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Murder, Betrayal, and the Making of a Monster
by Shelley Puhak
Book Reviewed by:From the author of the national bestseller The Dark Queens, an incandescent work of true crime and feminist history about the woman alleged to be the world's most prolific female serial killer.
There have long been whispers, coming from the castle; from the village square; from the dark woods. The great lady-a countess, from one of Europe's oldest families-is a vicious killer. Some even say she bathes in the blood of her victims. When the king's men force their way into her manor house, she has blood on her hands, caught in the act of murdering yet another of her maids. She is walled up in a tower and never seen again, except in the uppermost barred window, where she broods over the countryside, cursing all those who dared speak up against her.
Told and retold in many languages, the legend of the Blood Countess has consumed cultural imaginations around the world. But despite claims that Elizabeth Bathory tortured and killed as many as 650 girls, some have wondered if the Countess was herself a victim- of one of the most successful disinformation campaigns known to history. So, was Elizabeth Bathory a monster, a victim, or a bit of both? With the breathlessness of a whodunit, drawing upon new archival evidence and questioning old assumptions, Shelley Puhak traces the Countess's downfall, bringing to life an assertive woman leader in a world sliding into anti-scientific, reactionary darkness-a world where nothing is ever as it seems. In this exhilarating narrative, Puhak renders a vivid portrait of history's most dangerous woman and her tumultuous time, revealing just how far we will go to destroy a woman in power.
From Puhak's approach, it is clear that she refuses to see Bathory as the monster her contemporaries made her out to be and that many still believe she was. Instead, she paints a picture of a kind, highly educated, intelligent, and principled woman who cared for her servants and even attempted to prosecute corrupt officials. In short, a powerful woman who became a threat. Due to the book's approach, a significant portion focuses on the sociopolitical landscape of Hungary at the time. It explores this history in depth, covering events such as the religious conflicts of the Reformation era, the Bocskai rebellion, and the Ottoman raids. It also offers a detailed account of Bathory's life and ancestry. This focus makes The Blood Countess not your typical true crime book. It will appeal more to readers interested in history and biographies than to those seeking a fast-paced, sensational story...continued
Full Review
(756 words)
(Reviewed by Sofia Chatzistefanou).
One thing that quickly becomes clear in Shelley Puhak's The Blood Countess is that Elizabeth Bathory, accused of being a serial killer, wasn't alone in whatever her activities were. She had a mysterious confidant, Anna Darvulia—to some, a sadistic torturer; to others, a skilled midwife and healer caught in political and patriarchal games.
Darvulia as a killer
The primary evidence linking Darvulia to Bathory's alleged crimes comes from statements collected during the 1610 investigations against Bathory. They claim that beginning when Bathory met Darvulia in 1601, her personality changed completely and she turned into a cruel and sadistic woman. They further mention that Darvulia was a "wild beast in a female body." The most ...
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