Lady Dracula: The "blood countess" who reportedly killed 600 young girls -

History has a way of turning powerful women into folklore. Elizabeth Báthory, a Hungarian noblewoman and alleged serial killer from the 16th and 17th centuries, is certainly at the top of the list as, even 400 years after her death,  she continues to inspire tales of horror and sadism.

Deemed the world's most prolific female murderer by Guinness World Records, Báthory reportedly killed more than 600 young girls to satisfy her need for blood. But, like most events in history, her story is complicated.

Was she a cold-blooded, tortured murderer? Or was she the victim of a wide-ranging conspiracy? Browse the gallery and judge for yourself.

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Origins -

Elizabeth Báthory (Hungarian: Báthory Erzsébet), was born on August 7, 1560, in Nyírbátor. Born into prominent Protestant nobility in Hungary, her family controlled Transylvania.

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Prominence - Her uncle, Stephen Báthory (pictured), was the King of Poland.

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Elizabeth Báthory - The Guinness World Records has labeled her the world's most prolific female murderer.

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Ecséd castle - She was raised at the family castle in Ecséd until the age of 15 when she got married.

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Ferenc Nádasdy - In 1575, she married Count Ferenc Nádasdy, a member of a wealthy and noble family like hers, though hers was more influential.

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Čachtice Castle - Upon marrying, Báthory moved to Čachtice Castle, her husband's household, situated in the Little Carpathians near Nové Mesto nad Váhom and Trenčín in present-day Slovakia.

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A woman of many talents - Since Nádasdy was a soldier in the Ottoman–Hungarian Wars, Elizabeth Báthory managed business affairs and the estates, which she apparently was quite good at.

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Reports of torture and murder - While rumors of her sadistic nature had been circulating for years, they were repeatedly dismissed, largely because the victims were peasant women.

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Victims -

It wasn't until Nádasdy's death in 1604, when she was in her forties, that evidence began to surface. According to the testimonies, Elizabeth Báthory's initial victims were servant girls aged between 10 and 14 years.

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Early victims -

The victims were reportedly the daughters of local peasants who were lured to the Čachtice by offers of well-paid work as maids and servants in the castle.

The Countess is also said to have begun killing daughters of the lesser gentry, who were sent to her castle by their parents to learn etiquette.

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Crimes - The crimes she was accused of included severe beatings, burning, mutilation of hands, biting the flesh off of faces, arms and other body parts, freezing them, and starving them to death. Other witnesses also said she used needles to torture her victims.

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Crimes -

Still others added that she burned the girls with hot tongs and then placed them in freezing cold water.

Some were also reportedly covered in honey and live ants.

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Crimes - Elizabeth Báthory is also suspected of cannibalism, though there is no evidence to support this claim.

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Blood thirsty - The Countess is perhaps most famous in popular culture for allegedly drinking the blood of her victims. 

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Blood thirsty -

The legends also claim that she bathed in the blood of their young victims in an attempt to preserve her youth.

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King Matthias II - In 1610, King Matthias II assigned György Thurzó, the Palatine of Hungary, to investigate. 

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György Thurzó - Thurzó ordered two notaries to gather information, who collected the testimony of more than 300 witnesses between 1610 and 1611.

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Arrest - Thurzó arrested Báthory at the castle along with four alleged accomplices.

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Arrest - Thurzó's men reportedly found one girl dead, one dying, and another wounded, while others were locked up.

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Trial -

Báthory's servants were accused of being her accomplices and were put on trial, while the Countess' influence and social status kept her from it.

Dozens of witnesses testified against Báthory. Though Thurzó determined that the Countess had tortured and killed more than 600, the official tally at trial was 80.

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Imprisonment - Although never tried, Báthory was confined to her chambers at Castle Čachtice.

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Confinement - The Countess was reportedly locked in a set of rooms, with only small slits left open for ventilation and the passing of food. She remained there until she died three years later on August 21, 1614.

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Legacy - While evidence from the trial supported the accusations against Báthory, modern scholarship questions the veracity of the allegations. She was a powerful and competent woman who ruled her estate efficiently, suggesting there were political reasons for taking her out of the picture.

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Legacy -

Also, King Matthias II owed a large sum to the Báthory family, which was canceled following the scandal, adding to the hypothesis that the accusations against her were fabricated slander that allowed relatives to appropriate her lands.

See also: Bizarre obsessions of infamous dictators

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