Mata Hari born in Leewarden Aug 7, 1876
Margaretha Geertruida Zelle, better known as Mata Hari, was born on August 7, 1876 in Leeuwarden, Netherlands.
As Father Arbaux spoke with the condemned woman, a French officer approached, carrying a white cloth. ‘The blindfold,’ he whispered to the nuns who stood there and handed it to them. ‘Must I wear that?’ asked Mata Hari, turning to her lawyer, as her eyes glimpsed the blindfold. Maitre Clunet turned interrogatively to the French officer. ‘If Madame prefers not, it makes no difference,’ replied the officer, hurriedly turning away.
The Execution of Mata Hari, 1917
100th Anniversary of the Death of Mata Hari
Issued in 2017 by Sierra Leone
Exotic dancer, courtesan and secret agent, Mata Hari remains one of modern history’s enigmas. Her legend was sealed with her execution by the French government as a spy for Germany, a claim that has been questioned for over 100 years.
For decades afterwards, Mata Hari was held up as the archetypal temptress: the she-devil who proved that sexually confident women deserved to be punished. But feminist critics have reclaimed her as someone who prospered in a man’s world by being creative and determined enough to will a new identity into being. Even after 100 years and 250 books, though, we still don’t know everything about her movements or her motives. The veils keep coming off, but the tease isn’t over yet.
Who was the real Mata Hari?