Have you realized of how close Hungary is from the Romanian region of Transylvania, the kingdom of the legendary Vlad Dracula, Prince of Wallachia? Also, that both regions were part of the same Empire for centuries? And that there is a Hungarian minority living in Romania? And that maybe all this involves that Hungary has its own history of evil bloodsuckers? From the CEU Weekly we would like to introduce you to the Countess Elizabeth Bathory. The Blood Countess.
Elizabeth Bathory (or Báthory Erzsébet, in Hungarian) was born in 1560, a time when the Kingdom of Hungary ranged from the Adriatic to the Black Sea, occupying most of current Hungary, Croatia, Slovenia, Romania and Slovakia. She was born in current Slovakia, but his parents belonged to the Transylvanian nobility. As such, she enjoyed of a privileged education and was able to speak several languages. However, it is said that she had a certain mental insanity from her early childhood, when she had attacks of epilepsy. Moreover, despite the lineage of heroes in her family, generations of endogamy had led to the appearance of certain weird behaviours among her relatives (witches, madness, devil-worshippers…). The kind of background necessary to raise a good landlord, indeed.
When she was 15 (and after having a first secret child with a peasant lover) she was married to count Ferenc Nádasdy and had 6 children with him, two of who died at an early age. She lived with his husband until he died in the Nádasdy castle (in Sárvár, Hungary), but after that she moved to the castle his husband gifted her in Cachtice (Slovakia), from where she ruled over her 17 neighbouring villages, which was to be the frame of her grotesque crimes. Her husband was continuously on war campaigns, and she was said to find consolation in many young peasant lovers to entertain her during his absences, even though she behaved like the perfect wife when he was home. Rumours about her involvement in witchcraft date from this time, engaging in satanic rites and other occultist activities. It is supposed that Elizabeth begun to torture young peasant girls for pleasures during her husband’s absences, even though it is rumored that it was indeed him who introduced her to these practices. From this period date the incriminations for activities such as beating her maidservants with a barbed lash and a heavy cudgel, and having them dragged naked into the snow and doused with cold water until they froze to death.
But destiny is unmerciful, and in January 1604, Ferenc Nádasdy died as consecuence of an infected wound, and Elizabeth moved with her kids to Cachtice. Here, she took up Anna Darvula as advisor. This woman was described as the most active sadist in the region, and allegedly was also also Elizabeth’s lover. Under her guidance, Elizabeth undertook her most cruel atrocities.
Legend has it that Countess Elizabeth Báthory Nádasdy discovered her "secret of eternal youth" when some spots of blood from a beaten servant seemed to 'tighten' her skin. The poor girl accidentally pulled her hair whilst combing it, dropping some blood on Elizabeth’s skin. Those few drops of blood appeared to reduce the signs of ageing on her skin. She became obsessed with this idea, which gave her a perfect excuse to vent her sadistic streak on local teenage peasant women. Countess Elizabeth Báthory Nádasdy was known to torture her victims before drinking and bathing in their blood. Her instruments of torture included knives, pincers, needles, razors, red-hot irons and pokers. She is also reputed to have ordered the construction of an iron cage called "Iron Virgin". The "Iron Virgin" was shaped like a woman and fitted with blades, similar to the "Iron Maiden".
Elizabeth's hobbies seem to have gone largely undetected - or at least ignored - until around 1609. It is supposed that his cousin the Lord Palatine of Hungary, Count György Thurzo, probably knew of her activities much earlier but took no action in an attempt to protect the reputation of the family. However, in 1609 Darvula died, and Elizabeth found a new accomplice/lover, the widow of one of her tenant farmers, named Erszi Majorova. It seems it was her who instigated Elizabeth to turn against a number of girls from families of the lesser nobility (against Darvulia’s advise) to whom she attracted with the excuse of educating them. It seems that the primary resource for her activities had stated to be scarce in the surrounding areas.
The deaths of peasant girls might be overlooked, but the murder of nobles (even those of limited) could not go unnoticed. The King of Hungary ordered her arrest, and Count Thurzo moved quickly to save the family by capturing her by his own means. On 30 December he led soldiers in a night raid over Elizabeth’s castle. They supposedly found a dead girl in the hallway, and many other victims dead, dying or awaiting torture in cells. Elizabeth’s accomplices Dorothea, Helena and Ficzko were arrested, along with Katarina Beneczky, a washerwoman newly entered into the Countess' service. Erszi Majorova escaped capture in the raid but was also arrested eventually. Elizabeth herself was held but not taken away with her associates.
In January 1611 Elizabeth's accomplices were subjected to two hurried show trials, in which they gave evidence, almost certainly extracted under torture, and were convicted of their heinous crimes in a matter of days. In the second trial, another servant named as Zsuzsanna gave evidence of the existence of a register, in her mistress' handwriting, which recorded over 650 victims who had died at the Countess' hands over the years. This evidence was shaky as such a register was never found (and maybe was never even produced), but it was enough to convict the servants, who were sentenced to death. Elizabeth's involvement was 'hushed-up' due her royal connections. However, after she tried to run away, she was quietly left to die in her own castle. The windows and doors of her room were sealed, leaving just a small hath to pass food to her. Countess Elizabeth Báthory Nádasdy (Lady Dracula) died three and a half years later in her domestic confinement.
Even though the fascination the legend may exert, it is good to remember that most of this story is based in witnesses’ stories and the testimonials during the trials to Elizabeth’s accomplices. However, her life, story and legend has generated a big deal of interest and fascination throughout history, and have inspired many books and movies. The most recent one, for those who are interested, is a 2008 Hungarian production titled “Bathory: Countess of Blood”, directed by Juraj Jakubisko and protagonized by Anna Friel.
Sergio Rejado Albaina, Spain,
MESPOM
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