The First Documented Vampire of the Upper Banat: Petar Blagojevic (1725)

A forgotten tale from the borderlands of Transylvania and Banat.

In the year 1725, in a small village called Kisiljevo-nestled near the Danube River in what is now Serbia, but historically part of the Habsburg-administered Banat region, adjacent to Transylvania-a chilling story unfolded that would ignite Europe’s 18th-century vampire panic.

Petar Blagojevic, a 62-year-old villager, passed away and was buried with a proper Orthodox funeral.

But his death was just the beginning. Within days, terror spread through the village. One by one, residents began dying under mysterious circumstances, their strength seemingly drained overnight.

Before his death, one villager claimed that Blagojevic had visited him in the night and strangled him. Soon after, Blagojevic’s own son was found dead. Rumors quickly took hold: the deceased father had allegedly appeared in his son’s home asking for food; when refused, he killed the boy and drank his blood.

Blagojevic’s widow, terrified, told neighbors that her late husband had come to her as well, demanding his shoes. She fled the village in fear. The deaths continued for nine nights in a row.

Driven to desperation, the villagers demanded the exhumation of Blagojevic’s body to search for signs of vampirism.

With no help from the Austrian authorities in Belgrade, the locals turned to the imperial administrator assigned to the region-Kameralprovisor Frombald.

At first reluctant, Frombald agreed to witness the event along with the Orthodox priest from nearby Veliko Gradište.

What they uncovered only deepened the horror:

Blagojevic’s body was shockingly well-preserved. His nails and hair had grown, new skin had formed, and blood dripped from his mouth. These were all signs the locals associated with a vampire.

In front of the official and the priest, the villagers drove a stake through his heart. Fresh blood reportedly gushed from the wound. The body was then burned to ashes.

Frombald recorded every detail in a report to his superiors in Vienna, noting that he had acted under pressure and fear of mob unrest. The deaths stopped immediately after the ritual.

His chilling account was published by the Wienerisches Diarium-known today as Die Wiener Zeitung-and quickly made headlines across Europe. Newspapers in France, England, and the German states picked up the story, fueling what would become known as the 18th-century “Vampire Epidemic.”

Frombald’s report would go on to describe in clinical detail how Blagojevic’s corpse matched the superstitions of the region: no decomposition, regrown nails and beard, new skin, and blood at the lips.

Although this occurred in Banat, not Transylvania proper, both regions shared not only borders but legends, language, and imperial rule. It is perhaps no surprise that stories like these passed freely across rivers and mountains, becoming part of the same dark folklore that still echoes today.