ELIZABETH OF BATHORY

Elizabeth of Bathory

Was born 1560 (Hungarian) married to Count Ferencz Nadasdy (who was always away at war) on May 8, 1575

Some say her mother was a lesbian; some say Elizabeth was too

Elizabeth murdered over 650 girls for her "beauty baths" which she "discovered" after she struck a servant one day and the servant's blood dropped on her hand. She felth that human blood seemed to make her skin soft and supple

Her manservant, Thurko, (sometimes written Thorko) introduced her to witchcraft.

She had no children for the first 10 years of her marriage but then had 3 boys and 1 girl

Her husband died in 1604; other accounts say in 1600

Castle Csejthe (her home in the Northwest of Hungary) gets turned into a torture chamber. Young girls were lured to the castle on pretence of $$$ and employment ("service) by accomplices (two "witches," Dorottya Szentes & Darvula)

One day a servant girl who was combing her hair accidentally pulled her hair and when Elizabeth slapped her some blood spurted on to her hand which she subsequently became convinced that the skin became more supple and smooth

Countess also used an iron maiden for extracting blood

One of her victims escaped and went to King Mathias II of Hungary who commissioned an inquiry. Her castle is raided on Dec 30, 1610

All were brought to trial in January/February 1611 in Bitcse

After the trial all her accomplices (including nurse Iilona Joo) were tortured, beheaded & then cremated (some accounts also say burned alive)

Iilona Joo and Dorottya Szentes also had their fingers torn out individually and were then burned alive

Johanes Vjvary testified that 37 girls were tortured and killed and Ilona Joo said 40 were tortured and killed

Because of her eminence she was imprisoned (rather than executed and sealed in a room by a stone mason in her castle. Food was slipped through a tiny slot. She died 3 years later

The Bathories were tied to Vlad's family (one Steven Bathory had helped Vlad out in some battles)

a film of this ... Countess Dracula (1971) starring Ingrid Pitt; Daughters Of Darkness (1970) and Ritual Of Blood (1973)

also she appears as one of the tales in Immoral Tales (1974) directed by Polish director Walerian Borowczyk