"Mata Hari" is one of those notorious names that we all recognize from pop culture but, when questioned, few of us could explain this person's identity. Truthfully, until the past six months or so, I'd had no idea who Mata Hari even was.
My favorite podcast on the planet is Myths and Legends. I somehow stumbled upon it several years ago and love absolutely everything about it. Jason Weiser -later joined by his wife Carissa- is a masterful storyteller of some of our planet's greatest hits. So when I got completely caught up to real time on the current release schedule of new episodes, I turned to one of the Weisers' other podcasts: Scoundrel: History's Forgotten Villains. It was here that I learned about Matthew Hopkins (Witchfinder General), Cattle Annie & Little Britches (Teen Girl Old West Outlaws), Sarah Wilson (Fake British Princess), Sidney Gottlieb (The Man Who Tried to Control Minds), Sister Virginia Maria (The Murderous Nun of Monza), and Hong Xiuquan (Demon-Slaying Rebel and Brother to Jesus Christ). It's quite a cast of characters.
Among these interesting -and often deranged- individuals was a young, beautiful Dutch woman named Margaretha Geertruida (Zelle) MacLeod. Young Margaretha was born in Leeuwarden, Netherlands in 1876 to Adam and Antje (van der Meulen) Zelle. After falling into financial ruin, Adam abandoned his family and Margaretha's parents later divorced. Antje eventually died in 1891, leaving her four children to essentially fend for themselves or to rely on inconsistent support from relatives. After a few years and a series of failed attempts at success, a now 18-year-old Margaretha answered an ad that had been posted in a Dutch newspaper: a Dutch colonial army captain 20 years her senior was looking for a wife.
Ahhh, the good ol' days.
Margaretha Zelle married Rudolf MacLeod and the two eventually moved to Java where their marriage continued to suck. The couple had two children, he drank, was abusive, openly kept a concubine, and was overall just a terrible person. In an effort to escape the horrors of her everyday life, Margaretha began to pour herself into learning all she could about the culture of Indonesia. Tragedy struck when, under mysterious (and perhaps sinister) circumstances, both of Margaretha's children fell terribly ill. Her daughter, Jeanne survived. Her son, Norman-Jean, was not so lucky.
By this time, Margaretha had joined a local dance company and had continued to study all she could about Javanese/Indonesian culture. She had even taken the artistic stage name Mata Hari, meaning "eye of the sun". Eventually moving to Paris, Margaretha cast off her old self, claiming to have always been Mata Hari: a princess from Java, born into the Hindu faith and practicing sacred Indian dances all her life. Given her dark features and deeper complexion (as a European), her public more or less believed her. Today, we call that cultural appropriation, and it isn't nice. Our modern sensibilities see her exploitation of a culture for her own gain as an affront, and it is certainly that. However, one might also consider it a means of survival under the circumstances, and grant a certain measure of forgiveness. (Or not. Just the facts.)
But these are not the events most commonly associated with Margaretha Zelle MacLeod. Mata Hari is known as a seductress, exotic dancer, and femme fatale, perhaps inspiring later artists such as Josephine Baker. Reading about her life as an exotic dancer and courtesan living in Paris during la Belle Epoque, one cannot help but think of the character of Satine from Moulin Rouge. Yet even these are not her biggest claims to fame.
Mata Hari was controversial during her time at the beginning of the 20th century. Her career reached its height when she was in her thirties, late in life for someone in her line of work. As her performing star began to decline, she gained more work as a courtesan. But Europe was on the brink of war, and Mata Hari had travelled all over Europe, finding lovers (and bankrollers) nearly everywhere she went: France, Spain...
...and Berlin.
World War I began but, because the Netherlands had remained neutral, Margaretha was able to cross borders with relative freedom as a Dutch citizen. Still, her movements drew the attention of both sides: Mata Hari had been known to have slept with the enemy. Was she a spy? She was eventually arrested and brought before a French military court. Whether she had been guilty or not, her trial was clearly biased. There was never any hard evidence provided as to her alleged espionage (beyond her promiscuity and having accepted money from Germans of rank), but she stood accused of causing the deaths of thousands of Allied soldiers. She vehemently denied all culpability until her dying day stating, "A courtesan, I admit it. A spy, never!" Nevertheless, the French military tribunal found her guilty and sentenced her to death within an hour.
From a History Channel article by Evan Andrews:
The question of Mata Hari’s guilt continues to fascinate historians to this day. The documents from her trial were sealed for several decades, but many of the researchers who’ve since studied them have concluded that the case against her was flimsy. Most of the prosecution’s evidence was circumstantial, and her defense attorney was prevented from introducing witnesses that might have backed up her claims. While many scholars remain convinced that Mata Hari was indeed a spy, others contend that she was scapegoated or even framed in order to raise French morale during one of the darkest periods of the war. Nevertheless, the true extent of her espionage may never be known for certain.
So what about the book, Mata Hari's Last Dance by Michelle Moran?
I would probably never have given this book a second look had it not been for the episode of Scoundrel that I listened to on Mata Hari (Exotic Dancer War Criminal). I was so intrigued and saddened by her story that I was hungry to know more. I found myself researching her and eventually landed on this novel. No, it isn't all factual -it is a novel, after all- but it cast a new light based on the author's research on Margaretha Zelle. Michelle Moran presents us with the story of Mata Hari on the eve of her success through her ultimate demise, using her relationship with Edouard Clunet, the man who would eventually act as her defense attorney, to propel the plot. (I'm not sure how much of this relationship is fact or fiction, but Clunet was indeed a real person.) Flashbacks to Margaretha's past fill in the blanks of her history without sacrificing continuity. As a work of fiction, it's good. Great? Maybe not, but certainly intriguing.
Personally, I'm inclined to believe she was neglected by her family after her father left and her mother died. She struggled to find her way and, with no guidance or support (and perhaps attachment issues?), she made some bad decisions...like, really bad decisions. Bereft after the death of her son and the loss of her daughter (that's a separate story), she made more bad decisions. As a single, fatherless, divorcee in a time when women weren't even allowed to vote (in France), she adopted a lifestyle that afforded her both power and security. Can you really fault her for that? I think she was a fool who made foolish choices, but I struggle to see her as a spy. If she was, she was the worst spy in human history.
Guilty or not, Margaretha Zelle MacLeod (aka Mata Hari) was executed by a firing squad of 12 French soldiers early in the morning of October 15, 1917. A reporter who witnessed the execution stated that she blew a kiss to the firing squad before they took her life.
Maybe not a spy, but definitely a badass.
