The Bathory Family
Erzsebet Báthory also known as Elizabeth Báthory was born in 1560 into a well-established aristocratic family in Hungary. The family won its surname 'bathor', meaning, 'the brave' through the earning of royal favour on several occasions which contributed to their rise in power and influence from 1103 under King Salomos. The family was to split into two branches with one moving west of Hungary and Transylvania (Báthory-Ecsed) and the other moving eastwards (Báthory Somlyo). Elizabeth Báthory was born in one of the castles belonging to the eastern Báthory-Ecsed branch of the family and her influential family extended from Hungary to her cousins as King of Poland and King of Transylvania.
The Báthory family, similar to many aristocratic families of the time, were known to carry a series of hereditary illnesses as a result from inbreeding and incest. There were many examples throughout the family tree of gout, epilepsy (called 'brain fever' at the time). This has sometimes been attributed to part of the cause for Elizabeth's own mental issues. Medical records of the Báthory family are, unsurprisingly, thin on the ground so this is currently unsupported but interestingly there are a surprising number of examples of cruelty in the Bathory family. Although it would be an exaggeration to say that 'cruelty ran in the Báthory family' (both Elizabeth's sisters have nothing unusual reported about them) there are certain family members who led unusual lives and had psychotic tendancies for example Gabor, King of Transylvania, was reknown for his cruelty and fell in love with his sister.
The Báthory family, similar to many aristocratic families of the time, were known to carry a series of hereditary illnesses as a result from inbreeding and incest. There were many examples throughout the family tree of gout, epilepsy (called 'brain fever' at the time). This has sometimes been attributed to part of the cause for Elizabeth's own mental issues. Medical records of the Báthory family are, unsurprisingly, thin on the ground so this is currently unsupported but interestingly there are a surprising number of examples of cruelty in the Bathory family. Although it would be an exaggeration to say that 'cruelty ran in the Báthory family' (both Elizabeth's sisters have nothing unusual reported about them) there are certain family members who led unusual lives and had psychotic tendancies for example Gabor, King of Transylvania, was reknown for his cruelty and fell in love with his sister.
Hungary in the 16th Century
Hungary of the sixteenth century was more than twice the size of the present state. It's landscape was full of dense forest and crossing the land was almost impossible because of the marsh and creeks. Perhaps as a consequence of its mysterious landscape, Hungary has a deep tradition of sorcery and superstition which reportedly had a huge impact on Elizabeth's way of thinking.
The divide between the wealthy and the poor was very strong in the sixteenth century. The master had total power and control of their servants and there was little in the Hungarian law code restricting what they were allowed to do with them. Servants were treated almost like possessions of their master and it was not unusual for servants to be tortured to a certain degree. The gap was so obvious that a person born into a family of such high nobility such as the Bathory family would probably not have associated with anyone of a lesser social status.
The divide between the wealthy and the poor was very strong in the sixteenth century. The master had total power and control of their servants and there was little in the Hungarian law code restricting what they were allowed to do with them. Servants were treated almost like possessions of their master and it was not unusual for servants to be tortured to a certain degree. The gap was so obvious that a person born into a family of such high nobility such as the Bathory family would probably not have associated with anyone of a lesser social status.
A note on the sources
Elizabeth Báthory and the extent to which stories about her life are true is subject to debate. Sources from sixteenth century Hungary are relatively scarce and much of what we know about Elizabeth's crimes has been passed down generation to generation. It is important to note that the specific details of the tortures inflicted upon Elizabeth's servants is by no means well-supported and the records we do have access to are also questionable in reliability.