Erzebet Bathony

In 1560 Erzebet Bathory was born into one of the oldest – and wealthiest – families in Transylvania. Her ancestors had assisted Vlad Dracule during his rise to power; other relatives went on to become cardinals, princes, Prime Ministers, and King of Poland. She was a healthy, energetic child, a quality found to be unique for someone of her social status. She was also vain, often boasting of her fresh complexion that she believed was her best feature. Well educated, Erzebet was able to both read and write in four languages.

At the age of 11, she was arranged in marriage to 16-year-old Ferencz Nadasdy. To Erzebet, an arrangement was not the same as a commitment and at 14 found herself pregnant after a fling with a local peasant. In order to avoid a scandal, her parents sent Erzebet to an out-lying Bathory estate under the excuse of illness until the child was born. Immediately after birth the baby, a daughter, was given away and Erzebet returned to her parent’s home.

On May 8, 1575 Erzebet and Ferencz were finally married. Erzebet took over the household concerns while Ferencz decided to assist in the Hungarian war against the Turks. Making the war his top priority, Ferencz began scoring victory after victory. His success was so great it earned him the nickname “Black Knight of Hungary.”

With her husband away for long stretches of time, Erzebet quickly grew bored with everyday castle life. Yearning for something to fill her time, she befriended people claiming to be witches, wizards and alchemists and began to dabble in the occult. She also started spending a great deal of time visiting her aunt, Countess Karla Bathory, who introduced Erzebet to the erotic pleasures of flagellation.

Erzebet had always been fascinated by torture. This enchantment probably began as a little girl when she witnessed firsthand the methods her family used to deal with political foes. On one occasion she watched as a gypsy was beaten then sewn inside a horse’s stomach and left for dead. As an adult she passed the time beating servants and whipping debtors being held in the dungeon. She favored whipping prisoners on the fronts of their nude bodies because she received great pleasure watching their faces.

On January 4, 1604, Ferencz died. In a scandalous move, Erzebet relocated to Vienna a month later. She spent time at Castle Blindoc before finally settling in Cas...

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...e. One girl lay dead in the main room, and another was found alive, but her body had been pierced numerous times. Several more girls were found in the dungeon in the same condition. They also exhumed the bodies of 50 young women.

Two trials were held in January 1611. During the first, which began on January 2, only Erzebet’s accomplices were tried. Three were found guilty and a fourth was held pending further evidence. Of the three found guilty, two had their fingers torn out before being burned alive. The third was decapitated, then burned. Erzebet’s trial began on January 7. Though she petitioned the court to allow her to speak in her defense, Gyorgy denied her request. The family did not want the Bathory name disgraced any further. In the end the court found Erzebet guilty, but because of her noble status she could not be executed. Instead she was sentenced to be imprisoned in Castle Csejthe for the rest of her life. She was walled up in a small room with only a slot for food and some ventilation slits.

In August 1614, Erzebet Bathory, the Blood Countess of Transylvania, was found dead in her “cell.” Not even once did she express regret or sorrow for her actions.