Infamous Lady: The True Story of Countess Erzsébet Báthory with Kimberly Craft

Joining me today is Professor Kimberly Craft- attorney and legal historian- to explore the life of the 16th-century "Blood Countess" of Hungary, Erzsebet Bathory. Reputed to be both a vampire and the world's worst female serial killer, she allegedly bathed in the blood of her 650 victims. Much has been written about the so-called Infamous Lady, Tiger of Csejthe, and Blood Countess, by the 21st century, the accounts of her life have becomeso fictionalised that the Countess is little more than a caricature. History has painted the Countess as an insane murderess; yet original letters, trial transcripts, and depositions indicate a far more complicated figure- the wife of a national war hero, a mother, generous benefactor, and socialite who routinely attended court and even the King's coronation, just months before her arrest. For English readers, unfortunately, much of the primary source material about the Countess has remained inaccessible with European researchers having translated it primarily into German or Slovak. Professor Kimberly Craft, has spent years researching facts on the Countess and over a year translating these original European sources into English.  Much of the material -the complete trial transcripts, depositions of 306 testifying witnesses, private letters, and the Last Will and Testament-have now been fully translated into English and are available, for the first time, to the general public. Based on this newly-found and translated source material, translated into English for the first time, we were able to dive into the actual life and trial of Countess Bathory and explore the woman, the myth and legend as well as the complexities to her nature. Links to all Haunted History Chronicles Social Media Pages, Website, Published Materials and Ways to Support the Podcast: ⁠https://linktr.ee/hauntedhistorychronicles⁠ Guest information: Website: https://www.infamouslady.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kim.craft.520/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kimcraft71