Spy, temptress or victim? The mystery of Mata Hari

Born in the Netherlands in 1876 as Margaretha Zelle, Mata Hari became famous in the beginning of the 20th century by performing in private salons, and at the Musée Guimet, a famous French spot for performing arts. Her unique dance moves, which she claimed she picked up from India, caught the attention of the country's elite.

Back in Paris, she fell in love with a Russian officer. After he was injured on the front he was sent to a military area in the town of Vittel. Desperate to see him, Mata Hari signed a deal with with Georges Ladoux, a French captain who was a French spy. He granted her request on condition that she also work for France. And so Mata Hari became a double agent.

When the Germans realized that they couldn’t get anything interesting from her, and that the French were also using her, they decided to turn her in.

Mata Hari was picked up from her room at the Hotel Elysée Palace on the Champs Elysées in Paris in February 1917, and put on trial accused of spying for Germany and consequently causing the deaths of at least 50,000 soldiers. Mata was executed by firing squad on October 15, at the age of 41.