Beginning in the 1980s, scholars have questioned the truthfulness of the claims against Bathory.<ref name="natGeo bloody">{{cite web |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/the-bloody-legend-of-hungarys-serial-killer-countess |title=The bloody legend of Hungary's serial killer countess |first=Ronan |last=O'Connell |date=21 October 2022 |format= |work=National Geographic |accessdate=1 February 2025}}</ref> Several authors, such as László Nagy and Irma Szádeczky-Kardoss, have argued that Elizabeth Báthory was a victim of a [[List of political conspiracies|conspiracy]].<ref name="Kardoss2"/><ref>Nagy, László. ''A rossz hirü Báthoryak''. Budapest: Kossuth Könyvkiadó 1984{{page needed|date=March 2018}}</ref> Nagy argued that the proceedings against Báthory 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. At that time, Hungary was embroiled in religious and political conflicts, especially relating to the wars with the Ottoman Empire, the spread of [[Protestantism]] and the extension of [[Habsburg]] power.<ref>{{cite book |last=Szakály |first=Ferenc |url=https://archive.org/details/historyofhungary00pete/page/83 |title=A History of Hungary |year=1994 |isbn=978-0-253-20867-5 |editor-last=Sugar |editor-first=Peter F. |pages=[https://archive.org/details/historyofhungary00pete/page/83 83–99] |chapter=The Early Ottoman Period, Including Royal Hungary, 1526–1606 |publisher=Indiana University Press |chapter-url={{Google books|SKwmGQCT0MAC|page=83|plainurl=yes}}}}</ref> The Habsburgs were Catholic and Báthory was a Protestant.<ref name="Kardoss2"/> Her nephew, Prince Gábor Báthory, ruled in Transylvania, which was influential in the movement for Hungarian independence from Habsburg rule, providing the Habsburgs a motivation to discredit the family.<ref name="Kardoss2"/> Prince Gábor also desired the throne of Hungary, presenting a threat to King Matthias.<ref name="Kardoss2"/> Elizabeth Báthory's vast land holdings included fortresses that could have aided the Transylvanian army if Gábor had sent it to challenge Matthias.<ref name="Kardoss2"/> Matthias, who had originally ordered the investigation into Báthory, owed her a large debt, which was cancelled after she was arrested.<ref name=britannica/>

The investigation into Báthory's crimes was sparked by complaints from a Lutheran minister, István Magyari,<ref name="Farin, pp. 234"/> which does not align with the notion of a Catholic/Habsburg plot against the Protestant Báthory. However religious tension is still a possible source of conflict, as Báthory was a raised Calvinist rather than Lutheran.<ref name=":6">{{cite book |last=Thorne |first=Tony |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u4_jb6NjucMC |title=Countess Dracula: The Life and Times of Elisabeth Bathory, the Blood Countess |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |year=2012 |isbn=9781408833650 |author-link=Tony Thorne}}</ref>

Thurzó, the investigator into the accusations, had political state ambitions that would benefit from disgracing Báthory.<ref name="Kardoss2">Irma Szádeczky-Kardoss: [https://notesonhungary.wordpress.com/2014/05/31/the-bloody-countess/ "The Bloody Countess? An Examination of the Life and Trial of Erzsébet Báthory"], translated by Lujza Nehrebeczky, Hungarian original published in ''Élet és Tudomány '', September 2005</ref> An ally of King Matthias, he had been involved in an assassination attempt on Báthory's cousin Prince Gábor, and he had ambitions for his son to become Prince of Transylvania, in competition with Elizabeth Báthory's son.<ref name="Kardoss2"/> Thurzó alleged that he found numerous dead and dying girls when he entered the castle,<ref name="autogenerated293" /> but Szádeczky-Kardoss argues that the physical evidence was exaggerated and Thurzó misrepresented dead and wounded patients as victims of Báthory.<ref name="Kardoss2"/> Landowners like Báthory were responsible for medical care of tenants, so sick and injured subjects were brought to her castles.<ref name="Kardoss2"/> Female landowners were charged with care of female patients.<ref name="Kardoss2"/>

===Arrest===
On 13 December 1610, Nikola VI Zrinski confirmed the agreement with Thurzó about the imprisonment of Báthory and distribution of the estate.<ref name="Kord2009"/> On New Year's Eve 1610, Thurzó went to Csejte Castle and arrested Báthory along with four of her servants, who were accused of being her [[accomplice]]s: Dorottya Szentés, Ilona Jó, Katarína Benická and János Újváry ("Ibis" or Ficzkó). According to Thurzó's letter to his wife, his unannounced visit found one dead girl and another living "prey" girl in the castle,<ref name="Kord2009"/> but there is no evidence that they asked her what had happened to her. She recovered but did not testify in the trials.<ref name="Kardoss2"/> Although it is commonly believed that Báthory was caught in the act of torture, she was having dinner.<ref name="Kardoss2"/> Initially, Thurzó made the declaration to Báthory's guests and villagers that he had caught her red-handed. However, she was arrested and detained prior to the discovery or presentation of the victims. It seems most likely that the claim of Thurzó's discovering Báthory covered in blood has been the embellishment of fictionalised accounts.<ref>{{cite book |last=Thorne |first=Tony |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u4_jb6NjucMC |title=Countess Dracula |date=1997 |publisher=Bloomsbury |location=London |pages=18–19 |isbn=9780747536413 |author-link=Tony Thorne}}</ref>

Thurzó debated further proceedings with Báthory's son Paul and two of her sons-in-law, Nikola VI Zrinski and György [[Drugeth family|Drugeth]].<ref name="Kord2009"/> Her family, which [[Gabriel Báthory|ruled Transylvania]], sought to avoid the loss of Báthory's property which was at risk of being seized by the crown following a public scandal.{{citation needed|date=October 2021}} Thurzó, along with Paul and her two sons-in-law, originally planned for Báthory to be sent to a [[nunnery]], but as accounts of her actions spread, they decided to keep her under strict [[house arrest]].<ref name="autogenerated291">A letter from 12 December 1610 by Elizabeth's son-in-law Zrínyi to [[György Thurzó|Thurzó]] refers to an agreement made earlier. See {{cite book |last=Farin |first=Michael |title=Heroine des Grauens: Wirken und Leben der Elisabeth Báthory: in Briefen, Zeugenaussagen und Phantasiespielen |year=1989 |page=291 |language=de |trans-title=Heroine of horror: the life and work of Elisabeth Báthory: in letters, testimonies and fantasy games |oclc=654683776}}</ref>

Two trials were held in the wake of Báthory's arrest: The first was held on 2 January 1611, and the second on 7 January 1611.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1134&context=etd|title=No Blood in the Water: The Legal and GenderConspiracies Against Countess Elizabeth Bathory in Historical Context|accessdate=8 September 2024}}</ref>
In the first trial, seventeen witnesses testified, including the four servants who were also fellow suspects. These suspects had been tortured before the proceedings.<ref name="Kardoss2"/> They confessed, and stated that they were acting on Elizabeth's orders. After the trial, they were executed as her accomplices.<ref>{{cite book |last=McNally |first=Raymond T. |title=Dracula Was a Woman: In Search of the Blood Countess of Transylvania |publisher=McGraw Hill |year=1983 |isbn=978-0-07-045671-6 |location=New York |author-link=Raymond T. McNally|page=77}}</ref> Ilona Jó and Dorottya Szentes had their fingers torn out with a pair of red-hot pincers and were then burned alive. Due to his youth and the belief that he was less culpable, János Újváry was executed by a much less painful method: Beheading. Afterwards, his body was burned on the same pyre as Jó and Szentes. Another servant, Erzsi Majorova, initially escaped capture but was burned alive after being apprehended. Katarína Benická received a life sentence after evidence showed that she had been abused by the others.

The accusations of murder were based on rumours. There is no document to prove that anyone in the area complained about the Countess. During this period, letters of complaint were written whenever someone was harmed, even in a matter of a stolen chicken.<ref name="Kardoss2"/><ref name=":2">{{cite book|last1=Lengyel|first1=Tünde|title=Báthory Erzsébet, egy asszony élete|last2=Várkonyi|first2=Gábor|publisher=General Press|year=2011|isbn=9789636431686|location=Budapest|pages=285–291|trans-title=Erzsébet Báthory: The Life of a Woman}}</ref> Although 300 witnesses testified against Báthory, none were victims or eyewitnesses of the torture.<ref name="Kardoss2"/>

The highest number of victims cited during the trial of Báthory's accomplices was 650, but this number comes from the claim by a servant named Susannah that Jakab Szilvássy, Báthory's court official, had seen the figure in one of Báthory's private books. The book was never revealed and Szilvássy never mentioned it in his testimony.<ref name="Thorne 1997 53">{{cite book |last=Thorne |first=Tony |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u4_jb6NjucMC |title=Countess Dracula |year=1997 |publisher=[[Bloomsbury Publishing|Bloomsbury]] |isbn=978-1408833650 |location=London, England |page=53 |author-link=Tony Thorne}}</ref>

===Confinement and death===
{{multiple image
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 | caption1 = Aerial view of [[Čachtice Castle|Castle of Csejte]]
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 | caption2 = Remains of the castle's chapel
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On 25 January 1611, Thurzó wrote a letter to King Matthias describing that they had captured and confined Báthory to her castle. The [[palatine]] also coordinated the steps of the investigation with the political struggle with the Prince of Transylvania.{{clarify|date=October 2021|reason=How was this "coordinated"?}} She was detained in the castle of Csejte for the remainder of her life, where she died at the age of 54. György Thurzó wrote that Báthory was [[Immurement|locked in a bricked room]], but according to documents from the visit of priests in July 1614, she was able to move unhindered in the castle, more akin to [[house arrest]].<ref>{{cite thesis|url=https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/etd/135|title=No Blood in the Water: The Legal and Gender Conspiracies Against Countess Elizabeth Bathory in Historical Context|first=Rachael|last=Bledsaw|date=20 February 2014|type=MS thesis |publisher=Illinois State University |doi=10.30707/ETD2014.Bledsaw.R}}</ref><ref>{{cite thesis |first=Palkó |last=Ferencné|url=https://adoc.pub/bathory-erzsebet-pere.html|title=Báthory Erzsébet Pere |trans-title= |date=2014 |type=BA thesis |publisher=University of Miskolc }}</ref>

She wrote a will in September 1610, in which she left all current and future inheritance possessions to her children.<ref name="Kord2009"/> In the last month of 1610, she signed her arrangement, in which she distributed the estates, lands and possessions among her children.<ref>Szádeczky-Kardoss Irma – Báthory Erzsébet igazsága / The truth of Elizabeth Báthory (10 years of research using contemporary correspondence)</ref><ref name=":2"/> On the evening of 20 August 1614, Báthory complained to her bodyguard that her hands were cold, whereupon he replied "It's nothing, mistress. Just go lie down". She went to sleep and was found dead the following morning.<ref name="Countess Erzsebet Bathory Kimberly L p.298">Infamous Lady the true story of Countess Erzsebet Bathory Kimberly L. Craft 2009 p.&nbsp;298</ref> She was buried in the church of Csejte on 25 November 1614,<ref name="Countess Erzsebet Bathory Kimberly L p.298"/> 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 [[Nagyecsed|Ecsed]], where it was intered at the Báthory family crypt.<ref>{{cite book |last=Farin |first=Michael |title=Heroine des Grauens: Wirken und Leben der Elisabeth Báthory: in Briefen, Zeugenaussagen und Phantasiespielen |year=1989 |page=246 |language=de |trans-title=Heroine of horror: the life and work of Elisabeth Báthory: in letters, testimonies and fantasy games |oclc=654683776}}</ref> The location of her body today is unknown but believed to be buried deep in the church area of the castle. The Csejte church and the castle of Csejte do not bear any markings of her possible grave.{{citation needed|date=May 2021}}<!-- Find a Grave is [[WP:RS/P|deprecated]]; do not use it as a source -->

==Ancestry==

Báthory was the great-great-granddaughter of [[Barbara Aleksandrówna]] and [[Bolesław IV of Warsaw]], and [[Mikalojus Radvila the Old]]; the 3rd great-granddaughter of [[Bolesław Januszowic]]; the 4th great-granddaughter of [[Vladimir Olgerdovich]]; and the 5th great-granddaughter of [[Algirdas]].

{{ahnentafel
|collapsed=no
|title=Ancestors of Elizabeth Báthory<ref>{{cite book |last=Horn |first=Ildikó |title=Báthory András ''[Andrew Báthory]'' |publisher=Új Mandátum |year=2002 |isbn=978-963-9336-51-3 |pages=245–246 |language=hu}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Markó |first=László |title=A magyar állam főméltóságai Szent Istvántól napjainkig: Életrajzi Lexikon ''[Great Officers of State in Hungary from King Saint Stephen to Our Days: A Biographical Encyclopedia]'' |publisher=Magyar Könyvklub |year=2000 |isbn=978-963-547-085-3 |page=256 |language=hu}}</ref>
|boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc;
|boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9;
|boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc;
|boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc;
|boxstyle_5=background-color: #9fe;
|1= 1. '''Elizabeth Báthory of Ecsed'''

|2= 2. George Báthory of Ecsed
|3= 3. Anne Báthory of Somlyó

|4= 4. [[Stephen VII Báthory|Stephen Báthory of Ecsed]]
|5= 5. [[Sophia of Masovia]]
|6= 6. [[Stephen VIII Báthory|Stephen Báthory of Somlyó]]
|7= 7. [[Catherine Telegdi]]

|8= 8. Andrew [[Báthory|Báthory of Ecsed]]
|9= 9. Dorothea Várdai
|10= 10. [[Konrad III Rudy]]
|11= 11. [[Anna Radziwiłł (nobility)|Anna Radziwiłł]]
|12= 12. Nicholas Báthory of Somlyó
|13= 13. Sophia [[Bánffy|Bánffy of Losonc]]
|14= 14. Stephen Telegdi
|15= 15. Margaret [[Bebek family|Bebek of Pelsőcz]]
}}

==Folklore and popular culture==
{{Main|Elizabeth Báthory in popular culture}}<!-- Please DO NOT add more information on Elizabeth Báthory's appearances as a fictional character in films, TV, books, computer games, music, etc. here. This information belongs in the article on [[Elizabeth Báthory in popular culture]], as linked to below. -->

The case of Elizabeth Báthory inspired numerous stories during the 18th and 19th centuries. The most common [[Motif (narrative)|motif]] of these works was that of the countess bathing in her virgin victims' blood to retain beauty or youth. This legend appeared in print for the first time in 1729, in the [[Jesuit]] scholar László Turóczi's ''Tragica Historia'', the first written account of the Báthory case.<ref>in ''Ungaria suis *** regibus compendia data'', Typis Academicis Soc. Jesu per Fridericum Gall. Anno MCCCXXIX. Mense Sepembri Die 8. p 188–193, quoted by Farin</ref> The story came into question in 1817 when the witness accounts (which had surfaced in 1765) were published for the first time. They included no references to blood baths.<ref>''Hesperus'', Prague, June 1817, Vol. 1, No. 31, pp. [https://books.google.com/books?id=UDpOAQAAIAAJ 241–248] and July 1817, Vol. 2, No. 34, pp. [https://books.google.com/books?id=UDpOAQAAIAAJ 270–272]</ref> In his book ''Hungary and Transylvania'', published in 1850, John Paget describes the supposed origins of Báthory's blood-bathing, although his tale seems to be a fictionalised recitation of oral history from the area.<ref>{{cite book |last=Paget |first=John |url=https://archive.org/details/hungaryandtrans04pagegoog |title=Hungary and Transylvania; with remarks on their condition, Social, Political and Economical |date=1850 |publisher=Lea & Blanchard |location=Philadelphia |pages=[https://archive.org/details/hungaryandtrans04pagegoog/page/n59 50]–51}}</ref> It is difficult to know how accurate his account of events is. [[Sadistic personality disorder|Sadistic]] pleasure is considered a far more plausible motive for Báthory's crimes.<ref>Alois Freyherr von Mednyansky: ''Elisabeth Báthory'', in ''Hesperus'', Prague, October 1812, vol. 2, No. 59, pp. 470–472, quoted by {{cite book |last=Farin |first=Michael |title=Heroine des Grauens: Wirken und Leben der Elisabeth Báthory: in Briefen, Zeugenaussagen und Phantasiespielen |year=1989 |pages=61–65 |language=de |trans-title=Heroine of horror: the life and work of Elisabeth Báthory: in letters, testimonies and fantasy games |oclc=654683776}}</ref>

Báthory has been labelled by ''[[Guinness World Records]]'' as the most prolific female [[murder]]er, though the number of her victims is debated.<ref>{{cite web|title=Most prolific female murderer|url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/most-prolific-female-murderer|access-date=3 May 2018|website=[[Guinness World Records]]|publisher=Guinness World Records Limited|quote=The most prolific female murderer and the most prolific murderer of the western world, was Elizabeth Báthory, who practised vampirism on girls and young women. Described as the most vicious female serial killer of all time, the facts and fiction on the events that occurred behind the deaths of these young girls are blurred. Throughout the 15th century, she is alleged to have killed more than 600 virgins.}}</ref><!--Please DO NOT add more information on Elizabeth Báthory's appearances as a fictional character in films, TV, books, computer games, music etc here. This information belongs in the article on [[Elizabeth Báthory in popular culture]], as linked to below. -->

== See also ==
{{Portal|Hungary|Biography|Law|Politics|History}}
* [[Elizabeth Branch]]
* [[Elizabeth Brownrigg]]
* [[Kateřina of Komárov]]
* [[Delphine LaLaurie]]
* [[Catalina de los Ríos y Lisperguer]]
* [[Darya Nikolayevna Saltykova]]
* [[List of serial killers by country]]

==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==Further reading==
<!-- Please DO NOT add fictional works, e.g. novels or poems, to this section. They should be placed in the article "Elizabeth Báthory in popular culture", as linked to from this article. -->
*{{cite book |last=McNally |first=Raymond T. |title=Dracula Was a Woman: In Search of the Blood Countess of Transylvania |publisher=McGraw Hill |year=1983 |isbn=978-0-07-045671-6 |location=New York |author-link=Raymond T. McNally}} Raymond T. McNally (1931&ndash;2002) was a professor of Russian and East European History at [[Boston College]]
*{{cite book |last=Thorne |first=Tony |title=Countess Dracula |publisher=Bloomsbury |year=1997 |isbn=978-0-7475-2900-2 |author-link=Tony Thorne}}
*{{cite book |last=Penrose |first=Valentine |title=The Bloody Countess: Atrocities of Erzsébet Báthory |publisher=Solar Books |others=translator: Trocchi, Alexander |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-9714578-2-9 |author-link=Valentine Penrose}} Translation from the French ''Erzsébet Báthory la Comtesse sanglante''
*{{cite book |last=Craft |first=Kimberly |url=https://archive.org/details/infamousladytrue0000craf |title=Infamous Lady: The True Story of Countess Erzsébet Báthory |year=2009 |publisher=Kimberly L. Craft |isbn=978-1-4495-1344-3 |url-access=registration}}
*{{cite web |last=Ramsland |first=Katherine |title=Lady of Blood: Countess Bathory |url=http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial_killers/predators/bathory/countess_1.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140311102723/http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial_killers/predators/bathory/countess_1.html |archive-date=11 March 2014 |website=Crime Library |publisher=Turner Entertainment Networks Inc. }}
*Zsuffa, Joseph (2015). ''Countess of the Moon''. Griffin Press. {{ISBN|978-0-9828813-8-5}}.<!-- Please DO NOT add fictional works, e.g. novels or poems, to this section. They should be placed in the article Elizabeth Báthory in popular culture, as linked to from this article. -->

==External links==
{{commons category}}
*[https://notesonhungary.wordpress.com/2014/05/31/the-bloody-countess/ The Blood Countess?] – Epitome of Szádeczky-Kardoss Irma's research
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20131215163808/http://news.bbc.co.uk/dna/place-lancashire/plain/A593084 Elizabeth Bathory – the Blood Countess] BBC piece on Erzsébet Báthory, Created 2 August 2001; Updated 28 January 2002
*{{cite web |title=Elizabeth Báthory Drop of Blood Festival: 16 August 2014 |url=http://www.cachtice.info/bkk/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150415020000/http://www.cachtice.info/bkk/index.html |archive-date=15 April 2015 |language=sk}} Festival in [[Čachtice]], [[Slovakia]]
*[http://slachta.kosztolanyi.com/modules.php?name=K88_News&file=article&sid=93 A complete genealogy of all descendants Elizabeth Báthory (17th–20th century)]
*{{cite AV media |url=http://www.mediaservice-novotny.de/reportage/news/mofBathory01.htm |title=Die Gräfin Elisabeth Bathory und das Geheimnis hinter dem Geheimnis |date=2014 |last=Novotny |first=Pavel |trans-title=400 Years of Bloody Countess – The Secret Behind the Secret |access-date=27 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150215234548/http://mediaservice-novotny.de/reportage/news/mofBathory01.htm |archive-date=15 February 2015 |url-status=dead |medium=Motion picture}} (Documentary film)

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bathory, Elizabeth}}
[[Category:Elizabeth Báthory| ]]
[[Category:1560 births]]
[[Category:1614 deaths]]
[[Category:16th-century criminals]]
[[Category:16th-century Hungarian nobility]]
[[Category:16th-century Hungarian women]]
[[Category:16th-century landowners]]
[[Category:16th-century women landowners]]
[[Category:17th-century criminals]]
[[Category:17th-century Hungarian people]]
[[Category:17th-century Hungarian women]]
[[Category:17th-century landowners]]
[[Category:17th-century women landowners]]
[[Category:Báthory family|Elizabeth]]
[[Category:Deal with the Devil]]
[[Category:Hungarian female serial killers]]
[[Category:Hungarian people who died in prison custody]]
[[Category:People from Nyírbátor]]
[[Category:Royalty and nobility with epilepsy]]
[[Category:Serial killers who died in prison custody]]
[[Category:Torturers]]
[[Category:Vampirism (crime)]]
[[Category:Violence against women in Europe]]