Happy Halloween. We thought it would take advantage of the weekend where all the children are

otherwise occupied with other events to bring you one of the very, very few definitely R-rated

episodes that we have ever produced. We will reiterate our warning in a little bit,

but just to let you know, this is not for the small fry in any way. And here's your 30-second

summary. Some of what you think you know is not right, but unfortunately a lot of what you've heard of

our subject today is correct.

At least some parts of it are correct.

And we would like to say, no thank you for dragging us unwillingly into this turbulent, turbulent subject.

We recommend right after this, go listen to the Beatrix Potter episode or perhaps

Lillian Gilbert or watch a little Disney. The end. Let's talk about Elizabeth

Bathory. But first, let's drop her in history. In 1614, the dual-numbered King James I and

6th, son of Mary Queen of Scots, was ruling England and Scotland.

Meanwhile, across the channel, French King Louis XIII turned 13, although his mother, Marie

Demet...

Marie Demet...

Oh, my God!

We can never cover her!

Marie D' Medici continued her tenure as his regent.

The Romanov dynasty began when Tsar Michael I ascended the throne in Russia.

On another continent, not yet Queen Anna and Zinga was settling in for a long battle with the Portuguese over the resources and people of her kingdom in Africa.

Galileo was wrapped up in an intellectual drama regarding his support of the works of mathematician and astronomer Nicholas Copernicus.

Greek artist El Greco died, and although Countess Elizabeth

...