Elizabeth Bartley (エリザベート･バートリー Erizabēto Bātorī?, Erzsébet Báthory) is a character and boss in Castlevania: Bloodlines. She is the vampiress niece of Count Dracula and one of the main antagonists in the game.
History[]
Elizabeth Báthory was born in 1560 in Transylvania, Hungary, to the prominent Báthory family, which had deep roots in the region and was rumored to share lineage with the infamous Tepes family. From an early age, Elizabeth’s life was shaped by political and familial expectations, including a forced engagement to Nadády Ferenc, a Hungarian nobleman. The two were married in 1575 when Elizabeth was 15, relocating to Čachtice Castle in Nyitra County, Hungary. However, their union was strained as Ferenc was frequently absent, leaving Elizabeth isolated and frustrated. During this period, she began studying magic under the guidance of the sorceress Drolta Tzuentes and developed a notorious penchant for torturing servants in the castle’s basement.
Elizabeth’s obsession with preserving her youth led her to the macabre practice of killing young virgins and bathing in their blood. By the time her husband died in 1600, leaving her widowed at the age of 40, Elizabeth’s bloodlust only intensified. Over the course of her life, she was said to have killed thousands, making her one of history's most infamous figures.
In December 1610, rumors of Elizabeth’s atrocities reached the Hungarian King, who ordered an investigation led by Count George Thurzó. The gruesome discovery of countless bodies drained of blood in her castle led to her arrest. Elizabeth was sentenced to confinement in a single room of her castle, sealed except for small slits for air and food. She remained imprisoned for four years before her fate became uncertain.
Centuries later, in the early 20th century, Drolta Tzuentes, believed to have been executed after Elizabeth’s crimes were exposed, resurfaced. Using her dark magic, she revived Elizabeth from a 300-year slumber in the ruins of Castle Dracula. Driven by vengeance, Elizabeth targeted the imperial family of Austria, orchestrating the assassination of the Austrian prince. Amid the chaos of the resulting war, she sought to use the souls of countless victims as sacrifices to resurrect her uncle, Count Dracula, whose restless spirit lingered after his defeat by Quincy Morris.
In 1917, Elizabeth turned Lucy Seward, the fiancée of vampire hunter Eric Lecarde, into a vampire for unclear reasons. During the same year, she planned to conduct the ritual to fully resurrect Dracula at Castle Proserpina, located above Whitby, England. Pursued relentlessly by Eric Lecarde and John Morris, Quincy’s son, Elizabeth was ultimately confronted in the castle. A climactic battle ensued, and despite her power and cunning, Elizabeth was defeated, bringing her dark ambitions to an end.
Boss Fight[]
John Morris and Eric Lecarde ascend to a lavish chamber on one of the highest floors of Castle Proserpina. The room is dominated by two imposing statues flanking a coffin at its center. It is here that Countess Elizabeth Báthory finally reveals herself. Before the heroes can react, she transforms (or summons) a grotesque and menacing form: the gorgon Medusa, a sharp contrast to her eternally youthful beauty.
In her Medusa form, Elizabeth unleashes a series of deadly attacks. She fires two undulating fireballs, one traveling high and the other low, forcing the player to find safe spots between their paths. She also exhales a stream of flames that arcs upward before descending close to the ground, requiring the player to crouch to avoid damage. Her serpentine tail lashes out across the floor in a whip-like motion, necessitating precise jumps to evade. Between these attacks, she advances slowly, lunging short distances and swiping with her claws.
Once Medusa is defeated, Elizabeth reverts to her true form and faces the heroes directly (unless playing on Easy mode, where her death animation triggers after Medusa’s defeat). This second phase of the battle is unconventional. Elizabeth begins by teleporting to the area above her coffin, summoning a series of elemental orbs that orbit her. She then teleports to a distant side of the room and commands an orb to unleash an elemental attack. These attacks vary by orb: magical blasts, fire, lightning, or a fast-moving dagger representing physical damage.
To overcome her, the player must remain centered and strike Elizabeth immediately upon her materialization, forcing her to teleport to the opposite side. Each successful hit causes one orb to vanish and reduces her health. The process repeats until all orbs are destroyed. At this point, Elizabeth retreats to the center of the chamber, summoning a larger array of orbs for a final assault.
When her health bar is fully depleted, the countess meets her end. Flames engulf her as she desperately crawls toward her coffin, shrieking in agony. Her body explodes into a mass of blood, leaving only her opulent garments to drift slowly to the ground—silent remnants of her existence.
Trivia[]
- Elizabeth is based off of infamous serial killer, Countess Erzsébet Báthory-one of the most prolific female ones in history– who's thought to have killed up to 650 victims over her life, all young women. This, along with myths about her bathing in their blood to keep herself youthful, has led to her commonly being associated with vampires. In addition, the Countess was distantly related to the historic Vlad III Drăculea, but, contrary to the game's background, she was his cousin rather than his niece.