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Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic โ and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved. Please log in here to leave a comment. AFP - news thelocal. Share Add a comment. She was just 41 when she faced a firing squad on October 15, , accused of spying for Germany during World War I.
On the anniversary of her death, here is a recap of her life of eroticism and intrigue that drew in a string of lovers, including ministers, military officers and diplomats from both sides of the frontline. Born Margaretha Geertruida Zelle in the Netherlands, she fled to Paris in aged 27 to start a new life after a rancorous divorce.
Her marriage had been to an older army officer who was based in the former Dutch East Indies, now Indonesia, where she lived for some years. Penniless in Paris, the tall beauty reinvented herself, becoming a dancer in a striptease act and taking the name "Mata Hari", Indonesian for "Eye of the Day", apparently a reference to the sun. Her fame as an exotic beauty quickly spread across Europe and she became a celebrity, also raising eyebrows for her many love affairs.
Her Oriental "sacred dances" pushed the boundaries of pre-war Europe and often saw her appearing to wear little more than a bejewelled brassiere. By , however, her popularity was waning. She became a call girl in Paris, entertaining ministers and becoming known for her extravagant parties. Broke, due to her lavish lifestyle, she accepted in an offer from a German diplomat to pay off her debts if she spied on France. Mata Hari then offered her services to France's counter-espionage bureau where agents were already suspicious of her.
