The Story of Mata Hari (1876–1917)
Exotic dancer (and spy)
Published in
5 min readJan 31, 2022
The Dutch exotic dancer Mata Hari, whose real name was Margaretha Geertruida Zelle, was killed in the First World War. She was convicted of espionage and executed in France.
Mata Hari was born in Leeuwarden on 7 August 1876, the eldest daughter of a milliner. At first, the family is relatively well off, but when the father goes bankrupt…
