Nicknamed the “bloody countess”, Daria Nikolaevna Saltikova was part of the Russian nobility of the eighteenth century. Although in society she seemed a balanced woman, Saltikova found great pleasure in tormenting and killing the servants who worked on her estate.
Her favorite victims were young women, Saltikova being the Russian version of Elizabeth Bathory, an unstoppable serial killer.
In society, Countess Saltikova did not showed anything. Neither in childhood nor in adulthood did she exhibit any behavior that would predict or indicate the disturbing acts she further committed.
Daria Nikolaevna Saltikova was born on March 22, 1730 and was married with the noble Gleb Alexeyevich Saltikov, having with him two sons. In 1755, her husband died, leaving her a widow at the age of 25.
She never married again and lived on the estate inherited from her husband, along with her two sons and over 600 servants.
The countess also had a lover, named Nikolai Tiutcev. Everything seemed to go well until she found out that her lover had married a younger woman. Upon hearing the terrible news, Saltikova lost her mind.
At one point, he even tried to kill his former lover, causing him and his new wife to flee Moscow.
Angered, Saltikova turned against the servants, whom she frequently beat and abuse. If they were not fulfilling their tasks as she wanted to challenge them, she would throw objects at them until her wish was fulfilled.
The cruel acts of the Countess were directed especially against women. Perceiving them as rivals, she mistreated and killed over one hundred women.
She subjected them to the terrible torment, taking them out of their houses in winter, pouring boiling water on them, whipping them or breaking their bones. Some sources claim that Saltikova accidentally killed three men, though they routinely punished them for harassing or killing their wives.
During this time, the countess appeared in society as a pious noblewoman, donating significant amounts of money to charities and monasteries. The authorities were informed about the facts of the countess and about the unusual number of people who died on her estate.
But those who denounced her behavior were either ignored or punished for the accusations they brought. The Countess had an important influence on Russian society and had many friends among members of the royal court.
However, in the end, the relatives of the victims managed to present the case to the Empress Catherine II, who ordered the arrest of Saltikova. The Russian authorities investigated 138 suspected deaths that took place on the countess’s estate.
Although not all crimes could be proven, Saltikova was sentenced for murder 38 women. Following the trial, she was found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Before she was incarcerated, Saltikova was held in a public market in Moscow, carrying a banner with the sign that read: “This woman tortured and killed.”
Then it was closed at the Ivanovski Monastery in Moscow. He spent 33 years in prison: the first 11 years chained in a dark cell, and the rest in a normal cell. He died on November 27, 1801, at the age of 71.
Countess Saltikova was just one of the people who committed torture throughout history.