Elisabeth Barthory: Countess of Blood

Elisabeth Barthory, killed other women, hundreds of them. She remains not only the deadliest female serial killer we know of, she may well be the most prolific serial killer of all time.

She was Hungarian by birth, born in the town of Nagyecsed in the Nyirbator region of the country on 7 August, 1560. She was of royal blood, her family being one of the most powerful and influential in central Europe. She was elegant, sophisticated, courtly and well-educated. She could speak four languages and was an enthusiastic student of the sciences and astronomy. At the age of 15 she was betrothed to Ferenc Nadasdy, a marriage that would cement her dynastic ties. As a wedding gift he presented her with the impressive Csjete Castle, though it wasn’t at the time his to give away, and its immediate surroundings which included a country house, lush agricultural land, and 17 nearby villages. Soon after their wedding, however, Nadasdy was made Commander of the Hungarian forces opposing the Ottoman Turks, and for the remainder of their marriage he was to be absent for long periods of time, sometimes for years.

Nadasdy was rarely around during the Long War of 1593 to 1606, and in her husbands absence, Elisabeth was charged with running and protecting the family estates. She proved to be an efficient and effective administrator earning a reputation for kindness as she provided medical care for the poor and intervened on behalf of wrongly accused and arrested peasants. However, from around 1585 onwards young women started disappearing from the local area. This continued for a number of years. Rumours persisted that they had been lured to the Castle by the prospect of work. If this was so, they never returned. Suspicions were aroused but little was done. It was only when the daughters of the local gentry, who had been sent to the Castle to learn courtly manners, began to go missing that anything was to done to find out was going on.

Between 1602 and 1604, investigations were carried out by a Lutheran Minister, Istvan Magyari. He believed the Countess to be responsible in some way for the disappearances and took his suspicions as far as the Imperial Court in Vienna. He was listened to, if not entirely believed. In any case, the Countess was far too powerful a figure for his suspicions to be taken any further. In 1604, however, Elisabeth’s husband died, officially in battle, but more likely at the hands of a disgruntled prostitute. With his death, however, died also Elisabeth’s political protection. In 1610, King Matthias of Hungary, appointed Justice Juraj Thurzo to collate evidence against Elisabeth and initiate proceedings. But it was a tricky case. Elisabeth Barthory’s family remained rich and powerful with one branch of it ruling Transylvania. He would have to tread carefully.