Elizabeth Bathory :: essays papers

Elizabeth BathoryIn order to improve her complexion and also to maintain her failing grasp on her early days and vitality, she slaughtered six hundred innocent young women from her tiny mountain principality...The noble Bthory family stemmed from the Hun Gutkeled clan which held power in broad areas of east fundamental Europe (in those places now known as Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, and Romania), and had emerged to assume a role of relative eminence by the first half of the 13th century. Abandoning their tribal roots, they false the name of one of their estates (Btor meaning valiant) as a family name. Their power rose to reach a zenith by the mid 16th century, but declined and faded to choke out completely by 1658. Great kings, princes, members of the judiciary, as well as holders of ecclesiastical and civil posts were among the ranks of the Bthorys.Adopting an exalted name did not alter many basic familial preferences among lesser lights however, and in order to consolidate more tenuous clingings to influence there was considerable intermarriage amongst the Bthory family, with some of the familiar problems of this practice produced as a result. Unfortunately, beyond the usual problems some extraordinary difficulties arose (namely hideous psychoses) and several immorality geniuses appeared, the notorious and sadistic Erzsbet the most prominent of them.Truly, she was evil enough to be recognized as one of the original vampires who later inspired Bram Stoker to write the legend of Dracula -- but unlike Stokers story, she was real. unaccustomed for one of her social status, she was a fit and active child. Raised as Magyar royalty, as a young maid she was quite beautiful gentle in her features, slender of build, tall for the time, but her personality did not attain the same measure of fortuitous development. In her own opinion her most great(p) feature was her often commented upon gloriously creamy complexion. Although others were not really so equally impr essed with the quality of her rather ordinary skin, they offered copious praise if they knew what was beneficial for them, as Erzsbet did not accept unenthusiastic half-measures of adulation and she was vindictive.She was only 15 when she was married off for political gain and position to a rough soldier of (nevertheless) dreary stock and manner. By reason of the marriage, she became the lady of the Castle of Csejthe, his home, situated deep in the Carpathian mountains of what is now central Romania, but which then was known only as Transylvania.