"Harlot, yes, but traitor, never."
--- Mata Hari
She was born Margaretha Geertruida (Grietje) Zelle on August 7, 1876 in the Netherlands. After her son died and she divorced her Dutch naval officer husband, she moved to Paris and performed as a circus horse rider and made extra money as an artist's model. Like an early Madonna, she came up with an "oriental" character and began a career as an exotic dancer. She posed as a princess from Java and called herself MATA HARI, "Eye of the Day." She debuted her act at the Musee Guirnet on March 13, 1905. As circumstances dictate, Mata Hari became the long-time mistress of the millionaire Lyon industrialist Emile Etienne Guirnet, who, coincidentally, founded the museum. She became successful and began to mingle with the wealthy and powerful. Besides Guirnet, she developed profitable relationships as a courtesan to many high-ranking military officers and politicians. During WWI, Mata Hari, as a Dutch citizen, could travel freely throughout Europe. Eventually, the British suspected her of being a German spy. The evidence is suspect. France was losing the war at the time and they needed some good press. She might have been a double agent for both France and Germany. Her French spy chief later turned out to be a double agent himself. Germany might've found out she was really a French spy and set her up. Whatever the truth, she was a nasty girl who had to go. The official case documents are sealed until 2017. On February 13, 1917, she was arrested in Paris and put on trail. She was found guilty of spying for Germany. On October 15, 1917, a firing squad executed her. She was 41 years old.
Mata Hari - wiki
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