An emblematic figure of the First World War, Mata Hari is a woman with a controversial history. Known for having been convicted of espionage, however, many mysteries surround the true story of this femme fatale victim of the Great War. From myths to reality, here is the story of Mata Hari.
It has been more than a century since Mata Hari was executed by a French firing squad, after being convicted of spying for Germany. In other words, the legend and mystery surrounding this Dutch dancer and courtesan has endured for more than a hundred years. An emblematic figure of the First World War, Mata Hari is indeed a character widely known in history, but also in popular culture. Having been the subject of more than 250 biographies, novels, films and reports of all kinds, the story of Mata Hari continues to fascinate the world.
A life punctuated with drama and loss
There are many versions of this character’s life story, and as you might expect, some have portrayed her as the archetypal femme fatale without morals, while others have chosen to embellish her story. Many also argue that she was not a spy, but a mere gossip, and thus a victim of war-induced conspiracies. But, however she was portrayed, there is general agreement on one thing: Mata Hari was a unique – almost mythical – embodiment of sex, glamour, intrigue and danger.
Her story begins in the Netherlands, in 1876, under the name of Margaretha Geertruida Zelle. Born into a wealthy family, Mata Hari had a golden childhood. However, his family went bankrupt in 1889, and his mother died two years later. Following these dramas, the young girl went to live with her godfather in order to follow a training course as a childminder. Unfortunately, a scandal caused her to drop out of school, and she moved again to live with her uncle. It was while living with the latter that she met her husband, Rudolph John MacLeod, aged 38, when she herself was only 18 years old.
Her husband being an officer in the colonial army in the Dutch East Indies, the couple spent most of their life together in Dutch India, where they lived quite a difficult life punctuated by poverty and isolation. Additionally, Officer MacLeod was known to be an unaccommodating and rude character. Despite this, the couple had two children, but the latter unfortunately died of poisoning. All these difficulties and dramas finally got the better of their married life, and they decided to separate in 1902.
Mata Hari’s Golden Age as an Exotic Dancer
Subsequently, it was not until 1905 that the divorce was pronounced, and it was also at this time that Mata Hari decided to leave for France. It was in Paris in particular that she made a name for herself as a performer of Asian-inspired dances. She soon started touring all over Europe, and she too started telling stories that weren’t really her own. She notably said that she was born in a sacred Indian temple and learned ancient dances thanks to a priestess who gave her the name Mata Hari, which means “eye of the day” in Malay.
Her talent for dancing allowed her to have a great career that lasted ten years. But she ended up being overtaken by younger, sportier imitators. Be that as it may, with her great beauty as well as the glamorous and sensual image that she was able to create for herself, but also her talents in foreign languages, Mata Hari became a famous courtesan with the rich and high officials in European capitals. And with the onset of the Great War, her catalog of lovers began to include high-ranking military officers of various nationalities.
A spy career that ultimately lasted less than a year
Indeed, thanks to the neutrality of her country, she relatively had a fairly large freedom in her travels and thus, in the choice of her lovers. Soon enough, his travels and lifestyle began to attract attention, and many rumors began to circulate about him. These rumors notably reached the ears of the British and French intelligence services, who decided to put her under surveillance. Thanks to her situation, Mata Hari was finally recruited, at the age of 40, for a spy mission on behalf of Georges Ladoux, a captain in the French army.
The French intelligence services believed that his courtier contacts would be useful to his intelligence operation. She accepted the mission to support her Russian lover, Vladimir de Masloff, who was sent to the front and injured there. As part of her operations, Mata Hari was also approached by German officials who also offered her spy assignments. If Mata Hari has always claimed that she actually pocketed the money given by the Germans, she never did what was asked of her. She was thus suspected of being a double agent.
The truth of this subject will probably never be known, but the fact is that in February 1917 she was accused of spying for Germany, a misdemeanor which is said to have caused the death of at least 50,000 soldiers. While awaiting trial, she was sent to Saint-Lazare prison in Paris. In a July military trial, Mata Hari was tried for revealing details of new Allied weapons. She was convicted and sentenced to death. His execution took place on October 15, 1917, and it was marked by Mata Hari refusing a blindfold, a final act of rebellion to maintain his innocence until the end. This is how Mata Hari died at the age of 41.
To go further, also discover 9 other spies who sacrificed their lives for their country.
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