Warning: The article you’re about to read contains brutality and violence that could be dissatisfying. Reader discretion is advised.
Think of the world’s most notorious serial killers — from Ted Bundy to Jeffrey Dahmer to the Green River Killer — they’re evil in their own rite. A serial killer is often depicted as the stereotypical malevolent male (pun intended) with a pretty dark look, but as the saying goes, “everything a man can do, a woman can do, and even better.” No sexism. There once lived a Countess who was widely considered to be the most prolific murderess in history; and its believed that her story might have been one of the main inspirations behind Dracula. Dear friends, (you don’t want to) meet Elizabeth Bathory, the Blood Countess.
Related media: Serial Killer Who Killed Over 500 People – The Blood Countess
You’ve Been Warned Already
Elizabeth Bathory, also known as “The Blood Countess,” was born in 1560 in Transylvania to a family of Hungarian (Transylvanian) nobility. Her uncle had been once the King of Hungary, and her cousin, Stephen Bathory, was the Duke of Transylvania. Bathory at age 15 married the Count Ferencz Nadasdy, also known as the “Black Knight Of Hungary.”
While he was at war, Bathory would ask for details of his gory adventures in letters. Its alleged that while her husband was away, she would spend her time torturing and murdering peasants around, sometimes with the accomplice of old ladies. Its hard to imagine Bathory’s malevolence; it is highly estimated that her murderous deeds made up a death count of over 650.
Welcome To The Murder Capital
And now (warning!) the moment you’ve all been waiting for — a small sampling of the downright despicable acts Bathory allegedly perpetrated upon her victims, as reported by Rejected Princesses:
- Beat them to the point where there was so much blood on the walls and beds that it had to be soaked up with ashes and cinder.
- Pricked their mouths and fingernails with needles and cut their hands, lips, and noses with scissors.
- Had them stand outside in tubs of ice water up to their necks until they died.
If you’re twisted, there are plenty of other, more gruesome examples here.
How Do We Know? Real Or Fictional?
You’re probably wondering, isn’t this just a fiction? To really get to the truth, there are two important things to consider whenever you’re reading history. First, the facts of the story might be inaccurate, since there are no more living witnesses to tell the story like it was, many years of documentation might have altered the facts. And second, context is really critical. This points out to the fact that many of the alleged claims that Bathory tortured and killed her victims weren’t completely uncommon at the time.
There’s also the fact that Bathory had a lot of money, influence, and power, and not everyone was cool with that. Rejected Princesses suspects George Thurzo, Palatine of Hungary, was set on taking Bathory down and smearing her reputation to an incredible degree: “So, even if she did commit said acts (which is possible, although nowhere near the scale of the accusations), ask yourself what is more likely: an incredibly outlandish list of violence perpetrated by a cadre of old women over decades; or, an orchestrated persecution against a powerful, harsh, and independent woman — in the age of actual witch hunts, no less!”
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Written by: Nana Kwadwo, Sun, Apr 28, 2019.
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