Was Elizabeth Báthory really a serial killer?
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Was Hungarian noblewoman Elizabeth Bathory really a serial killer who bathed in the blood of virgins in the late 16th and early 17th century? In this episode of the History Extra podcast, Shelley Puhack speaks to Isabel King about the lack of evidence surrounding Bathory's case and reveals the truth behind the grisly legend. Hello Shelly, thank you so much for joining us on the History Extra podcast today. We're here to discuss your book, The Blood Countess, but before we get into the depths of this history, can you give us a summary of the legend of Elizabeth Bathory and the allegations against her? Sure.
So Elizabeth Bathory is the 17th century Hungarian countess and accused serial killer, has a reported body count of over 600, and you may know her as the noblewoman who is said to have bathed in the blood of virgins. So Quick snippet, in 1610, she's accused of witchcraft, attempting to assassinate the king and the prosecutor, cannibalism, and torturing and murdering young girls. And the story goes something like this, that she's been running a finishing school on her estate where all of like you know, young ladies kind of jockey for the opportunity to serve at her court.
But what she's really doing is disposing of them. And finally enough noble families complain that their daughters have been disappearing, that the king is forced to open an investigation. The prosecutor goes to investigate. He supposedly finds her. in the act of murdering a girl, catches her red-handed, and to spare her family the shame of a public trial, she's going to be walled up in a tower for the rest of her life.
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