Romarin thought her bloodthirsty, out of control powers passed down from countess bathory were her biggest problem. Aug 01, 1995 told in parallel stories, the blood countess gives a retelling of the alleged crimes of elizabeth bathory, a sixteenth century hungarian noble said to have tortured and bathed in the blood of 650 virgins and her fictional descendant, drake bathory kereshtur, a hungarian emigre who has returned to his native land to investigate the blood countess and reconnect with his own past. After hearing the accusations, thurzo ultimately charged bathory with the. Elizabeth bathory simple english wikipedia, the free. The case of elizabeth bathory inspired numerous stories during the 18th and 19th centuries. The infamous lady, countess erzsebetelizabethbathory is reviled as the worlds worst female serial killer, countess bathory is said to have bathed in the blood of the 650 servant girls she tortured and murdered. Eventually, she kills a prostitute called ziza, but her blood does not restore the countess like the others. I have been fascinated by the countess bathory ever since i first saw her mentioned on a television special. Elizabeth bathory was born on a family estate in nyirbator, kingdom of hungary, in 1560 or 1561, and spent her childhood at ecsed castle. According to the guinness book of records, hungarian countess elizabeth bathory was the most murderous woman in history. However, some believe the acts attributed to her were politically motivated slander that allowed relatives to appropriate her lands. She is said to have drained the blood of approximately 600 young women, in order to drink it, spread it all over her body as a nurturing blend, or simply to bathe in it.
Kontes elizabeth bathory blood countess home facebook. In i, bathory, queen of blood we have the pleasure of meeting and reading the memoirs of erzsebet bathory known as the blood countess as told in her own words. Based on newlyfound source material, translated into english for the first time, this book explores the actual life and trial of countess bathory, reputed to be both a vampire and the worlds worst female serial killer, she allegedly bathed in the blood of her 650 victims. Taut and intense, the blood countess is a riveting novel that deftly straddles the genres of historical fiction, thriller, horror, and family drama. Bathory is based on the legends surrounding the life and deeds of. The blood countess elizabeth bathory documentary 2019 youtube. Many names for just one woman who may or may not be the worlds worst serial killer. Untitled erzsebet biography vilnius library manuscripts, including bathory decrees.
Aug 08, 2016 the most infamous accusation the one that inspired her infamous nickname, the blood countess, as well as the rumors that she was a vampire alleged that elizabeth bathory bathed in the blood of her young victims in an attempt to maintain a youthful appearance. Bathory, elizabeth article about bathory, elizabeth by. Descended from one of the most ancient aristocratic families of europe, erzsebet bathory bore the psychotic aberrations of centuries of intermarriage. She is often compared with vlad iii the impaler of wallachia, on whom the fictional count dracula is partly based, and has become known as the blood countess. Carole gill has put her own spin on the infamous serial killer countess erzsebet bathory in i, bathory, queen of blood by tapping into stories about the countesss vampirelike inclinations.
Nov 14, 2018 the blood countess trial saw bathorys accomplices executed, yet bathory herself spared. The countess who bathed in blood caught my attention immediately from the crime page. Elizabeth bathory 16th century deranged serial killer or. From an early age, she witnessed her fathers officers torture the peasantry that lived near her familys estate. Im sure most readers know the popular tale where she bathed in the blood of virgins to retain her beauty. The infamous countess erzsebet bathory said to have maintained youth and beauty by bathing in the blood of virgins has her life story told in a more balanced but still provocative manner. The influence of countess elizabeth bathory in popular culture has been notable from the 18th. The countess tells the story of erzsebet bathory, a woman from a hungarian noble family, who is often called countess dracula because of all the lives of young women she is said to have taken. Ebook elizabeth bathory as pdf download portable document format. The bloody countess is valentine penroses disturbing case history of a female psychopath, a chillingly lyrical account beautifully translated by alexander trocchi, which has an unequalled power to evoke the decadent melancholy of doomed, delinquent aristocracy in a dark age of superstition. Blood countess elizabeth bathory novels page countess elizabeth was a hungarian. Her sentence was one of house arrest, likely chosen to prevent backlash for killing a noblewoman. The old ways of medicine seem to have really affected the way she lived throughout adulthood. After all, legend has it that she bathed in the blood of at least 650 servant girls she had tortured and killed.
How and why women become monsters by peter vronsky. She is reputed to have tortured and murdered young women in her charge during the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. Blood countess lady slayers hardcover abrams books. Dec 20, 2017 the myth of the blood countess elizabeth bathory.
In the book, she is cousin to count dracula and was the motive behind his decision to move to london in the original novel, as she was murdering. Elizabeth bathory 15601614 was a countess who lived in transylvania, then a part of the kingdom of hungary. Elizabeth bathory by edward eaton, the blood countess by andrei codrescu, the progeny by tosca lee, in search of drac. The book was never revealed, and szilvassy never mentioned it in his testimony. Countess elizabeth bathory was dead at the age of fiftyfour. She was from a very important family that included kings, cardinals, knights, and judges. Elizabeth bathory, the blood countess elizabeth bathory. This book is based off the historical countess elizabeth of bathory and, until i read the description, i didnt know she was the real life inspiration.
Jan, 2020 blood countess by lana popovic is a really interesting take on elizabeth bathory. Was the blood countess historys first and perhaps worst female serial killer. The most infamous accusation the one that inspired her infamous nickname, the blood countess, as well as the rumors that she was a vampire alleged that elizabeth bathory bathed in the blood of her young victims in an attempt to maintain a youthful appearance. Jul 21, 2015 codrescu traces the captivating origins of the countesss obsessions in tandem with the emerging political fervor of the reporter, building the narratives into an unforgettable, bloody crescendo. This book caught my interest because unlike the others ive read about her. Ingrid pitt played elizabeth bathory in the film countess dracula. Dobi finds fabio, who has a book chapter about blood sacrifices and tells elisabeth the truth in return for being allowed to live. Blood countess lady slayers by lana popovic, hardcover. In 17th century hungary, anna darvulia has just begun working as a scullery maid for the young and glamorous countess elizabeth bathory. Her father was baron george vi bathory of the ecsed branch of the family, brother of andrew bonaventura bathory, who had been voivode of transylvania, while her mother was baroness anna bathory 15391570, daughter of stephen bathory of somlyo. Oct 19, 2011 the gruesome tale of countess elizabeth bathory, the most notorious murderess in the history of humankind. Elizabeth bathory, hungarian countess who purportedly tortured and murdered hundreds of young women in the 16th and 17th centuries. Known as the most prolific female killer from the bathory family of nobility of hungary, she.
Contrary to popular belief, elizabeth bathory was a modern renaissance woman who ultimately fell victim to mens aspirations for power and wealth. With anna friel, karel roden, vincent regan, hans matheson. Told in parallel stories, the blood countess gives a retelling of the alleged crimes of elizabeth bathory, a sixteenth century hungarian noble said to have tortured and bathed in the blood of 650 virgins and her fictional descendant, drake bathorykereshtur, a hungarian emigre who has returned to his native land to investigate the blood countess and reconnect with his own past. Bathory is the main villain in the novel the blood countess by tara moss. The countess fuses biography with storytelling, recounting the real life history of a disturbing woman. Nov 06, 2014 some say that countess elizabeth bathory, considered by many to be the worlds worst female serial killer, was the true inspiration for bram stokers dracula. Elizabeth bathory was finally tried for her crimes in 1610, when the count palatine of hungary, count thurzo collected hundreds of witness reports. Many books would have readers believe that erszebet or elizabeth was responsible for. Lana popovic the book is a standalone, yes but there will be more books in. Bathory is portrayed in three important episodes from her life. The subsequent questioning of over 300 people into the doings of the blood countess as shed later become known has put her in the record books as easily the most prolific female serial killer in history, by an order of magnitude. I purchased many books on elizabeth bathory, and most of them were informational. Elizabeth bathory is terrifying, obsessional, and beautiful.
Those unfamiliar with countess bathory will especially enjoy this retelling of her life, yet the author adds enough with her selection of events and prose to create a compelling read for those of us who have read other bathory novels. Transylvanian countess elizabeth bathory the blood countess 15601614 is often described as the first atypical and very rare, pathological hedonist lust female serial killer, as opposed to the more typical profitmotivated black widows. Irenethe athenaeum mention elizabeth bathoryor erzsebet bathory, her hungarian nameto anyone and they will all know her as the vampire countess who used to bathe in the blood of virgins to regain and maintain her youth. Sep 24, 2019 nicknames and literary epithets attributed to her include the blood countess and countess dracula. The story of elizabeth bathory is surrounded by a lot of folklore. Bathory is a long film divided in three parts ferenc, darvulia and thurzo based on the story and legend of an hungarian countess elizabeth bathory that lived in the upper hungary sixteenth century in the period of the turkish invasion and got the fame of bathing in blood of virgin maids to keep her beauty.
Nicknames and literary epithets attributed to her include the blood countess and countess dracula. In popular culture, bathory is famous as the blood countess, drinking her victims blood to keep herself looking young. Bathory, elizabeth 15601614 pop culture elizabeth bathory, a slovakian countess who was said to have tortured and murdered numerous young women, became known as one of the true vampires in history. A brief on the life and death of hungarys infamous blood countess, elizabeth bathorynadasdy by mathew amaral. There is a lot of supposition going on about the truthfulness of the accusations. The true story of elizabeth bathory the blood countess. The true story of a 17th century hungarian countess who bathed in the blood of girls. Elizabeth bathory, also known as the blood countess is a 16th century hungarian aristocrat ranked in none other than the guinness book of records as the most murderous murderess of all time. Her story is so interesting but has so many gaps it can leave you wondering about the lines between fact, fiction, legend, and infamy. Her body count of 650 young girls in 35 years is mind blowing.
She is said to have suffered from fits and outbursts of rage possibly even epilepsy. The highest number of victims claimed was 650, and this number comes from a servant girl who says she saw this figure listed in one of bathorys private books. Its difficult to humanize a legendary monster like bathory, but popovic gives it an admirable shot. Elizabeth bathory, the woman who came to be known as the blood countess, was born into hungarian nobility in 1560. Elizabeth bathory 15601614 depicted in an 1893 painting by hungarian impressionist painter, istvan csok 18651961. The supernatural london underground 3 book series kindle. A 17th century hungarian countess embarks on a murderous undertaking, with the belief that bathing in the blood of virgins will preserve her beauty. In 1578 hungary, sixteenyearold anna is elevated from scullery maid to chambermaid by the young and glamorous countess elizabeth bathory, falling completely under the countesss spell until anna realizes that she is not a. At a very young age erzsebet is married to ferenc nadasdy who takes her name after they are married as her name is more wellknown and higher up than his. I love popovics femalefocused view on traditionally male spaces, especially when it comes to a character like elizabeth, who could just be written off as crazy or incompetent. Elizabeth was found guilty of killing 80 girls, the judge at her trial said that the lady has committed terrible crimes against the female blood.
She tortured her victims, exclusively women, before killing them. The book shows erzsebets life from nine years of age to fiftyfour. Bathory is based on the legends surrounding the life and deeds of countess elizabeth bathory known as the greatest murderess in the history of mankind. Elizabeth bathory, who was known as the female dracula. An example is the notorious case of elizabeth bathory, the socalled hungarian blood countess, who seems to have inspired the conceptualized music authored by the british extrememetal band cradle of filth. Nov 17, 2016 the dark and twisted have always served as inspiration to artists, even if sometimes dark means inhumane crimes and murders. Over time, the facts of bathorys life have mingled with myth.
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