Welcome to Celebrate Poe - Episode 340 - Teaching Torture Techniques?
Elizabeth Bathory is certainly a fascinating figure. I guess that ultimately we will never know exactly what she did or did not do, but the reaction to her alleged crimes tells us a great deal about the times in which she lived - especially attitudes towards the supernatural, as well as attitudes towards woman.
First, the use of torture to extract confessions from Báthory's servants reflects the judicial norms of early modern Europe. Torture was considered an acceptable method for obtaining evidence at the time, even though it often led to unreliable testimony. Many of the accusations against Báthory were based on hearsay or coerced confessions, casting doubt on the fairness of the proceedings.
And often when a person would be tortured, they would say ANYTHING the torturer want to hear to stop the pain - an issue that continues to the present.
Thank you for experiencing Celebrate Creativity.