400 years later, accounts of Hungarian 'Blood Countess' remain shrouded in mystery and controversy

ČACHTICE, Slovakia -- More than 400 years aft her death, nan truth astir “the Blood Countess,” a Hungarian noblewoman alleged to person been nan astir prolific female serial slayer of each time, remains elusive.

From her castle atop a rugged highest successful what is coming Čachtice successful occidental Slovakia, Elizabeth Báthory was alleged to person tortured and killed up to 650 young women and girls, sparking gruesome legends that she delighted successful bathing successful nan humor of her victims successful nan belief it would thief her clasp her youth.

Rumors of Báthory's cruelty dispersed passim nan Kingdom of Hungary successful nan early 17th century, and aft a royal inquiry, 4 of her servants were convicted of execution and brutally executed. The Blood Countess was arrested and confined to nan walls of her castle until her decease successful 1614.

Báthory's macabre communicative has captivated imaginations, and invited speculation, for centuries, spawning books, films, tv bid and section legends. But immoderate researchers person formed uncertainty connected whether she was genuinely responsible for nan alleged savagery and propose that arsenic a able and powerful female successful precocious Renaissance Europe, she herself whitethorn person been nan victim.

“Was Báthory a serial slayer who was tormenting and torturing 650 young women for thing much than her pleasure?” asked Annouchka Bayley, a British writer and world who precocious published a caller astir nan able countess. “I'm very convinced that it is, arsenic we put it successful England, a stitch-up job.”

Bayley, writer of “The Blood Countess” and subordinate professor of arts and creativities astatine Cambridge University, says nan celebrated communicative of Báthory arsenic a serial slayer relies connected a “woman arsenic monster” trope that is not supported by nan disposable evidence.

Instead of a murderer, she argues, Bathory whitethorn person been a subversive fig who was a threat to nan kingdom's powerfulness structure, particularly fixed grounds that she taught galore young women to publication and whitethorn person owned a printing property — extremist acts during nan play successful which she lived.

“You person to remember, these are nan years of nan Reformation and nan Counter-Reformation wherever group were being burned astatine nan liking for their heretical beliefs. The printing presses, which had started flourishing crossed Europe, were giving group overmuch wider entree to information, and this was seen arsenic very dangerous,” Bayley said.

“There’s capable for maine to go, whoa, clasp connected a minute. Let’s conscionable region present and investigate.”

Báthory, calved into an aristocratic family successful 1560, joined a able Hungarian nobleman, Ferenc Nádasdy, successful 1575, and nan mates controlled awesome wealthiness and lands crossed nan kingdom. Nádasdy was a salient worker and cardinal fig successful wresting backmost power of galore Hungarian lands that had been occupied by nan Ottoman Empire.

But aft Nádasdy's abrupt decease successful 1604, Báthory inherited his lands and wealthiness and commanded a “Jeff Bezos-style immense fortune,” according to Bayley.

It was that luck and position of powerfulness that Bayley and different scholars person pointed to arsenic a imaginable motive for different powerful figures of nan clip to activity to destruct Báthory and prehend her wealth.

Báthory's refusal to remarry pursuing her husband's death, and her activities successful educating young women "would nonstop siren bells ringing of anyone successful power,” Bayley said.

Skepticism complete Báthory's guilt is not constricted to academia — nan mobility tin still beryllium polarizing successful nan Slovakian colony of Čachtice wherever nan atrocities were said to person taken place. Uncertainty complete wherever Báthory is buried has besides bred speculation. She is thought to beryllium interred successful a crypt beneath nan section church, but location person been rumors that her assemblage was later moved, and nan religion has not allowed an excavation.

A section depository dedicated to nan countess successful Čachtice, and groups of visitors and villagers who ascend nan rocky hills to nan castle supra nan municipality are testaments to nan powerfulness her fable still holds complete nan region.

But Ivan Pisca, a section farmer, said nan powerfulness of Báthory's communicative whitethorn beryllium waning arsenic generations travel and go.

“There are legends astir Elizabeth Báthory, comparatively bloodthirsty ones astir nan young girls she tortured and past killed," he said. "Older group judge these tales, but nan younger group whitethorn cognize a small little astir them.”

Bayley believes that celebrated civilization passim nan hundreds of years has held an undue fascination pinch nan astir gruesome and convulsive narratives, and that history has often stigmatized powerful women.

With a “counter-narrative” of Báthory's story, she said, she hopes to supply a measurement of justness for her and each others that history whitethorn person unfairly condemned.

“She deserves better, we each merit better,” Bayley said. “Is justness for Báthory 500 years later, ‘She didn’t do it'? Or is justness for Báthory really nan undoing of nan monster trope for each women and for each men?”