King Matthias had an interest in the Countess’s Fall
Besides greedy sons-in-law after her money, there were others who had a vested interest in seeing Elizabeth Bathory fall. It was this, rather than any sense of horror or belief in justice that was the real motivation behind the investigation against her. The King of Hungary had the most compelling reason of all.
For years, Ferenc Nadasdy had been lending money to the Hungarian crown- and the Crown had made no effort to pay that debt back. Elizabeth, as a widow had made herself extremely unpopular with her frequent trips to court to press for repayment. King Matthias knew if he could convict Elizabeth of a capital crime, he would not only wipe out his debt to her but he could also claim her vast estates. His money problems would be solved- and a troublesome, headstrong woman removed to boot.
Not only that, he would be one step closer to diminishing the powerful Bathory clan. When not fighting the Turks, the Kingdom of Hungary was busy fighting itself. The Thirty Years War between Catholics and Protestants loomed as the Catholic crown began to attempt to erode the rights of its Protestant subjects- before they could move to restrict its power. Most nobles were Catholic. However, the Bathory and Nadasdy were Protestant. Based on their combined power and wealth, they were best placed to lead any Protestant revolt against the king.
Worse yet, Elizabeth’s cousin, Gabor Bathory, the Prince of Transylvania had his eye on expanding his territory by uniting Transylvania and Royal Hungary under his rule. He and Elizabeth were known to correspond, and it seemed she had been financing him, as well as pledging troops to his cause (so long as he came to her aid as required). At the same time as he was investigating Elizabeth, Thurzo was attempting to negotiate a treaty with Gabor (who referred to the Palatine of Hungary as ‘a Lord’s serf) to stave off a potential war. However, the Countess’s support was vital to Gabor’s cause. If Matthias could remove her as a player, Gabor’s plans would be confounded.