In 1610, King Matthias II of Hungary launched an investigation into allegations of cruelty and murder against Elizabeth Báthory, then a widow in her 50s. The accusations centered on reports that she had tortured and killed hundreds of young women, mostly peasant girls, at her Čachtice Castle in Slovakia. The alleged crimes were said to have taken place over several decades, with some estimates suggesting that Báthory may have been responsible for the deaths of over 650 girls.
