The irony of her fame is she was probably innocent, certainly of the more lurid claims. Her family and her husbands was one of the wealthiest and most powerful in Hungary.
When her husband died the rumours started, she was arrested and her assets seized. Her children were exiled to Poland.
She was probably just a victim of greed and jealousy, especially from the Hapsburgs who wouldn't tolerate rivals.
The man in charge of the investigation, and seems to have perhaps been involved in raising the charges against her, apparently owed her a lot of money, and the debt was cancelled on her conviction. There had been no complaints of missing girls and young women until after the conviction, and she virtually ran a hospital at the castle treating villagers and soldiers injured in the fighting against the Turks and who-ever sided with them, so the death rate could have been quite high, given medical knowledge at the time. If she also worked as a midwife to the villagers, many women died in childbirth. She really was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and related to the wrong people.
I really enjoyed this story and a nice twist at the end. I hope you do write more about her. I can see it being a series of shorts or even novel length.
Unexpected twist! I didn't think she was a necromancer, but the stories about her are pretty gruesome. This fits in with them nicely!
Legends of her bathing in the blood of virgins, was suitably vampiric enough for me to add some artistic license to the original.
I enjoyed writing this one. I might come back and expand it later.
Please do, she is an amazing subject! What I have never understood is why her husband did nothing about it, he surely knew what she was doing.
The irony of her fame is she was probably innocent, certainly of the more lurid claims. Her family and her husbands was one of the wealthiest and most powerful in Hungary.
When her husband died the rumours started, she was arrested and her assets seized. Her children were exiled to Poland.
She was probably just a victim of greed and jealousy, especially from the Hapsburgs who wouldn't tolerate rivals.
The man in charge of the investigation, and seems to have perhaps been involved in raising the charges against her, apparently owed her a lot of money, and the debt was cancelled on her conviction. There had been no complaints of missing girls and young women until after the conviction, and she virtually ran a hospital at the castle treating villagers and soldiers injured in the fighting against the Turks and who-ever sided with them, so the death rate could have been quite high, given medical knowledge at the time. If she also worked as a midwife to the villagers, many women died in childbirth. She really was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and related to the wrong people.
Dangerous thing lending money. Just ask the Knights Templar.
I really enjoyed this story and a nice twist at the end. I hope you do write more about her. I can see it being a series of shorts or even novel length.
One of the advantages of setting it in the 60's / 80's is it gives me room to bring her back.
I've a few recurring characters in my stories.