Countess Dracula : Life and Times of Elisabeth Bathory, the Blood Countess

by Tony Thorne

This is the story of Elisabeth Bathory, a 17th-century Transylvanian countess. She was tried as a vampire and became an inspiration for depraved murderers up to the present day. Based on research conducted at archives in Eastern Europe, this account includes both the recorded truth and the legend that has grown up around her. Tony Thorne is the author of the "Bloomsbury Dictionary of Slang".

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, True Crime, Vampires, Historical, Crime

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Note: There are more than one Tony Thorne on GR’s database.

Tony Thorne (born 1950) is a British author, linguist and lexicographer specialising in slang, jargon and cultural history.
See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Thorne

Reviews

[Darrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Erzsébet (Elizabeth) Báthory, a contemporary of Queen Elizabeth I, was said to have murdered hundreds of girls and bathed in their blood in order to retain a youthful appearance. If you're thinking it's not possible to bathe in blood due to coagulation, think again. The stress of a sudden violent death causes the body to overproduce fibrinolysin, an anti-coagulent. So, the blood could indeed remain liquid for hours after death, plenty of time to take a nice warm bath.

The story of Countess Dracula, or the Blood Countess of Hungary, has been retold countless times, including by the Brothers Grimm. Even most non-fictional accounts take the lurid details of her trial at face value. However, Tony Thorne digs deeper into the historical record and even produces previously unpublished letters to get at the truth behind the legend.

Far from the dullard he is usually depicted as, Elizabeth's husband Francis Nádasdy was an educated nobleman and a national war hero who wasn't afraid to take politically unpopular opinions. He was mostly absent from Elizabeth's life however, due to the Fifteen Year War with the Turks.

While he was away, and after he died, Elizabeth had a lot of responsibilities. In addition to being a mother, overseeing her servants, cultivating and trading in honey, milk, and eggs, and attending to her herb garden, Elizabeth also resolved disputes amongst townspeople. Additionally, Elizabeth spent a lot of time traveling to oversee her estates and attend to her dignitary duties.

She was likely a healer since there was no doctor or barber surgeon in her court and noblewomen often filled the role of healer, especially since there weren't any doctors around during the war. However, to a modern eye, the mock surgical techniques employed by amateur healers such as bleeding would often be indistinguishable from torture. Here, we get one explanation for the atrocious acts witnesses claimed she committed. Another explanation is found in the realm of discipline.

Elizabeth Báthory was said to have used creative punishments, such as forcing girls who stole coins from her to hold heated up coins in their hands. This is not cruel or unusual punishment when taken into context. One fellow called the Peasant King, who led a revolt against the Hungarian nobility, was punished by being placed upon an iron throne with an iron crown upon his head. The metal was then heated up until he burned to death. The middle ages were a brutal time to be alive, not just in Hungary, but in all of Europe. Torturing peasants was common. If a servant died while being beaten by his master, it was considered an accident, not murder. Even killing a noble could be excused if you paid off the victim's family.

During her trial, Elizabeth was accused of torturing servants in a variety of ways including sewing their lips together and making them eat their own flesh. She was also said to have bitten them, stuck pins in them, held candles up to their genitals, and made them bathe in icy cold water. Some descriptions given by witnesses seem to be taken from contemporary descriptions of Hell, such as the accusation that she inserted red hot iron rods into her victims' vaginas.

Elizabeth, like any other noble of the time, certainly would have punished her servants severely for minor infractions and her attempts at healing would have appeared to be torture to someone who didn't know what she was doing. However, the witnesses, who were testifying after being tortured themselves, likely made up a lot of the details.

Supposedly, Elizabeth Báthory had to travel to far away towns to recruit servants since all the nearby townspeople were frightened of her. This, however is untrue. It was a great honor to be a seamstress or chambermaid in a noble's court and Elizabeth was related by either blood or marriage to all of her alleged victims. She had no difficulty finding help.

When her servants died, the Countess held funerals for them, not secret burials like one would expect from a murderer. The story that dogs had dug up a body was most likely true, since Elizabeth would have had to bury several servants over the years who had died of illness after her attempts at healing had failed.

Usually, high ranking officials such as Countess Báthory were notified in advance of any criminal charges against them and the trial would take years, but Elizabeth was taken by surprise and her servants were executed unusually quickly.

In court proceedings of the time, quantity of evidence was more important than quality and confessions obtained through torture were permissible. In the case of Elizabeth Báthory, the witnesses' accounts differed wildly from each other and were mostly hearsay.

Suspiciously, the proceedings were conducted entirely by persons either dependent upon or in the pay of the Palatine George Thurzó. Thurzó had a history of jumping to hasty conclusions and executing the innocent. He was originally friends with Elizabeth and her husband, and admired her intelligence. Unlike his barely literate wife, Elizabeth knew several languages including Latin and Greek.

However, Thurzó's patrons, the Habsburgs, were long time rivals of the Báthorys who owned more square miles of the country than he or the King. When Elizabeth's nephew Gábor became Prince of Transylvania, his friendship with Báthory and her husband became strained. There was also religious tension between the Lutheran Thurzó and Calvinist Báthory.

The case against Elizabeth Báthory's servants was very flimsy. None of the victim's families had called for a trial. The arrest, investigation, and imprisonment were not carried out legally. The required coroner's report was not included. Not all of the witnesses spoke Hungarian. Bodies weren't exhumed and survivors were not called to testify. Thurzó didn't interview anyone in the east of the country where he had no political influence. Also, Thurzó never officially tried Elizabeth, despite repeated requests from King Matthias, perhaps because he could have faced execution for bringing false charges against her. After Elizabeth's imprisonment, his wife looted her treasury.

Thorne finishes up by telling us of other similar cases. It was common to accuse widows of witchcraft or other unspeakable acts in order to take their property. In sum, Elizabeth Báthory probably didn't treat her servants any worse than other nobles of the time, she just had the misfortune of owning desirable land and being related to an enemy of the Habsburgs.

[Grapie Deltaco · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very interesting exploration of historical events as they morph into misconceptions and how it all shifts over time due to art affecting public perception of the historical figure.

It has a tendency to feel all over the place and distracted. So many concepts bleeding into each other without a smooth transition and a million tangents surrounding a million media/pop culture references from across numerous centuries.

I think it was definitely a choice to briefly compare cosmetic surgeries and how we, as a society, consume content surrounding the industry to the Countess Báthory watching over her accomplices as they beat, tortured, mutilated, and violently murdered little girls. I think it was a very interesting (and not ideal) choice indeed.

I do, however, appreciate the wide range of historical context/background as well as all of the rumors and speculations surrounding the countess. I also enjoyed the exploration of magic and witchcraft of the time as well as Báthory’s relationship to it.

CW: death, murder, violence, torture, recurring (but brief) mentions of sexual assault and rape, mention of assault and child rape (brief), brief mention of suicide, dated language referencing Romani people, homophobia, racism, mentions of slavery

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author draws on primary source material to investigate the truth behind all the rumors about the infamous Elisabeth Bathory. Legends claim that she killed over 600 serving girls and bathed in their blood to retain her youthful appearance, but according to letters and trial transcripts, it's possible that the accusations were more like a smear campaign in order to reduce Elisabeth's wealth and power. The author also examines common medical practices and punishments of the time and how these things might be misinterpreted by a modern audience as torture. This is one of the most well-researched work I've come across in my search for information about Elisabeth Bathory, and I'll probably spend more time culling facts from it for a novel I'm writing. My only dilemma now is whether to expound upon the legend or make this true to what is known as fact!

[Asta Schmitz · Rating 3 out of 5]

My biggest takeaway from this book is that we all should feel really happy about not having to live in 15th century central Europe.

[Roxanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

First of all, this book is very poorly titled. Thorne states in one of the first chapters that calling Elisabeth Bathory "The Blood Countess" or "Countess Dracula" is completely sensationalist, and this is really a sober and well-researched account of her life, so the title doesn't fit at all. I'm guessing Thorne picked the title to draw attention to the book, or he got it forced on him by the publisher, but whatev. On to the book itself.

This book is a fairly well written and extremely well researched account of Elisabeth Bathory's life and times. Thorne discusses the Bathory myths and legends, then delves deep into the archives of eastern Europe to find and translate firsthand accounts, letters, and reports from the trials. Thorne presents all the possibilities: was Bathory a sadistic murderess as accused? Or was she simply a woman with a lot of power and money and some big political enemies who wanted her out of the way? Thorne doesn't draw any definite conclusions, but he looks at evidence from all sides. He also presents research onto the lifestyle of Hungarian aristocrats in Bathory's day, giving us a window into what her life may have been like and providing some reasons and explanations for her "crimes".

This is definitely more of a scholarly account than a mass-market page turner--the book is extensively end-noted* and includes a substantial bibliography, and the language is much more scholarly than not. Still, though, if you're interested in the subject matter, this is a pretty darn definitive survey. Recommended.

*(My one major complaint with the book was in the design--whoever chose the running headers didn't coordinate with the person who set up the Notes section, because the running heads gave a description of the chapter content ["A Notorious Dynasty":] while the Notes were organized by chapter number only ["Chapter Ten":], which was irritating. I'm not reading the whole damn book in one sitting, I'm flipping back and forth on the train here, and I don't always remember which chapter I'm in the middle of!)

[Janina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had heard of Elizabeth Báthory before in the context of her being obsessed with blood, drinking and bathing in it. So when I stumbled over the book in my local library, I thought it might be quite interesting to learn how and who she really was. And after it took me ages to get through this book, I still can't really tell.

I really do understand that the author had a very hard time here because there are so little documents concerning Elizabeth Báthory left. In that respect Tony Thorne did an incredible job! Still, I didn't enjoy reading this book (Not only because of the cruelties people committed to each other. Very lovely times indeed.)
I quite often lost the thread because he digressed from the topic, so when he finally came back to the original topic I hardly remembered anymore what it was all about really.
Another thing was that I had a hard time with the Hungarian names, keeping up with who is who (which was especially interesting since it seems that there are only a handful of first names people used to have back then). Something I found quite irritating was that the author anglicized most of the first names but used the Hungarian last names.

Although the author hinted that the crimes, Elizabeth Báthory was accused of, might have been healing rituals, he never got really into detail, which I would have found quite interesting. Neither did I really understand where this blood drinking and bathing in blood myth comes from.

All in all I must say that I learned more about Hungary in the 15th and 16th century and her enemies, than about Elizabeth Báthory herself.

[Sarina M · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 I have heard a little bit of Countess Bathory before, and was curious about her and how she got away with killing so many people for so long. After reading this I now understand how shitty it was living in the 16th century. The aristocracy basically had unlimited power, and could kill common people without any recourse. Torture was commonly used for punishment and when people were even suspected of crimes. I thought Thorne's arguments that perhaps Bathory was wrongfully convicted were pretty hollow. I am sure a lot was exaggerated, but I find it pretty unlikely that hundreds of people were all manipulated into testifying against her, just so one rich guy might be able to seize some of her land.

It is abundantly apparent that Thorne really did his research and wanted to find the absolute truth. I feel a bit conflicted about this, as a part of me wants to know the absolute truth, but also another part of me wants a good story. So much of this book is explaining the historical reports to us. "This book says this, this testimonial says this, this letter says this" or disproving interesting stories "this book says this interesting thing, but probably isn't true because blablabla, but we aren't sure". Unfortunately this is not the most captivating narrative style. Also there was SO MUCH FILLER that I skimmed (a lot) especially with the political conflicts of the aristocracy & neighboring kingdoms, the descriptions of how people are related to each other, and a few of the more graphic parts.

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

An exploration and attempted biography of the infamous Erzsebet Bathory.

The problem with this book is that so little is actually known about her life, a great deal of her life remains a mystery, with little to no proof that she was the sadistic sanguinary tyrant of legend.

A great deal of this book contains a huge amount of complex and hard to follow political background, with a rather muddled feeling chronology.

It is well written, but ultimately rather inconclusive.

[Carly]

My review is for (PDF) version of the book, it's interesting to read about the history of Hungary, Slovakia, Romania & other countries in the 16th-17th century.
It's quite gruesome, disturbing, gory but fascinating to read about so this book might not be for everyone.
For a lot of people Erzsébet Báthory is fascinating, intriguing to a lot of people.

[Michael Fassbender · Rating 3 out of 5]

All horror mavens are familiar with the story of Countess Bathory. It is a lurid tale that has fascinated readers and listeners for several centuries. Reality, however, has a habit of spoiling a good story. The truth is often a great deal more mundane than the legend.

In two respects, this was a very valuable book, eminently worth the read. For the first, the book provides much-needed insight into the context of Bathory's country and age. The unchecked authority that the highest rank of nobility exercised in Hungary in that period combined with a culture that expected, accepted and even lionized cruelty must surely have played substantial roles in Bathory's story. It also provides a fair amount of detail into Bathory's life, insofar as such was recorded, and key information from the lives of those around her, such as her husband Ferencz Nadasdy and her eventual nemesis, Gyorgy Thurzo.

For the second, the book lays out fairly specifically the nature of the accusations against Bathory during the several hearings before and after her arrest. This is an important element, because it demonstrates conclusively that the central lore of this legend, that Bathory wished to bathe in the blood of virgins in order to reverse her own aging, made no appearance in the contemporary accounts. Indeed, this notion did not appear until a full century after Bathory's death. For this reason, the lore can de dismissed safely.

The actual accusations concern, instead, violent punishments meted out to Bathory's maidservants, either by the mistress herself and/or by her proxies. Such punishments included beatings, cutting, burning, pricking with needles and immersing in freezing water. Servants in other households could expect some of the same treatment, but there are indications that the frequency and severity of these punishments were greater in the Bathory household than elsewhere, and that things were only getting worse in the weeks leading up to her arrest. Maids were dying at an unusual rate.

All of that information comes from Thorne's book; at the same time, however, he seems earnestly to be striving for a formula that will allow him to exonerate and rehabilitate Bathory. Much like a defense attorney in a contemporary trial, he seeks to win over the jury (the readers) by demonstrating that the prosecution has a conflict of interest. Ultimately, Thorne seems to rely on the line of argument that whatever the truth of the accusations against Bathory, she would never have been taken to trial, let alone convicted, if it weren't for the political considerations.

It's an argument that works in courtrooms. We live in a society that has decided that it is better to let the guilty walk free than to imprison the innocent. As a matter of history, it becomes a bit thin. The problem is that both can be true: the defendant can be guilty, and the trial can be unfair. One does not preclude the other.

In the end, it seems that there remains some truth in the original accusations, that she was a mistress whose cruelty was excessive even by the standards of her age, and whose household had a death rate that began to arouse notice among her neighbors. We will never know for sure how far those crimes went, or how much Bathory personally participated in them, but even amid his rehabilitative ambitions, Thorne had to admit to this much. On page 213 he wrote, "The Palatine and his henchmen did not need to base their case upon fantasy, for the head women in the Widow Nadasdy's household were indeed extremely cruel, and it was common knowledge that the local priests had complained of this in the past." Then on 250, he noted, "We cannot finally know if she was guilty -- of mutilating and murdering with her own hands -- but we can see that she was responsible, solely and absolutely, for what happened in her courts."

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

The most important thing you can ask yourself before picking up this book is: what are you looking for? Have you heard of Elizabeth Bathory and want to know more about her life and the crimes she was convicted of committing? Or have you read about her extensively and want to know more about the nitty gritty details of her trial and the historical and political context in which it occurs?

If that second option isn't your answer, steer clear of this book. Thorne should be commended on the exhaustive and comprehensive amount of research that he clearly put into this, but as a reader it's a difficult slog through an intense amount of information. More frustrating - for me at least - is that no conclusions are drawn by the end of the tome. To a degree this is inevitable given the lack of documentation that remains concerning the Countess's life, but boy was it disappointing to get to the end and feel like my knowledge of the case and the woman herself had only grown incrementally compared to now knowing more than I ever desired about Hungarian politics of the era.

[Michelle Brandstetter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Countess Dracula is a book detailing the twisted crimes of Countess Elisabeth Bathory & several people in her employ. It's a very detailed & unbiased look into the charges, torture & trial of the countesses servants, their subsequent punishment, and the fate of the countess herself. It is extremely factual, although can grow rather tedious as we review the responses from each witness as they collaborate previous testimony. I found it an interesting read because I was under the incorrect impression that all serial killers were male. This is obviously not true as Countess Bathory is said to be responsible for the deaths of 650 young virgin girls. As the details are exposed, it gives credence to the argument that the original Dracula by Bram Stoker was based more on the private life of Elizabeth Bathory than Vlad the Impaler. Creepy reading.

[Samyy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting book which takes an in-depth look at the minimal evidence against Elisabeth Bathory, the Blood Countess.

In the end, is there sufficient evidence to say that Elisabeth acted outside of the societal norms governing nobles and their right to punish and even kill their servants? I don’t think so. There does appear to be evidence of conspiracy against her, though I don’t think all of the accusations are unfounded.

While I was once captivated by this story of a ruthless serial murderess, I now feel pity for Elisabeth.

The book itself talks a lot about the ethos of the time. The author makes a good attempt at relaying the historical facts and inaccuracies in past accounts.

Still, it can be a rather dry read - Hungarian history is not terribly easy to follow.

The author also discusses some old folktales and looks extensively at the Bathory family lineage, at least as much as is possible given the shortage of reliable data we have.

I enjoyed the discussions involving what life was really like at this time and in this particular setting - not just for the nobles but also for the laypeople as well. It was a terrible time to be alive. The romanticized stoicism, the glamorizations of torture, the occult, all of which played an important role in Elisabeth’s life and conviction.

It’s important to remember that this was a time when barbers were self-regulated dentists and treatments may have been virtually indistinguishable from torture. Things like leeching, cupping, herbal remedies - weren’t uncommon. What’s more, is that a lot of the stories we “know” about the Countess seem to have been entirely fabricated from nothing.

It’s not for us to determine her innocence or guilt. Her judgment has come and gone, however unjustified. We must remember not only her actions, but the time and place in which they occurred. Even if she is guilty of everything she is accused of, her actions would have been only slightly more heinous than many others in similar positions.

[Bill reilly · Rating 2 out of 5]

After recently finishing a book on serial killers, I was inspired to read this one on Lady Elisabeth Bathory of Hungary. She allegedly killed six hundred young virgins for their blood in order to maintain a youthful appearance. Bathing in the blood of the innocent has a long history and Liz may have taken it to extremes. Unfortunately, Thorne drones on and on about the history of the Royals of Hungary and there atrocious treatment of the servants who were beaten mercilessly by their superiors. Thorne uses transcripts of the testimony of witnesses who were tortured for their assistance in dethroning the Lady Liz. The author is unsure of her guilt and points to the political intrigue of the day involving land disputes within the upper classes. Some of the tortures are quite inventive and cruel. One of Bathory's favorite torments was to use a heated metal bar to rape the young girls; so much for the fairer sex. Overall, the book is much too long and repetitive. Countess Dracula is not a good read.

[The Badger · Rating 4 out of 5]

This biography (written through historical documents), was nothing short of amazing. My perspective on Erszebet Bathory has certainly changed. I no longer see her as a mass murder (comparable to her distant cousin, Vlad Tepis), but a woman railroaded into crimes she probably did not commit because she had the audacity to consider other male rulers her equals, and the "misfortune" to own a good deal of coveted land. Court records question whether ANY deaths happened (other than those of her tortured servants during after their trials), especially as the only girls eligible to serve the Countess were nobility AND related to her. (And yet, the Countess was convicted of soliciting peasant girls--who did not even speak her language--and killing up to 600 of them). It's interesting to note that the Countess was not allowed to attend her own trial.

[Funky Tomo77 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I must give 3 stars as it's very well researched, however as some other people have already mentioned , there's so much written about the ins and outs of feuds between the different elites of the time , and general history of the area. It's lacking in details about Bathory herself.

Yep , big history lesson but I want to know more about the infamous lady herself.

I will try other biographys about her.

[Natalie Pavlis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grew up with my Mom telling me stories about Bathory Erzsebet. As Hungarians, her story is part of our history. This book is extremely well researched and written and offers a new interpretation of the life and death of this educated, intelligent woman. In hindsight, it appears her crimes were exaggerated. It was a complicated time in Hungarian history and she had strength and status far ahead of others of her gender. It’s a fascinating read.

[Al-Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting! Not something I would revisit, felt a bit repetitive & like the feminist angle was just barely hinted at, but I can appreciate that the author was trying to remain unbiased and just report facts. I don't think I'm smart enough for this story, had trouble keeping track of the characters and locations. Knowing more about history would have helped me & enhanced my connection to the material.

[Anja · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wat een tijden, die zestiende eeuw.
Deze Hongaarse gravin heeft 'waarschijnlijk' 650 meisjes gruwelijk gefolterd en vermoord en niemand neemt daar eens een verklaring van af of gaat de lijken opgraven. Ze sterft gewoon een natuurlijke dood in haar burcht, na 4 jaar opsluiting wel, maar nul komma nul proces. Anderen denken dat ze ook gewoon onschuldig kan zijn, een slachtoffer van het patriarchaat en achterklap als machtige, menopauzale vrouw.
Stevig uiteenlopende historische lijntjes.

[Raquel Santos · Rating 4 out of 5]

O relato bem informado e minucioso do que se conhece da Condessa Sangrenta, ainda hoje a mais prolífica entre os assassinos em série mais conhecidos, uma lista na qual, curiosamente, não constam muitas mulheres.

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

La biografia di riferimento per il personaggio della contessa "sanguinaria", anche se oggi non si e' piu' cosi' certi che lo fosse davvero, visto che potrebbe essere stata oggetto, e vittima, della propaganda politica del tempo.

[Stacy Croushorn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good scholarship. Well researched.

[Dennis Kocik · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thorough research and review of Countess Bathory's life and times - the conclusion of whether she was guilty of the crimes or not is left to you.

[Helen]

When I began reading this book, and realised that Thorne doesn’t take Báthory’s guilt for granted, I wanted so much not to be convinced by his arguments. The case against her seems so overwhelming, how could it not be true?

Nevertheless, could Thorne be right? Is it possible that the charges of which Báthory still stands accused were trumped up for reasons of political expediency? It seems incredible, but so do the crimes of which Báthory was accused.

Thorne makes the point that, “Unquestionably part of Elisabeth Báthory’s offence in the eyes of her peers was that she had too much property…and too much power”.

There is little contemporary documentary evidence extant, apart from the evidence given by witnesses at the trial. These, though, were obtained under torture (rather ironically, given the nature of the crimes allegedly committed by Báthory), and are therefore of questionable accuracy.

Surviving letters written by Báthory suggest that she was an intelligent woman. The tone of her letters is measured, formal, even chilly – though this would not have been unusual for the time. It has to be said that in the letters at least she does not come across as a deranged, hysterical woman.

It is important to see Báthory in the context of her times. She was born in 1560, in a part of the world subject to constant threats of war and political upheavals. Thorne points out that “a culture of cruelty – not violence, but deliberate cruelty – was endemic in the era that has come to be known as the early modern”. In 1514, “a legal code known as the Tripartum…enshrined and confirmed the privileges of the nobility and decreed perpetual serfdom for the peasant populace”. In other words, all the power rested in the hands of a few noble families. The peasant population existed, according to the mores of the time, purely to serve their masters (and mistresses). Their lives were not worth very much. Indeed, “the mere murder of a commoner was not enough to start off legal proceedings…Homicide was viewed as a relatively minor abuse of power or privilege.” In many cases, relatives who complained when a member of their family was murdered were content to accept a payoff.

Am I convinced by Thorne’s arguments? Not entirely, no, although I’m far less certain of Báthory’s guilt than I was before I read this book. As Thorne says in the penultimate chapter, many women were burned as witches for all manner of lurid and, in most cases, fictitious offences against man and God.

It is entirely possible that Báthory’s greatest crime was to be an extraordinarily wealthy and powerful widow. Nevertheless, Thorne does not discount the possibility that she did participate in meting out punishments to her servants that would strike the 21st century reader as barbaric. Ultimately we can never know exactly what Elisabeth Báthory did or didn’t do, but the myth of the countess who bathed in blood is as enduring as the myth of the vampire itself.

[June 2008]

[M. B. · Rating 2 out of 5]

The factual details and excerpts from historical documents create an immersive reading experience, but the author's suggestion that Elizabeth Bathory was largely an innocent victim railroaded by scheming men is tortured and unconvincing.

[Irka · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books on this subject I've ever read. Author really makes you think if she really killed 600 girls? To me, it seems way to high, she was "just a woman" in "an age of paid witnesses, faked testimony, of prosecuting counsel who were alloed to do almost anything they liked, and defendants who were allowed no counsel at all" - and I think this quote sum up perfectly her story.

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Super książka, porównać ją mogę tylko do "Draculi" M.Cazacu. Widać, że autor zgłębił temat, zmusza czytelnika do zastanowienia się ile prawdy jest w tym co słyszał o Elżbiecie Batory, jednocześnie nie narzucając swojego zdania. Warta przeczytania (trzeba się tylko uzbroić w cierpliwość bo są takie kwiatki jak "Jagiełłon" i "Craców" ;) ), szkoda że nie ukazała się w polskiej wersji językowej.

[Drew Martin · Rating 1 out of 5]

There’s a fine line between a good biography and a bad biography relating to the given history of the time and place. We, as readers, need some sort of introduction. Our table needs to be set in order to dive into the main course, the subject’s story. As a rule, we don’t need six spoons and five forks. Too much history introducing a biography can and often does ruin the reading experience. We need a little background, but that’s not the reason we’re reading. Tony Thorne’s 1997 book, Countess Dracula: The Life and Times of Elisabeth Bathory, the Blood Countess is a prime example, bloated like a happy leech ruining an interesting subject. It disappointed me to find another entry for the “so bad I couldn’t finish” shelf...

To read the rest of this review go to https://drewmartinwrites.wordpress.co...

[Greg Kerestan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book, an interesting blend of legend and medieval true-crime, wasn't as lurid and gothic as I had expected. Countess Elisabeth Bathory lives on in legend as a bloodthirsty lesbian vampire-witch cannibal goddess succubus queen, but this book allowed for little of the gruesome or titillating in its narrative. Rather, it contrasted the legend of Bathory with the reality of the situation, positing that Bathory, while not necessarily innocent, may have been nothing but a stern authoritarian whose harsh but not atypical methods of justice were exploited into an urban legend to usurp her throne. Horror and history fans alike can dig into this one with equal abandon.

[Lauren Albert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely a believer in Bathory's innocence--at least as to the worst charges (since he thinks that elites were often cruel and that could lead to unintentional death). I thought he should have spent more time on the other side to give the story balance. I think the title should have been different since, in his quest to prove his point, he focused a lot of time on background and on the stories of similarly accused women and not that much on Bathory herself. Sometimes I felt his reasoning was a stretch but without more of the side of the accusers, it was hard to judge.

[Alisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book about Bathory for it's great depiction of both possible paths through history: did she commit all of those heinous murders...or was she merely framed for it by men eager to get her out of the way and get their hands on her money? It's difficult, if not impossible to separate fact from fiction in this case, but both sides of the story are well rendered. And how cool is the Bathory crest on the cover??