Countess Elizabeth Bathory was born in 1560 in one of the oldest and wealthiest families in Hungary, in the old Bathory. Her family were Transylvanian princes, and her cousin - the Prime Minister of Hungary, Count György Thurzo. But an excellent pedigree did not prevent her to become one of the bloodiest witch XVI - XVII centuries.
Very young Elizabeth betrothed to Count Ferenc Nadashdi. They were married on May 8, 1575, when she was 15, he was - 26. The Hungarian King Matthias II sent him a wedding gift. Count Ferencz said her name, apparently as a more significant to her, so the Countess Elizabeth Bathory remained. The young couple settled in the castle Sow in Nitra - the north-west Hungary (now Slovakia). And yet, perhaps it would be nice if the graph was at home more often. But it was an endless war. Defending the country, Earl faithfully served King Matthias, and even become famous in history as a great military leader, nicknamed ...
I remember that was already up to his commander since the Hundred Years' War, Prince of Wales, son of King Edward III, nicknamed ...
Elizabeth Castle was on a high cliff overlooking the estates of Countess. There, among the gardens, there were houses of people - farmers, the fate of which she was entitled to dispose of as his property. However, in the castle servants enough, and who was to manage, but the ambitious and proud girl prevented the presence in the house of the power -law. It irritated her (although it happens often these days). When she felt it unnecessary, and, not knowing where to put their forces, became involved with black magic, believing that the knowledge she will soon come in handy.
... ... Daub the blood of his enemy. If he is unavailable, razdobud some of his clothes and her smazh ...
A contemporary of Shakespeare's heroines, black soul, Elizabeth became a member of the village gatherings of witches. Even though the legend tells about her incredible beauty, at the time of the Sabbath is more like a hideous witch, than the noble lady. Witches, her accomplice - old nurse Ilona Zhu, witch Dorothy Sentes and forest witch Darvula, who became a close friend of Elizabeth, - led to his lady victims - young maidens to the executioner, and helped to deal with them, causing her to order the demon, the ruler of cats, called Ishten.
Ishten in Hungarian means ... e. Elizabeth caused a deity in feline shape, or rather worship Satan, whom the witch in the Middle Ages worshiped in the form of an animal. Elizabeth herself wore an amulet around his neck, through which can be called from hell eighty cats, so they dug its claws into the heart of its enemies. They say the power of amulets, sooner or later turn against their owners, as happened this time. Having lost the amulet, Elizabeth made her a rough copy of it - and a copy of this was the evidence against her at trial.
The first ten years of marriage with Elizabeth had no children. Then she gave birth to a succession of three boys and a girl. In 1600 Ferencz died and a 40- year-old widow, first of all sent from the eyes of their hated in-law, thereby unleashing their hands. She was very afraid of losing the beauty of age and. One maid, brushing her hair accidentally pulled. Elizabeth said she immediately slap in the face, but so strong that the girl splattered blood from the nose and fell into the hands of the Countess. It seemed that the skin on the spot where the blood came, was fresh as a young maid. Then she called associates - Johannes Uzhvari butlers and Torquay. They stripped the girl, killed her, and the blood collected in a large vat in which Elizabeth redeemed to rejuvenate.
During the next ten years, helpers Elizabeth delivered her girls for blood baths. But one of the victims managed to escape and inform the authorities about the terrible deeds that abounded in the castle. King Matthias of Hungary, having learned about it, and ordered to act. Cousin Elizabeth, Gyorgy Thurzo, who was then governor of the province, with a detachment of soldiers descended into the castle at night December 30, 1610.
They opened a monstrous sight! . In the land under the castle found fifty graves.
In January and February 1611 in Bitsch hosted trial. All involved in these killings were executed except the Countess Elizabeth, Ilona Zhu and Dorothy Sentes. The latter two were burned alive, after having torn off their fingers. Countess Elizabeth refused to plead guilty or not guilty, but according to her sentence should have been immured in the tower of the castle of its own, abandoned by the rest of the inhabitants.
Soon the masons set to work, and the village priest stood at the foot of the castle and began to pray in front of a brick wall, which grew right before our eyes. Captive did not want to listen to his exhortations, in addition, it is strongly hindered cats, possessed with the devil somewhere above. But when he, accompanied by the churchwarden rose to the top floor, you will not find there is no living creature.
Perhaps, and Elizabeth, and did not repent of their sins in the three years that she spent in the tower, sometimes heard the cat meowing and jumping under the roof and in the empty yards. We do not know. We only know that every day a local farmer, took the keys and a basket of provisions was raised on the road to the castle, the four corners of which were waving black flags as a sign that there is a death sentence is executed. One after another, he opened the door, climbed the stairs to the tower and through a window, left in the wall bricklayers, transferred inmate meals.
Bloody Countess died stormy night in 1614. However, it is still alive after death, ... It is not just remembered by historians, poets and filmmakers. Interesting events were accompanied by the French writer Marguerite Yourcenar in her work on a book on, in particular, Elizabeth Bathory. In 1964, gathering in Central Europe, Marguerite decided to visit places associated with her heroine. The writer lived in the U.S. and Europe, she arrived on a ship named ...
... Yourcenar. - Around the desolation reigned, what happens in the ruins, and not near a spacious home, which became a lifelong prison. At the foot of the walls was green first spring shoots a small garden - obviously, his master had gone away somewhere to guard. Probably just looking the garden, in which the dog once dug the remains of victims of Elizabeth, hastily thrown at the ground.
Entering the gate, I saw that the castle were only gutted the main tower and crumbling, overgrown with creepers curtain. I went to a low wall and looked down. They stretched the friendly, almost Italian plain, rose here and there terraces of Carpathian mountains, steep black cliffs, bristling with firs. Suddenly he heard some movement. Out of the bushes with an angry growl sprang an enormous black cat, in two jumps flew across the yard and disappeared on the opposite bank of the ditch.
I will not claim that this cat was a demon Ishtenu. He probably lived at the guard, and in the bushes this spring at times looking for birds' nests with newly hatched chicks. Note, however, that in those places I have visited almost fifty of feudal castles, turned into ruins, and only in the former residence of the Batory me with the master's views met with a black cat - and then disappeared in two jumps ...
Irina Strekalova.
