5 of Europe’s Most Infamous Monsters… Were They Innocent?
History loves a good villain. From bloodthirsty vampires and child-eating werewolves to sinister warlocks and dark witches, the folklore of Europe is built on the bones of terrifying monsters. But what if the scariest part of these stories isn’t the monsters themselves, but the people who invented them?
When we peel back the layers of mythology, a disturbing pattern emerges. Behind almost every legendary monster is a very human motive: greed, political revenge, or religious persecution. In this list, we dive into the dark history of five of Europe’s most infamous accused monsters to ask the ultimate question:
Were they truly guilty of unspeakable crimes, or were they innocent pawns destroyed by powerful enemies?
Once you have all the facts, you can make up your own mind if they are truly guilty.
Content Warning: This article explores dark historical events, including themes of death, violence, and criminal activity. Reader discretion is advised.
Key Takeaways
- History is written by the victors: Many of Europe’s most legendary “monsters” may have actually been victims of political purges, religious wars, or land grabs.
- The Werewolf of Bedburg (Peter Stumpp) and The Blood Countess (Elizabeth Báthory) were both incredibly wealthy landowners whose executions conveniently transferred their wealth to the state or crown.
- Lady Glamis and Urbain Grandier were executed for witchcraft, but historical evidence suggests they were actually eliminated for opposing powerful monarchs and political figures.
- The real monsters: As you dive into these cases, look closely at who stood to gain from the downfall of these so-called villains. The truth is often scarier than the myth.
1. Gilles de Rais (France): Wicked Serial Killer or Bankrupt Noble?
Accusations of Dark Magic and the 15th-Century Serial Killer
Gilles de Rais was once an accomplished military leader, a French lord who fought alongside the legendary Joan of Arc. But today, he is remembered as one of history’s most prolific serial killers- the man who spawned the legend of Bluebeard. But surprisingly, few people today are actually aware of the horrifying details of his actual charges. In 1440, he was accused of dabbling in the occult and murdering over 140 children in his pursuit of dark magic and demonic pacts.
The Duke’s Plot to Seize a Bankrupt Lord’s Fortune
While the accusations are horrifying, the political context is equally sinister. Gilles de Rais was born into massive wealth, but by the time of his trial– despite being only in his mid-thirties– he was a bankrupt noble who had completely squandered his vast fortune.
His massive estates, including the looming Château de Tiffauges (which you can still visit in the Loire Valley today), were highly coveted for their strategic military value and the massive tax revenues they generated from the surrounding lands.
The man who spearheaded the investigation against him was Duke John V of Brittany, the very man who stood to inherit all of de Rais’s assets upon his conviction. To ensure a swift and unquestionable guilty verdict, the Duke partnered closely with the local Bishop of Nantes, turning what could have been a secular land dispute into a terrifying, unassailable religious trial for heresy and witchcraft.
Interestingly, years later, the Duke’s successor was forced to return the property to the de Rais family and pay reparations for the damages caused by the trial.
Was Gilles de Rais Framed by the Duke of Brittany?
Adding to the suspicion is one glaring historical inconsistency: despite the staggering claim of over 140 victims, there seem to be no records of any children actually being reported missing in the region until after the Duke’s investigation was officially underway. While historians debate the potential reasons for this, it is a glaring gap in evidence.
Was Joan of Arc’s military bestie truly a sadistic monster who used his immense power to prey on the vulnerable, or was this financially ruined young lord betrayed by rivals who used a religious trial to steal his land?
Here is a video about it for a deeper dive. Head over to the Cursed Voices YouTube Channel to watch our cinematic documentary tracking the actual 1440 Nantes Inquisition trial logs. Larry and Jess pull apart the political mechanisms behind the “Bluebeard” accusations to reveal the real-world asset grab.
2. Peter Stumpp (Germany): The Werewolf of Bedburg or The Religious Scapegoat?
The Bedburg Werewolf and the Mystery of the Severed Paw
In 1589, the town of Bedburg, Germany, was paralyzed by terror. Fourteen children and two pregnant women had been brutally murdered. The accused? A shadowy figure dubbed the “monster of the woods” by terrified locals.
According to the legend, a brave villager cornered the beast and slashed off its left paw before it escaped back into the trees.
Shortly after, a local farmer named Peter Stumpp was found with his left hand missing, instantly making him the prime suspect. Under torture, Stumpp confessed to receiving a magical belt from the Devil that allowed him to transform into a wolf and devour the victims. He was then subjected to one of the most horrific executions in medieval history.
A Convenient Protestant Scapegoat in the Cologne War
What was found in Bedburg was a perfect opportunity for religious persecution. Stumpp lived during the Cologne War, a brutal period of religious conflict between Catholics and Protestants. This war wasn’t just about faith; it was a vicious struggle for political control and territory.
Peter Stumpp was a wealthy Protestant living in a Catholic-controlled territory– a highly dangerous position. Skeptics argue that accusing him was simply a convenient way for the Catholic authorities to make a terrifying example of a Protestant “heretic” while simultaneously confiscating his valuable farmland.
However, others find the details too disturbing to ignore. The timing of his missing hand was impossibly precise, leaving historians to wonder if this was a pre-existing handicap, perhaps from a farming incident gone wrong, or a newly acquired condition.
Even factoring in the unimaginable torture he endured, the gruesome, hyper-specific details he provided about his nightly hunts have made historians and locals wonder for centuries: was this a forced confession to seize an estate, or did they actually catch a man who believed he was a monster?
Did Medieval Germany Actually Capture a Real Werewolf?
The mystery of the Bedburg Werewolf hangs on a terrifying, unexplained coincidence. While no magical belt or severed wolf paw was ever physically produced in court, the “left paw” incident is hard to dismiss as mere rumor. How could a villager’s claim of wounding a beast’s left paw lead so directly to a man missing the exact same limb?
And then there is the most chilling fact of all: the terror in Bedburg had lasted for twenty-five years– from 1564 until Stumpp’s arrest in 1589. During that time, children and pregnant women simply vanished without a trace. While the town whispered of a bloodbath, no bodies were ever recovered to verify the carnage.
Yet, immediately following Peter Stumpp’s execution, the “monster of the woods” vanished forever. The killings didn’t just slow down; supposedly, they stopped instantly. Was Stumpp a convenient political scapegoat caught up in the era’s brutal werewolf trials, or did the villagers of Bedburg truly end the reign of a supernatural predator that left no evidence behind?
Here is a video about it for a deeper dive. Stream the complete historical file over on the Cursed Voices Channel, where we tear through the original 1589 Bedburg pamphlets to expose the brutal religious war behind the werewolf myth.
3. Lady Glamis (Scotland): The Poisonous Witch or The King’s Vengeance?
The Witchcraft Charges Behind Scotland’s Grey Lady Ghost
While not as famous by name, this case has instead become an infamous ghost story in Scotland, leaving a legend of a woman doomed to haunt not just one, but two castles: Glamis Castle and Edinburgh Castle.
Janet Douglas, Lady Glamis, was a Scottish noblewoman who met a horrific end when she was burned at the stake in 1537. She was officially charged with conspiring to poison King James V and communicating with dark spirits (sorcery).
But the most disturbing part of her story is how she was systematically deleted from time itself. In an era where noblewomen had their portraits painted to preserve their legacy for centuries, Janet Douglas is a ghost: not a single verified image or likeness of her exists today. Her identity was literally erased from history, leaving us to wonder what she actually looked like– and what she was truly capable of.
King James V and His Deadly Royal Vendetta
If English royal drama is messy, Scottish royal drama is deadly. Lady Glamis belonged to the powerful Douglas family; her brother was Archibald Douglas, the Earl of Angus. Angus was the King’s fiercely hated stepfather who had essentially kept young James V as a political prisoner for years.
When James V finally took power, he wanted absolute revenge against the entire Douglas family- a systematic damnatio memoriae designed to wipe their name from the earth.
Janet was a beloved figure in Scotland, making her a difficult target. When the crown struggled to find witnesses willing to testify to her alleged dark magic, the King resorted to seizing her lands, imprisoning her family, and torturing her servants to extract the necessary confessions of witchcraft and treason. She was executed, and her image was struck from the records.
Why Was Janet Douglas Completely Erased From History?
Considering King James V harbored such a deep, obsessive vendetta against her bloodline that he had actually tried- and failed- to have her executed on trumped-up charges years earlier, was the total erasure of her image the ultimate proof of a king’s ruthless political vendetta-a common tactic in many famous witch trials– to finally destroy an innocent woman?
Or, did Janet Douglas actually dabble in dark spirits and deadly poisons to protect her family from a relentlessly vengeful monarch, making her a genuine threat to the throne? You decide.
Here is a video about it for a deeper dive. Catch our localized deep dive on the Cursed Voices YouTube Channel to see exactly how King James V systematically weaponized witch trials to execute a personal royal vendetta against the Douglas family line.
4. Elizabeth Báthory (Hungary): The Blood Countess or The Targeted Widow?
The Myth of the Blood Countess Bathing in Servant Girls
Countess Elizabeth Báthory is infamous in the Guinness World Records as the most prolific female murderer in history. But she wasn’t just an ordinary noble; she was born into the Báthory family, one of the wealthiest and most powerful dynasties in the Kingdom of Hungary and Transylvania.
Elizabeth Báthory’s title of “Countess” meant she held near-absolute, unchecked power over her vast estates and the thousands of peasants living on them. According to legend, she abused this terrifying authority to torture and kill hundreds of young servant girls in the late 16th century, notoriously bathing in their blood to retain her youthful beauty.
How a Crushing Royal Debt Doomed the Báthory Fortune
Báthory was an incredibly powerful, educated, and wealthy Protestant widow in a time when women were expected to be submissive. Her relationship with the King of Hungary, Matthias II, was deeply strained and largely transactional.
She had personally financed his expensive military campaigns, leaving the Crown heavily dependent on her and resulting in a massive, crippling financial debt that Matthias could never hope to repay.
When rumors of her unspeakable cruelty– claims that she was systematically torturing, starving, and mutilating young servant girls and the daughters of lesser nobles– began to surface, the King ordered an investigation led by György Thurzó, a man who had his own political ambitions.
During a surprise raid on Čachtice Castle, Thurzó claimed to have found horrifying evidence: dead bodies and dying girls hidden within the estate. This, combined with hundreds of witness testimonies (many of which were extracted under severe torture), sealed her fate.
By condemning her and locking her in a walled-up room in her own castle until her death, the King’s massive debt was erased, and her vast landholdings were divided among the crown and her ambitious rivals. Notably, the Countess was never permitted to testify in her own defense.
Is the World’s Most Prolific Female Murderer Actually Innocent?
Was Elizabeth Báthory truly a vain, psychopathic killer who bathed in the blood of hundreds to preserve her youth? Or was she a brilliant, wealthy widow framed by a bankrupt King who couldn’t pay his bills?
The “evidence” against her– bodies allegedly discovered during a highly convenient surprise raid by her political rival– was never examined in a proper trial, and the witness testimonies were entirely extracted through horrific torture. Under new light, some modern historians have begun to question the validity and scope of the evidence provided during the trial process.
Is she history’s most prolific female serial killer, or the victim of its most successful smear campaign? This case is massive, bloody, and incredibly complex. Let us know in the comments if you want us to dedicate a full episode to uncovering the dark truth of the Blood Countess!
Here is a video about it for a deeper dive. While our team prepares our own dedicated investigation, we highly recommend checking out Bailey Sarian’s phenomenal episode. Her signature, deeply engaging storytelling style makes this complex, historical true crime case incredibly compelling to watch.
Drop a comment on the blog below if you want our team to cover the Countess in a future feature!
5. Urbain Grandier (France): The Demonic Warlock or The Political Enemy?
The Loudun Possessions and a Signed Blood Pact with the Devil
This case sparked legends of possessed nuns that have stood the test of time. From movies and podcast episodes to academic investigations and case studies, the Loudon Nuns are one of the most infamous mass possession cases in Western history.
In 1634, the town of Loudun, France, was gripped by a terrifying supernatural plague. A local Catholic priest named Urbain Grandier was accused of being a powerful, sinister warlock who had signed a literal blood pact with the Devil.
According to the horrifying legend, Grandier unleashed an army of demons to possess the local Ursuline nuns, causing them to fall into violent, writhing fits. Branded as a demonic monster who commanded the forces of hell, Grandier was tortured, convicted of witchcraft, and burned at the stake.
Cardinal Richelieu’s Calculated Political Purge
In real life, Grandier was arrogant, wealthy, and infamous for having illicit affairs with the wives and daughters of Loudun’s elite. These scandals created a horde of deeply resentful local enemies– powerful husbands and fathers who were desperate for an excuse to eliminate him.
Allegedly, these men got their opportunity for revenge when Grandier made his ultimate fatal mistake: making an enemy of Cardinal Richelieu, the most powerful man in France. Richelieu knew he could weaponize the town’s hatred of the priest to secure a swift and unquestioned conviction.
Richelieu wanted to tear down the fortified walls of Loudun to centralize power for the King; Grandier vehemently opposed this and publicly insulted the Cardinal. Conveniently, the chief investigator of the “demonic possessions” was a relative of Richelieu.
With Richelieu pulling the strings from above, Grandier’s jealous local enemies eagerly provided the fabricated testimonies and mob mentality on the ground. In fact, feigning these supernatural symptoms was surprisingly easy during this era, largely thanks to popular books that inadvertently taught people how to fake demonic possession.
The “pact with the devil” produced in court (which still exists today) was clearly forged, but it was enough to silence Richelieu’s loudest political opponent and satisfy the vengeance of the local husbands.
Was it Supernatural Hysteria or a Flawless Assassination?
The evidence against Urbain Grandier was undeniably spectacular: convulsing nuns, testimonies from enraged local husbands, and a literal, signed contract with the Devil presented in open court.
But when you consider that the demonic pact was an obvious forgery, and the entire investigation was orchestrated by Cardinal Richelieu, a man Grandier had foolishly humiliated, the truth becomes much darker.
Did a charismatic, scandalous priest actually summon an army of demons to terrorize a convent? Or did a ruthless Cardinal expertly weaponize a town’s jealousy and mass hysteria to execute a flawless political assassination? Let us know in the comments if you’d like us to cover the wild trial of Urbain Grandier in a future episode!
Here is a video about it for a deeper dive. Check out the channel Esoterica, where historical scholar Dr. Justin Sledge hosts an incredible feature titled “The Devils of Loudun”. His flawless academic breakdown of the forged demonic pact documents brings elite historical rigor to this famous political execution.
Leave a comment on the blog if you want our team to dedicate a full feature to this case in the future!
Quick Reference Data: The Monsters vs. The Motives
This table breaks down the alleged crimes versus the historical motives behind these famous trials.
| Historical Figure | Location | The Alleged Crime | The Suspected Real Motive |
| Gilles de Rais | France (1440) | Serial murder, dark magic | Confiscation of vast lands by rivals |
| Peter Stumpp | Germany (1589) | Werewolf, cannibalism | Religious persecution, wealth seizure |
| Lady Glamis | Scotland (1537) | Witchcraft, poisoning the King | The King’s personal revenge against her family |
| Elizabeth Báthory | Hungary (1610) | Serial murder, blood bathing | Erasing the King’s massive financial debt |
| Urbain Grandier | France (1634) | Summoning demons, witchcraft | Eliminating a political opponent to the Crown |
The Real Monsters of History
As we explore the terrifying legacies of Gilles de Rais, Peter Stumpp, Lady Glamis, Elizabeth Báthory, and Urbain Grandier, a chilling reality comes to light. The most dangerous “monsters” in European history rarely possessed dark magic, fangs, or pacts with the Devil. Instead, they wielded political influence, religious authority, and royal decrees.
Whether these five figures were entirely innocent or deeply flawed, their transformations into immortalized monsters served a very calculated human purpose: to eliminate rivals, seize unimaginable wealth, and silence dissent.
Ultimately, the true horror of these legends isn’t found in witchcraft or werewolves- it’s found in the staggering lengths human beings will go to in the pursuit of absolute power.
FAQ
There is no historical or scientific evidence of real werewolves. However, “werewolf trials” were very real. Much like the witch trials, accusations of lycanthropy (like the case of Peter Stumpp in Germany) were often used by the church and state to execute political enemies, religious dissidents, or wealthy landowners to confiscate their property.
In many medieval justice systems, a conviction of witchcraft, heresy, or treason resulted in the immediate forfeiture of the accused’s property and assets to the state or the accuser. Therefore, accusing a wealthy noble (like Gilles de Rais or Elizabeth Báthory) was a highly profitable endeavor for corrupt kings and ambitious rivals.
History is written by the victors. When corrupt kings or ambitious rivals executed innocent people to steal their land or silence their opposition, they needed to justify their extreme cruelty. By branding their victims as werewolves, bloodthirsty vampires, or demonic warlocks, the authorities ensured the public would fear the victims rather than question the corrupt justice system.
In medieval and early modern justice systems, extreme torture was a standard, legal method for extracting confessions. Under unimaginable pain, victims would confess to anything their interrogators wanted to hear– including possessing magical werewolf belts or signing blood pacts with the Devil– simply to make the agonizing torture stop.
Leaders weaponized the very real fear of the supernatural that dominated Europe at the time. By orchestrating highly publicized, theatrical trials and reading gruesome (often fabricated) confessions to the masses, the church and state whipped communities into a state of mass hysteria. This diverted public attention away from political land grabs and directed it toward a common “evil” enemy.
What do you think? Are these five infamous figures the monsters history claims they are, or were they innocent pawns in a deadly game of power and wealth? Let us know your verdict in the comments below!
Stay curious, question everything, and remember, there are always two sides to every story, especially when the Inquisition gets involved.
Liked this post? Check out more of our dark histories podcast, deep dives and posts!
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2 Days in Valencia: A History Lover’s Guide to the Old Town
Spanish Inquisition vs. The Basque Witches: The 1610 Logroño Trial
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Sources and Further Reading for Europe’s Infamous “Monsters”
Note: These resources have been reviewed by Larry and are publicly available unless otherwise stated below. Primary and archival sources are listed first where available.
1- Fernand Fleuret, ed., Le procès inquisitorial de Gilles de Rais, maréchal de France. (1921) https://archive.org/details/leprocsinquisi00raisuoft/page/125/mode/thumb
2- Thomas Wilson, Blue-Beard: A Contribution to History and Folk-Lore. (1899) https://www.gutenberg.org/files/59955/59955-h/59955-h.htm
3- Early English Books Online / University of Michigan Library Digital Collections, A True Discourse Declaring the Damnable Life and Death of One Stubbe Peeter. (1590) https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/A13085.0001.001/1:3?rgn=div1&view=fulltext
4- Robert Pitcairn, Criminal Trials in Scotland, from A.D. MCCCCLXXXVIII to A.D. MDCXXIV, Vol. 1. (1833) https://archive.org/details/criminaltrialsin01pitc
5- Robert Pitcairn, Criminal Trials in Scotland, from A.D. MCCCCLXXXVIII to A.D. MDCXXIV, Vol. 2. (1833) https://archive.org/stream/criminaltrialsin02bann/criminaltrialsin02bann_djvu.txt
6- Magyar Nemzeti Levéltár, “Báthory Erzsébet és bűnpere.” (2016; last updated 2020) https://mnl.gov.hu/mnl/ol/hirek/bathory_erzsebet_es_bunpere
7- Bibliothèque nationale de France / Gallica, Recueil de pièces originales du procès d’Urbain Grandier et des Ursulines de Loudun. Français 7619. (1630–1638) https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b10023456k.image
8- Nicolas Aubin, Histoire des diables de Loudun, ou de la possession des religieuses ursulines et de la condamnation et du suplice d’Urbain Grandier, curé de la même ville. (1737) https://archive.org/details/b32999148
9- Des Niau, The History of the Devils of Loudun: The Alleged Possession of the Ursuline Nuns, and the Trial and Execution of Urbain Grandier. Translated and edited by Edmund Goldsmid. (1887) https://archive.org/details/historyofdevilso00desn
10- Michel de Certeau, The Possession at Loudun. English edition, University of Chicago Press. (2000) https://archive.org/details/possessionatloud0000cert
11- Trevor Rhodes, “The Evilest Man in the World?: The Confession of Gilles de Rais.” (2019) https://www.researchgate.net/publication/346024996_The_Evilest_Man_in_the_World_The_Confession_of_Gilles_de_Rais
12- Nathan Baillie, “Monstrous Lessons: Peter Stumpp, the Werewolf of Bedburg.” University of Saskatchewan Undergraduate Research Journal, Vol. 9, Issue 2. (2024) https://www.researchgate.net/publication/381591213_Monstrous_Lessons_Peter_Stumpp_the_Werewolf_of_Bedburg
13- Mary Kate Hunter, “The Loudun Possessions: Witchcraft Trials at The Jacob Burns Law Library.” LH&RB: Newsletter of the Legal History & Rare Books Special Interest Section of the American Association of Law Libraries, Vol. 16, No. 3. (2010) https://www.aallnet.org/lhrbsis/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/lhrb-16-3.pdf
14- Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Gilles de Rais.” (n.d.) https://www.britannica.com/biography/Gilles-de-Rais
15- Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Gilles de Rais: History’s First Serial Killer?” (n.d.) https://www.britannica.com/story/gilles-de-rais-historys-first-serial-killer
16- D. L. Ashliman, “Werewolf Legends from Germany.” University of Pittsburgh. (n.d.) https://sites.pitt.edu/~dash/werewolf.html#stubbe
17- Glamis Castle, “Witness to Over 1000 Years of History.” (n.d.) https://www.glamis-castle.co.uk/about-glamis-castle/timeline/
18- The Tudor Society, “Janet Douglas, Lady Glamis (c.1504–1537).” (n.d.) https://www.tudorsociety.com/janet-douglas-lady-glamis-c-1504-1537/
19- Léonie Chao-Fong, “The Blood Countess: 10 Facts About Elizabeth Báthory.” History Hit. (2021) https://www.historyhit.com/the-blood-countess-facts-about-elizabeth-bathory/
20- Justin Spike, “400 Years Later, Accounts of Hungarian ‘Blood Countess’ Remain Shrouded in Mystery and Controversy.” Associated Press. (2024) https://apnews.com/article/e732847066ffe69f91812b57df61bf43
21- VAMzzz Publishing, “Peter Stumpp: Werewolf or Political Scapegoat?” (n.d.) https://vamzzz.com/blog/peter-stumpp-werewolf-or-political-scapegoat/
22- Thomas Wilson, Bluebeard: An Account of Comorre the Cursed and Gilles de Rais, with Summaries of Various Tales and Traditions. (1902) https://archive.org/stream/bluebeardanacco00vizegoog/bluebeardanacco00vizegoog_djvu.txt
