Search

Culture History vs. Myth Historical Events Historical Figures North America Europe

Advertisement

HowStuffWorks Culture History History vs. Myth

Was a Hungarian countess the world's most prolific

serial killer?
BY JOSH CLARK

Advertisement
Elizabeth Bathory, the "Blood   PREV UP NEXT  

Countess" This Is What Happens When

Elizabeth Bathory, the woman who came to be known as the "Blood You Work at a Desk for 20
Years
Countess," was born into Hungarian nobility in 1560. She is said to have
Read Next Story
suffered from fits and outbursts of rage -- possibly even epilepsy. From an
early age, she witnessed her father's officers torture the peasantry that
lived near her family's estate. Most historical analysis of the countess
includes young Elizabeth as witness to a captured thief being sewn into the
stomach of a dying horse and left to perish [source: King's College].

Countess Elizabeth Bathory
COURTESY DENNIS BATHROY-KITSZ
This story underscores two major aspects that may have influenced
Bathory: exposure to incredible violence and her family's condoning
attitude toward it. Accounts depict her penchant for inflicting pain on
others and claim that she worked with accomplices. One may have been
her husband, Ferencz Nadasdy, and others were members of her court.

IQ Test: How High is your IQ ?

Ad The o cial IQ test used around the
world (Average IQ score: 100).
Ad
International IQ Test

Open

Nadasdy married Bathory when she was 15. A soldier, he spent much time away from home. There's RELATED
speculation that Nadasdy may have taught his wife new torture methods, while other researchers believe
he was ignorant of her actions. What's agreed upon is that Bathory practiced most of her crimes in his
absence [source: King's College].

Bathory had a penchant for torturing young girls in particular -- historians posit that she was bisexual. The
acts she committed ranged from driving needles through her servants' lips and fingernails, to leaving her
victims naked in the snow, dousing them with water and letting them freeze to death. One servant girl
was beaten by Bathory and an accomplice for stealing a pear. The clubbing was so bloody that Bathory How Hercules Totally Nailed His
had to change her shirt. The girl was beaten for hours and finally stabbed to death with a pair of scissors 12 Labors
[source: McNally].

Bathory's acts have a way of engendering a hybrid of truth and legend. Perhaps the most notorious
7 Facts About Crafty Athena,
legend about Bathory is that she bathed in her victims' blood. Inevitably, this led to rumors that the
Favorite Daughter of Zeus
countess was a vampire. This legend was first published in 1720 by a Hungarian priest who interviewed
local peasants and read testimony from the trials of Bathory’s accomplices. She reportedly claimed to use
blood to keep her skin young -- she wanted to remain beautiful for her husband [source: McNally].
Anubis Was Ancient Egypt's
The official testimony of Elizabeth Bathory's murders, which is still extant in Hungarian archives, is both Jackal-headed Guard Dog of the
questionable and convicting in nature. Late in 1610, Elizabeth's cousin conducted a raid on Bathory's Dead
castle. Inside, there were already dead victims and some imprisoned, supposedly awaiting death. Bathory's
Advertisement
accomplices were arrested and put on trial -- she never was. These testimonies still survive.

These testimonies are questionable because they were most likely culled from acts of torture inflicted on
Bathory's own accomplices. But the fact that there even were trials regarding Bathory's murders lends
some credence to the stories surrounding the woman. From the testimonies, the number 650 was settled
upon as her victim count. One witness testified that Bathory kept a registry of her crimes (numbering 650)
[source: McNally].

None of this testimony amounted to a trial for Bathory. Instead, she was walled into her room, with just
enough space for air and food to pass through. She spent the remaining four years of her life there, until
she was found dead on the floor in 1614. Her bloody life, whether exaggerated or factual, had come to an
end -- and Bathory entered the realm of legend.

For more information on crime and serial killers, follow the links below.

IQ Test: How High is your IQ ?

Ad The o cial IQ test used around the
world (Average IQ score: 100).
Ad
International IQ Test

Open

Related HowStuffWorks Articles

How Serial Killers Work
RECOMMENDED
How Profiling Works
HowStuffWorks
9 of History's Coldest Cases
How Royalty Works

More Great Links

Tour Hungary
All Serial Killers
Hungarian History
Bathory.org 7 'Facts' They Got Wrong in School
About Christopher Columbus

Sources
Gilbert, et al. "Female serial killers." Louisiana State University.
http://www.lsu.edu/faculty/jpullia/femaleserialkillers.htm
Holmes, Ronald M. and Homes, Stephen T., eds. "Serial murder." Sage Publications. 1998.
http://books.google.com/books?
hl=en&lr=&id=0yfoJz6jHwkC&oi=fnd&pg=PA33&dq=elizabeth+bathory+.edu&ots=um0cc
W4aGD&sig=KSyZCdFBFYNAxQ1MyZqBYPgVlwQ#PPA33,M1
Ivy, Sandra. "Wicked women." University of South Alabama. Fall 2005. What's the Difference Between an
http://www.southalabama.edu/english/faculty/annmarie_guzy/EH%20280%20Fall%202005%20 Avenue, a Road and a Boulevard?

Collection.pdf#page=118
McNally, Raymond T. “Dracula was a woman: In search of the blood countess of
Transylvania.” McGraw Hill. 1983.
Moore, Matthew. "The world's most prolific serial killers." The Telegraph. October 25, 2007.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/10/24/wchess224.xml
"Canada farmer is guilty of murder." BBC. December 9, 2007.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7135661.stm
"Democide: Nazi genocide and mass murder." University of Hawaii. November 23, 2002. What's the Difference Between Toilet
http://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/NAZIS.CHAP1.HTMl Paper and Tissue?

"Elizabeth Bathory." NNDB. http://www.nndb.com/people/263/000112924/

"Elizabeth Bathory - The Blood Countess." BBC. August 2, 2001.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A593084
"Henry Lee Lucas, 64, murderer who said he killed hundreds." New York Times. March 14,
2001. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?
res=950DE2DC1E3AF937A25750C0A9679C8B63
"Joseph Stalin (1879-1953)." BBC.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/stalin_joseph.shtml New Jersey's Pinelands Are Ripe for
"Serial killer." Princeton University. http://wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn? an Australia-type Wildfire
s=serial%20killer by Taboola
Advertisement

1 2 UP NEXT 

Print | Citation & Date | Reprint

Susan B. Anthony:
Suffragist, Abolitionist,…

2ND

Elk Are Huge, Aggressive

and Unpredictable

3RD

1ST Mongoose vs. Cobra: Who'd

Win in a Grudge Match?
This Is What Happens When You Work at
a Desk for 20 Years 4TH

Malaysia Gave Hope to Our Dreams Jennifer Aniston No Makeup Photo Confirms The
Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council MHTC | Sponsored Rumors
BNN | Sponsored

Is she the most beautiful woman in the world ? Adam Sandler Is Now Officially One Of The
Easyvoyage | Sponsored Wealthiest Men In The U.S.
Mortgage After Life | Sponsored

Advertisement

Animals - Pets Culture - People Adventure - Destinations

Why Do Cats Need to Knead? Why Do We Say 'Holy Cow'? What's the Worst Seat on the
BY KRISTEN HALL-GEISLER BY KRISTEN HALL-GEISLER Plane?
BY NATHAN CHANDLER

Hotels in Rome Might Actually Surprise You This Is Bill Cosby's Net Worth As Of 2020
Rome Hotels | Search Ads | Sponsored FinancialAdvisorHeroes | Sponsored

Advertisement

Advertisement

About Careers Newsletter

Podcasts Contact Us
Get the best of HowStuffWorks by email!
Privacy Policy Help
Ad Choices Reprints Keep up to date on: Latest Buzz · Stuff Shows &
Terms Podcasts · Tours · Weird & Wacky

Sign Up

Copyright © 2020 HowStuffWorks, a division of InfoSpace Holdings, LLC, a System1 Company