Saturday 21 April 2012

Elizabeth Báthory: The Story


(Elizabeth in The Dream Series is based on real life serial killer Elizabeth Bathory)

Book 1 "The Man of My Dreams" is free to view on this blog:
http://thedreamseries-gladysquintal.blogspot.com.au/p/the-man-of-my-dreams.html or as an eBook (amazon kindle, iTunes, Sony etc)


 The story is that Elizabeth Bathory was born into the home of politically efficient rulers, in a household the was fairly enthusiastic when it came to violence. It’s said that when Elizabeth was just a little girl, she would watch with glee while her father or mother tortured or punished soldiers, servants, or peasants. From other reports, it was said that when she was a small child, Elizabeth suffered from seizures and intense rage. When Elizabeth was only eleven years old, she was engaged to a man who would grow to be a powerful military figure, “Ferenc Nadasdy”. However, some sources claim that three years after she was engaged she had an affair with a peasant.

When Elizabeth was only fourteen years old, she had her first child, according to some stories, a bastard daughter with the peasant. She was sequestered away by relatives in another household until the child was born. Afterwards, when she was fifteen, she was immediately wed to her fiance. After ten years of being married, the couple finally had a daughter, they named her Anna; and throughout the next nine years, they had two more daughters. One of Elizabeth Bathory’s accomplices, Jo Ilona, was also the wetnurse for all three of her daughters. It is said that Elizabeth first became truly acquainted with torturing others when she began disciplining the large staff of the castle. Later on, while Elizabeth’s husband was out serving in the Hungarian military, Bathory’s manservant, Thorko, is believed to have introduced her to the occult. Also, according to some sources, Bathory ran away with a man for a short time, but then returned home; her husband supposedly had forgiven her, and welcomed her home.

The most popular version of how Elizabeth Bathory came to be such a cruel figure in history, was her initiation into true bloodlust. According to popular lore, one day, while a servant was brushing Elizabeth’s hair, the girl snagged a knot. Elizabeth slapped the girl hard enough to break the skin, and blood spilled onto her hand. When Elizabeth wiped the blood away, it seemed to her that the skin beneath was fresher and more youthful. Thereafter, Elizabeth began bathing in the blood of young women, and some claim, also drinking it. Also, according to legend, exists a book with exactly 650 names in it, all of the women Elizabeth Bathory killed; however, the book was never found.

The Blood Countess is known all over the world for her nefarious exploits, and shocking blood crimes. However, other areas of her life are unexamined, although many details still exist regarding her marriage, political career, and younger life. Strangely enough, Elizabeth Bathory, or Erzsebet Bathory, in Hungarian, descended from a long line of Transylvanian nobility, tying her bloodline to perhaps that of the famous historical figures of Vlad Tepes, or Vlad the Impaler. She was born on August 7th, 1560; her mother lived to be only thirty-one years old before she died, in 1570. Elizabeth grew up witnessing many violent acts of torture committed by her father and perhaps her brothers, as they would punish peasants for crimes, according to speculation. According to other sources, even Elizabeth Bathory’s family members were out of their minds. Klara Bathory, Elizabeth’s aunt, was said to have had four husbands, and to have had killed the first two.Gabor Bathory, Elizabeth’s uncle, claimed to have once been possessed by the devil. Another uncle, also called Gabor, committed incest with his sister Anna, and was assassinated.

Elizabeth’s marriage was arranged basically when she was still a child, eleven years old, like many marriages that took place during that era. She was married to Ferenc Nádasdy four years after she had been engaged, and had already been living in his castle since engagement. The same year, she gave birth to her first child, at the age of fifteen. Her wedding gift from her new husband was his entire castle; thirty years afterwards, Ferenc purchased the castle and the lands and estates surrounding it from Rudolf II, Habsburg Rudolf, whereupon it became a private family estate. When Ferenc advanced later on in his military career, he went off to fight in the war against the Ottomans, leaving Elizabeth behind to manage the estate, and business affairs, providing food and medical care when needed to peasants living on their land.

Other facts about Elizabeth Bathory that many people fail to consider, was her extensive education and military expertise. Bathory was one of the very few educated women of the time; she could read and write in four different languages, and had education in science, and astronomy. When her husband went to fight in the “Long War” (so named because it lasted over a decade), Bathory was in charge of defending their lands from the threat of Ottoman invaders. In the height of the war, the danger was very high for all the locals and nobles. Elizabeth’s husband died when she was 44; the cause of death is still not entirely clear. He was either murdered by a prostitute, died of injuries in battle, or killed by the Count of Huszt, Giorgio Basta.













The Next Instalment in The Dream Series (Succubus)

Succubus is book 4 in The Dream Series, written as a novella to fill in a few gaps – which you know by now is something I love to do. Rather than continuing the plot from book 3, it takes the reader back in time to just after Elizabeth “dies.” You’ll find it a bit more erotic than the first three books, so fair warning!

What happened in the 400 years between Elizabeth dying in her castle tomb and the birth of The Chosen One? Take an erotic step back in time and learn more about what Elizabeth and Sebastian were up to as they prepared for that monumental event to take place.

They certainly didn't get bored while they were waiting, that's for sure!

Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/Succubus-Erotic-Companion-Gladys-Quintal-ebook/dp/B00GZO0XSO

Amazon UK http://www.amazon.co.uk/Succubus-Erotic-Companion-Gladys-Quintal-ebook/dp/B00GZO0XSO

Nook http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/succubus-gladys-quintal/1117390868?ean=2940045411837&itm=1&usri=gladys+quintal

Smashwords https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/364490

iTunes
https://itunes.apple.com/au/book/succubus-erotic-companion/id743080127?mt=11

allromance
https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-succubusaneroticcompanionbook4inthedreamseries-1330821-356.html

Book Trailer http://youtu.be/UbE-Dj8eZJ8

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