Today it has been 99 years since famous female spy known as Mata Hari was executed. Do you know anything about this woman? I think her life was interesting, so I decided to read about her more and more and would like to share with you her life story.

Honestly speaking ..I find her life a bit sad and I would say that her greedy character and naivity killed her. Anyway, let me start from the beginning. She was born in Netherlands and her original name was Margaretha Zelle. She was spoiled daughter of a successful businessman but later her dad went bankrupt, parents separated and after few months her mom died. Her father, whose financial situation wasn't good and who later remarried asked Mata Hari's godfather to take care of her. As an eighteen years old teenager she decided to try her good luck and answered one advertisement, she came across in the newspapers. Here we can already sense her nature - to get money and enjoy luxurious life was her goal. The advertisement was written by the Army Captain, who was searching for a wife. She succeeded and married this Colonial Captain, who was twenty years older but ... rich. However, her marriage wasn't happy. The couple had to move to Java island as he was colonial captain and she gave a birth to two kids there. It turned out her husband was more in love with the glass of alcohol and also enjoyed a company of other women. Mata Hari didn't hang her head and decided to live her life too and started her career - let's call it mistress career. After tragic death of her son, who was just five years old, couple with daughter went back to the Netherlands and as their marriage was totally in the ruins, they separated, later divorced. Mata Hari wanted to take care of her daughter but her husband didn't give her any money and once he simply decided not to return daughter to her. Mata Hari knew she had no chance to fight against him (luckily he was at least good father) and with broken heart left to Paris.

In Paris she started new episode of her life. Firstly she was dancing and later came up with something new – she became an exotic dancer on the basis of her experiences she got when she was abroad with her exhusband (India, Java etc.) and her success was unbelievable. She started calling herself Mata Hari (Eye of the dawn), travelled around Europe, even though her critics used to say she was just a cheap dancer, who can't dance and who is just full of exhibitionism. However, we all know men and I do believe that in this era – it was something they have never seen, so that is why this weird success. When her dancing career was almost over, she focused on something else – she became mistress of many important men such as the politicians, military officers or the commanders, which wasn't anything complicated for her – she knew five languages and was experienced in flirting and seducing.

Anyway World War I. was around the corner and when it started one German officer came to her with the plan. He asked her to provide Germany some important information since she was in the contact with many powerful men and offered her 20.000 francs. Mata Hari carelessly agreed and became a spy, which was another proof of her greedy nature and little bit naive imagination about what was expected from her. In fact she had no idea, she started playing with the fire. On the other hand France also asked her to come up with information about Germany. Suddenly Mata Hari became "double" spy!!! Something totally crazy and so risky but she didn't realize the situation she was in because enjoying her noble life was more important for her. The thing is..she didn't come up with important information she would share with Germany; they weren't even satisfied with her work BUT later when France came to know that she co-works with Germany, it was big tragedy. Afterall France had problems, lost battles and soldiars were on strike, which wasn't good situation and oopsss.. suddenly they caught somebody, who was considered spy! Without doubt France had to show the world that there was no place for any spy, no matter it wasn't even proved she was dangerous spy, who betrayed France. In the end they had almost no direct evidence against her and thanks to one lost battle they accused her of death of 50.000 soldiars. Mata Hari was sentenced to the death by firing squad and what is sort of interesting is that the trial itself wasn't even public.

"Brave" Mata Hari rejected a blindfold and on October 15th 1917 was executed. The last interesting fact… out of 12 bullets of 12 soldiars only three were found in her dead body…

Well.. I think her life was an interesting example of what greedy character in combination with low morals can cause. What do you think?

Picture was taken from: https://klimbim2014.wordpress.com/tag/mata-hari/