Throwback Thursday: The Bizarre Life of Mata Hari

Happy frackin' Thursday everyone! I hope everyone has had a lovely week so far. For my first Throwback Thursday post, I'm going to give y'all a little info about an intriguing figure in history. Normally on Throwback Thursdays, I will be talking about historical events or personal events that I am very knowledgeable about, but today I am covering an individual who is outside of my realm of historical study.

This female historical figure has a confusing and wild story to say the least. But make no mistake, she was ahead of her time and her life deserves to be acknowledged at LEAST a little bit in a blog post. I first learned about Mata Hari from an episode of the lovely Kelsey Darragh's podcast titled Confidently Insecure (click on this link to listen to the episode), and I was absolutely floored by her life and experiences. This post will give the basic gist of Mata Hari's legacy and I figured it would be appropriate to speak of her history not long after the 102nd anniversary of her execution (oh yeah, just get ready for a wild ride). So here goes nothing!

Mata Hari was born Margaretha Geertruida Zelle on August 7, 1876 in the Netherlands. She discovered that she could use her sexuality as a means of power at an early age and married a man who was 21 years her senior, Rudolph "John" MacLeod, right before she turned 19. The couple lived in the Indies and Hari bore two children, a daughter and son who was mysteriously poisoned by a nanny during her nine year union to MacLeod. They eventually split and MacLeod fled with their daughter while Hari moved to Paris. This is where her wild tales get started. More about her early life can be found in the aforementioned podcast episode, and while I would love to delve into every bit of her life, I am looking to cover the later part of her life that lead to her demise. 

After moving to Paris, she became a mistress to a French diplomat. Her relationship with the diplomat not only provided her financial stability, but he also aided in her plan to become a dancer. She moved to Paris around 1905 and "exotic" trends from the Indies were all the rage, and considering her immersion in this culture for years, she decided to capitalize on it. Hari's unabashed sexuality and knowledge of Indonesian culture allowed her to rise to the top of the bill at many Parisian saloons. With her newly adopted stage name of "Mata Hari" and performance identity of a Hindi dancer (not acceptable by any means), Hari blew men away with her intoxicating presence. 

As we all know, flames eventually burn out, and Mata Hari eventually experienced this. She was getting older and her career as a dancer seemed to be on its way out. World War I had started and during this time, Hari survived by providing sexual services to military members of all nationalities. This was not a wise decision, as we will later learn, but these acts earned Mata Hari the badge of a femme fatale.

Hari was approaching 40 when she fell in love with a 21-year-old Russian soldier who was injured on the Front. He was left blind in one eye, and Hari was devoted to caring for him, so she made money for the two of them as a spy. To make a long story short, she was approached by the French to be a spy on the Germans in 1916. She thought this would not be an issue for her as she planned to use her sexuality and dance skills to work her way up to the top of German commanders to gather intelligence. This ended up backfiring when her plan of dropping hints about her skills as a covert and trustworthy temptress led to her being hired by the Germans as a spy... like hwut?

I'm sure you can all imagine how this got Mata Hari in quite a pickle, but Hari's confidence was unwavering. The French were unimpressed with the lack of intel Hari had provided thus far and they began to question her loyalty to them (as they should). After intercepting German radio communications where Mata Hari's code name H-21 was revealed, French authorities' suspicions were confirmed and they wished to find her and bring her back to France as soon as possible. There is also speculation that the Germans were convinced of her being a double agent as well, so they claimed her as a German spy to set her up, but this hasn't really been confirmed. 

Mata Hari was arrested by French authorities on February 13, 1917 on charges of espionage. She was imprisoned at Prison Saint-Lazare in filthy conditions and the only person allowed to speak to her was her lawyer (fun fact: that was her FORMER LOVER. BRUH.). In July, a military trial was held against her with charges of revealing the details of the Allies' new weapon (the tank). French authorities charged that this leak of information caused the death of hundreds of men. Mata Hari was found guilty and sentenced to death by firing squad and was executed on October 15, 1917. 

The title of "the greatest woman spy in history" is still held by Mata Hari in some circles, but it is highly debated among historians whether or not she was extremely effective as a spy. Scholars are also questioning whether or not she should be referred to as Mata Hari since she appropriated an underserved culture for her personal gain, and I am definitely going to look further into how she should be referred to since she acquiesced her fame as a spy under this name. 

So there ya have it! Here is the (abridged) story of Mata Hari and her legacy as a female spy. Her controversial existence and questionable success rate are part of what makes her a captivating historical figure, and I feel learning more about significant women in history is extremely important to us understanding the female experience around the world. 

I hope you all enjoyed this little nugget of information! Comment with suggestions for other figures or events for Throwback Thursday and check out the episode of Confidently Insecure on Mata Hari for more info and some laughs. 

All the love and knowledge,

Allie

Sources:

https://www.biography.com/performer/mata-hari

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history

https://www.thoughtco.com/mata-hari-1779223