| Infamous Lady Countess Erzsébet Báthory |
INTRODUCTION
Much has been written about the so-called Infamous Lady, Tiger of Csejthe, and Blood Countess, Erzsébet (Elizabeth)
Báthory of Hungary. Reviled as the World's Worst Female Serial Killer, Countess Báthory is said to have bathed in the
blood of the 650 servant girls she tortured and murdered. Upon her arrest, she was condemned to life imprisonment and
walled up in a tower of her castle. Reputed to be a vampire, lesbian, and witch, her shocking story inspired the Brothers
Grimm, Bram Stoker, and gothic horror fans around the world for the past four hundred years.
Much has been written about the so-called Infamous Lady, Tiger of Csejthe, and Blood Countess, Erzsébet (Elizabeth)
Báthory of Hungary. Reviled as the World's Worst Female Serial Killer, Countess Báthory is said to have bathed in the
blood of the 650 servant girls she tortured and murdered. Upon her arrest, she was condemned to life imprisonment and
walled up in a tower of her castle. Reputed to be a vampire, lesbian, and witch, her shocking story inspired the Brothers
Grimm, Bram Stoker, and gothic horror fans around the world for the past four hundred years.
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| Infamous Lady: The True Story of Countess Erzsébet Báthory |
| Get your copy today! Available at: |
BUT WHAT REALLY HAPPENED?
Unfortunately, numerous rumors and legends evolved over time. In her own day, Countess Báthory was simply
referred to as the Infamous Lady. Two hundred years later, with a vampire craze sweeping Europe, legends had
already morphed her into the Vampire Lady. In her own time, servants washed away her victims' blood or covered it
with ash; two hundred years later, German author Michael Wegener invented the story that she bathed in this blood
as a magical means of sustaining her youthful appearance. History has painted the Countess as an insane
murderess; yet original letters, trial transcripts, and depositions indicate a far more complicated figure--the wife of a
national war hero, a mother, generous benefactor, and socialite who routinely attended court and even the king's
coronation, just months before her arrest. Unfortunately, by the 21st century, the accounts of her life have become
so fictionalized that the Countess is little more than a caricature.
For most English-speaking scholars or fans of the subject matter, the material written twenty years ago by Raymond
T. McNally is the accepted standard of research on Countess Báthory; yet, Dr. McNally relied heavily on material by
German biographer R.A. von Elsberg and his own research which was hastily conducted on a trip to Europe. Some
of Dr. McNally's translations, as well as von Elsberg's work, have since been proven incorrect or incomplete. In
addition, new source material has come to light.
For English readers, unfortunately, much of this new material has remained inaccessible: European researchers
have translated it primarily into German or Slovak.
--Until now: attorney and legal historian, Prof. Kimberly L. Craft, has spent years researching facts on the
Countess and over a year translating these original European sources into English. Much of the
material--the complete trial transcripts, depositions of 306 testifying witnesses, private letters, and the
Last Will and Testament--have now been fully translated into English and are available, for the first time,
to the general public.
Portions of Professor Craft's book are available on this site, and the complete work--nearly 350 pages of
new, never-before-seen information--can also be acquired here.
Please enjoy the site and join our Community of Báthory Scholars & Enthusiasts!
Find us on Facebook and become a fan!
Unfortunately, numerous rumors and legends evolved over time. In her own day, Countess Báthory was simply
referred to as the Infamous Lady. Two hundred years later, with a vampire craze sweeping Europe, legends had
already morphed her into the Vampire Lady. In her own time, servants washed away her victims' blood or covered it
with ash; two hundred years later, German author Michael Wegener invented the story that she bathed in this blood
as a magical means of sustaining her youthful appearance. History has painted the Countess as an insane
murderess; yet original letters, trial transcripts, and depositions indicate a far more complicated figure--the wife of a
national war hero, a mother, generous benefactor, and socialite who routinely attended court and even the king's
coronation, just months before her arrest. Unfortunately, by the 21st century, the accounts of her life have become
so fictionalized that the Countess is little more than a caricature.
For most English-speaking scholars or fans of the subject matter, the material written twenty years ago by Raymond
T. McNally is the accepted standard of research on Countess Báthory; yet, Dr. McNally relied heavily on material by
German biographer R.A. von Elsberg and his own research which was hastily conducted on a trip to Europe. Some
of Dr. McNally's translations, as well as von Elsberg's work, have since been proven incorrect or incomplete. In
addition, new source material has come to light.
For English readers, unfortunately, much of this new material has remained inaccessible: European researchers
have translated it primarily into German or Slovak.
--Until now: attorney and legal historian, Prof. Kimberly L. Craft, has spent years researching facts on the
Countess and over a year translating these original European sources into English. Much of the
material--the complete trial transcripts, depositions of 306 testifying witnesses, private letters, and the
Last Will and Testament--have now been fully translated into English and are available, for the first time,
to the general public.
Portions of Professor Craft's book are available on this site, and the complete work--nearly 350 pages of
new, never-before-seen information--can also be acquired here.
Please enjoy the site and join our Community of Báthory Scholars & Enthusiasts!
Find us on Facebook and become a fan!
Copyright 2010 Infamous Lady. All rights reserved.
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Infamous Lady: The True Story of Countess Erzsébet Báthory
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