The bloody legend of Hungary s serial killer countess - Hungarian Rebellion HEAD TOPICS

The bloody legend of Hungary s serial killer countess

10/21/2022 11:55:00 PM

Throughout Central Europe 16th-century noblewoman Elizabeth Bá thory is infamous for torture and murder But was she really as evil as history tells it

Well-Known Evil Females Hungarian Rebellion

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National Geographic

Hungarian countess Elizabeth Báthory is often proclaimed the most prolific female serial killer of all time. Now, this narrative is being questioned by researchers who believe Báthory’s crimes were likely exaggerated as part of a conspiracy against her Throughout Central Europe, 16th-century noblewoman Elizabeth Báthory is infamous for torture and murder. But was she really as evil as history tells it? In 1575, Báthory married Count Ferenc Nádasdy, a celebrated but ruthless soldier depicted in this 17th-century portrait.Nádasdy Castle.)The frescoes decorating this palatial room in Nádasdy Castle was commissioned by the count’s son Ferenc Nádasdy III and depicts the battles fought by Ferenc Nádasdy II between 1591-1602. Čachtice Castle., King of Hungary. With the testimony of dozens of witnesses, Báthory was arrested and imprisoned in Čachtice Castle for the murder of 80 young women, Bledsaw says. Some witnesses estimated her body count at more than 600. Yet the countess was never convicted, and her husband could not be prosecuted from his grave. Instead, four of Báthory’s servants were convicted of violence against young women in her castles. The countess, meanwhile, remained locked in her spacious jail until she died in 1614, at the age of 54. Read more:
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Taylor Swift returned to pop on Friday with the debut of her 10th studio album, a record called 'Midnights' inspired by her late-night thoughts, and she also released a video of her 'nightmare scenarios' in the genre of a horror flick. Read more >> Oh, well it's totally ok if she only murdered SOME of the people she's accused of murdering. هل استطيع ان افهم سبب توقف قناتكم على كثير من الاقمار وغياب تردداتكم هل لديكم تردد على بدر ونايلسات ولازلتم احياء ام ماذا؟ It’s quite possible that much of history has been inflated by whoever the wrote the narratives. They were insanely exaggerated Netflix's 'Dahmer' Series Is A Big Hit. But At What Price?Critics say the serial killer show exploits Dahmer's victims California Serial Killer: Survivor speaks at vigil in StocktonFamily and friends of victims of the California serial killer in Stockton spoke at a vigil. Simone Biles calls out Jeffrey Dahmer Halloween costumes: 'Ain’t having it!'Thinking of playing a serial killer for your Halloween costume? Well, if it's Jeffrey Dahmer, four-time Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles has some advice: Think again. UGH! Bad idea!🤨😳😡 I think it’s horrid, but it’s not up to her. Jeffrey Dahmer Halloween Costume Is So Banned!!! Jeffrey Dahmer is way more popular on Netflix than on eBay, which bans killer costumeThe auction website eBay has removed Halloween-costume items linked to the serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer and spurred by the Netflix show. Maybe they know more about Dahmer than the average serial killer. Jeff wasn't born this way he was nurtured this way. Simone Biles Calls Out Jeffrey Dahmer Costumes Ahead of Halloween - E! OnlineFollowing the success of Ryan Murphy’s new Netflix series about Jeffrey Dahmer, Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles urged her followers not to dress like the serial killer for Halloween. Why doesn't Simone_Biles or anyone for that matter call this out Maybe because this incredible man was helping a cop, and that just doesn't look good if you help a cop these days...or because it was black on black violence...such a horrible tragedy, so sad. Good job Simone. ‘They’ love glorifying white male serial killers. a research paper on the countess.I have a friend who is obsessed with true crime stories.©2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc.. “Already at the age of four or five, she suffered from epileptic seizures, violent mood swings, as well as painful migraines,” Bartosiewicz says. Báthory was also exposed to brutality. Relatives of some of Dahmer’s victims have attacked the series for its graphic recreations of his murders (17 people total) and what followed (dismemberment and cannibalism). Servants were routinely beaten in this era and, at age six, she watched a public execution. At 13 Báthory was engaged to 18-year-old , from another influential Hungarian family, and they married two years later. “I tried to watch the pilot and couldn't do it,” my friend told me. They eventually had four children." Netflix in an essay for Insider . In 1575, Báthory married Count Ferenc Nádasdy, a celebrated but ruthless soldier depicted in this 17th-century portrait. And, in the back of my mind was the niggling thought that this is glorifying him in some way. Photograph by Hulton Fine Art Collection, Getty Images Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. This has never happened to me before, but even before the news came out about the victims' families, I felt like watching would be a betrayal of them. As newlyweds they moved to Sárvár, in western Hungary, where Nádasdy schooled his wife in torture. Nádasdy Castle became the site of a number of atrocities, Bartosiewicz says. It’s so disrespectful to both the Black and Brown gay community. For Báthory’s pleasure, Nádasdy had a girl restrained, lathered in honey, and ravaged by insects. He gifted the countess gloves spiked by claws, with which to thrash her servants for their mistakes. Further corruption came from Báthory’s aunt Clara, who introduced her to orgies and a shadowy circle of people considered sorcerers, witches, and alchemists. ( This “horror hotel” was inspired by an American serial killer .) After her wedding, Báthory moved into her husband’s home Nádasdy Castle in Sárvár, Hungary. It is here that the Nádasdy taught and encouraged Báthory to torture her servants, according to legend. Photograph by ZG Photography, Alamy Stock Photo Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. The frescoes decorating this palatial room in Nádasdy Castle was commissioned by the count’s son Ferenc Nádasdy III and depicts the battles fought by Ferenc Nádasdy II between 1591-1602. Photograph by DPA Picture Alliance, Alamy Stock Photo Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Báthory’s violence peaked within another grand fortress. The crumbled remains of Čachtice Castle are now an eerie tourist attraction, looming above the town of Čachtice in western Slovakia, 50 miles northeast of the capital, Bratislava. Visitors can roam this lofty site, from which startling rumors tumbled down the hillside in the early 1600s. Báthory moved to Čachtice in 1604 after her husband died. Tales of her malice toward staff became so widespread that local families hid their daughters from her service, says Tony Thorne, a linguist at King’s College London and author of the 1998 book Countess Dracula: The Life and Times of Elizabeth Bathory . What finally undid the widow countess was extending her abuse to victims of a higher class, says Rachael Bledsaw, adjunct faculty in the history department at Washington State’s Highline College. “Killing serfs and servants, who indeed had fewer rights, was gauche but not really illegal for a noble,” says Bledsaw, who wrote a thesis on Báthory. “Killing your fellow nobles, even ones of lower rank, was a far more serious problem, and not one that could be ignored.” Finally, in 1610, an investigation began into dozens of suspicious deaths and disappearances in Čachtice, launched by Matthias II , King of Hungary. With the testimony of dozens of witnesses, Báthory was arrested and imprisoned in Čachtice Castle for the murder of 80 young women, Bledsaw says. Some witnesses estimated her body count at more than 600. Yet the countess was never convicted, and her husband could not be prosecuted from his grave. Instead, four of Báthory’s servants were convicted of violence against young women in her castles. The countess, meanwhile, remained locked in her spacious jail until she died in 1614, at the age of 54. The crumbled remains of Čachtice Castle looms over the town of Čachtice in western Slovakia, 50 miles northeast of the capital, Bratislava. Photograph by Daniel Prudek, Getty Images Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. This castle continued to be occupied by nobility for almost a century after. Nowadays, visitors can join guided tours of the infamous site and browse the “Elizabeth Báthory—Cruelty Hidden in Lace ” Drakovich Mansion in Čachtice, where a wooden statue of her dominates the town square. While Báthory’s tale haunted Čachtice for generations after her death, it didn’t gain a wider audience until 1744 when it was retold in lurid detail in a book on Hungary’s history by Jesuit priest László Túróczi, Thorne says. The countess’ enduring legend is inspired largely by this one sensational account. A lurid legend reconsidered In the 1980s that narrative began to be challenged, Thorne says. A 1982 book by Slovakian archivist Josef Kocis detailed new aspects of Báthory’s life, which several researchers since have used as evidence of a probable conspiracy against her. Some have gone as far as to portray Báthory as a “defenceless widow. ” That is how renowned Slovakian filmmaker Juraj Jakubisko, on his official website, says he depicted her in his 2008 movie, Báthory: Countess of Blood , which “diametrically opposes the established legend.” Others, like Bartosiewicz and Thorne, are more restrained in their views. They say Báthory’s crimes were likely exaggerated to discredit her—a conspiracy by relatives and the , a dynasty which at that time ruled a swath of Europe, including Austria and western Hungary. ( Witch hunt tourism is lucrative. It also obscures a tragic history . ) Habsburg ruler King Matthias II owed a large debt to Báthory and so benefited from her demise, Bartosiewicz argues. The king also viewed her as a political threat, who might support her cousin Gabriel Báthory ’s efforts to challenge Matthias II’s control of Western Hungary. The countess’ imprisonment helped not just rivals, but also those close to her, Thorne says. Once Báthory was jailed, one of her daughters took valuables from her property, while her sons-in-law were keen to gain their inheritance without having to wait for her to die. Bledsaw, however, is unconvinced Báthory was the target of a conspiracy. She says when the countess’ husband died, it was her son who inherited his domain and their debts. Regardless of growing doubts about its veracity, the macabre legend of the serial killer countess is destined to persist, says Thorne. “Humans have a need for symbols, icons, and personifications of the dramatic forces that shape our lives, and we, guiltily or not, thrill at the excesses of those who go too far,” Thorne says. “There are plenty of male representations of spectacular evil. But few very well-known evil females. Báthory fills a gap in the iconography of horror.” is an Australian journalist and photographer who shuttles between Ireland, Thailand, and Western Australia. Share .