2 cases tagged “nobility”
Convicted: Elizabeth Báthory
Elizabeth Báthory, a Hungarian noblewoman from the powerful House of Báthory, is notorious for her alleged crimes as a serial killer. Between 1590 and 1610, she and her four accomplices were accused of torturing and killing hundreds of girls and women. The victims were predominantly from the lower classes, and the crimes were purportedly committed in her estates across the Kingdom of Hungary. Báthory's trial resulted in the execution of her servants, while she herself was imprisoned in the Castle of Csejte where she eventually died in 1614.
Convicted: Darya Nikolayevna Saltykova
Darya Nikolayevna Saltykova, also known as Saltychikha, was a Russian noblewoman, sadist, and serial killer from the Saltykov family in Moscow. She was notorious for her brutal treatment and murder of many of her serfs, especially women. Her crimes have often been compared to those of the Hungarian 'Blood Countess,' Elizabeth Báthory, who allegedly committed similar atrocities against servant girls and local serfs in her home, Čachtice Castle. The charges against Saltykova, however, are better documented and less disputed by historians.