Elizabeth Bathory, a Hungarian noble, was tried in 1611 for murdering and torturing hundreds of young ladies and was eventually sentenced to house arrest for the remainder of her life.
Despite King Matthias' requests, Báthory was never tried. Thurzó persuaded the king that such an act would be detrimental to the nobility. A public scandal would have resulted from a trial and execution, bringing shame on a prominent and important family that dominated Transylvania. Báthory remained at the castle until her death in 1614, at the age of 54. She was first buried in the castle chapel, but an uproar among nearby peasants forced her corpse to be relocated to her birthplace of Ecsed.
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