Erzsebet Bathory

Erzsebet (Elizabeth) Bathory was born August 7, 1560, Nyirbator and died August 21, 1614, Cachtice. Bathory was commented on for her beauty but she adored her skin the most. She is known for slaughtering six hundred young women to bathe in their blood to keep her youthful complexion. She was seen evil enough to be recognized as one of the original "vampires." Bathory was married to a political at age sixteen and became lady of the Castle of Csejthe, a dark, dull castle located in the center of Romania. She became bored in her home as her husband was off fighting and invited many people into her home, such as claimed witches, seers, alchemists, and sorcerers and was captivated by their stories and teachings. In 1604 her husband died of imposed stab wounds, and Bathony craved power instead of marrying another man. The starting of her killings was when she slapped one of her servants hard enough to draw blood onto her skin and she swore it had made her complexion younger where the blood touched. She asked the witches and alchemists if it was true, and not wanting to disappoint, they told her the blood of virgins would give her youth. Dorotta Szentes was one of her helpers that found beautiful virgin girls for Bathory to bathe in and drink their blood. They would chain the girls upside down, still alive, and slit their throats so that the blood drained into her bath. Elizabeth would drink the blood of the more beautiful and young girls' blood. Her killings finally failed when she threw four drained bodies off the castle wall. The villagers recognized and told the Hungarian Emperor, Matthias II. He marched to the castle and put Bathory on trial but her status as being the cousin of prime minister Thurzoa, widowed of the Hungary's Black Hero, and niece Stephen Bathory, King of Poland made her a political enemy. Also, the fact that the girls she killed were just peasants made it so she couldn't be arrested. Dorotta and her witches were all burned but Elizabeth was imprisoned in her castle and died four years later. Her final count was 600 vanished girls but Bathory never admitted anything.