Erik Sass is covering the events of the war exactly 100 years after they happened. It was in the City of Lights that Margaretha Zelle reinvented herself as an artist. She was executed by firing squad on October 15, 1917, after French authorities learned of her alleged double agency. Some argue that Mata Hari was used as a scapegoat with her famed immorality. It's fair to say 2016 will go down in the history books as a year that rocked celebrity culture. In 1462, he had an unimaginable 20,000 Ottoman corpses placed on stakes in an act of warfare that sounds more psychotic than psychological. Mata Hari was a professional dancer and mistress who accepted an assignment to spy for France in 1916. Who were the Maslov According to published reports, the Russian state military-historical archive, Vadim Maslov, a career officer, he is from a family of soldiers, the First world war he served in the Russian expeditionary corps in France. So popular was it that nobody doubted its extravagant claim in the worlds first advertising slogan. Her name now represents all female spies and any woman seen to be sabotaging her country through her relationship with men, but the woman behind the myth has somewhat disappeared. they Met in the late summer of 1916 in Paris the Grand Hotel, Lieutenant Maslov, which was at that time a short vacation, granted for military merit (was the First world war), was 23 years old, Mata Hari 40 years. Photograph: Rex Features, Greta Garbo, C Henry Gordon and Lionel Barrymore in Mata Hari. People came to see me because I was the first who dared to show myself naked to the public. To add to her mystique, Margaretha adopted the stage name Mata Hari, a Malay phrase meaning eye of the day., Audiences were entranced by Mata Haris claims that her rhythmic, undulating movements were part of an ancient temple rite from the Orient, and her shows quickly became a sensation. History Hit brings you the stories that shaped the world through our award winning podcast network and an online history channel. Surviving documents studied by historians, confirm that one of the most famous spies of the world Mata Hari was madly in love with a Russian officer, Vadim Maslov, even though he was younger than she by almost half and, apparently, so strong mutual feelings towards the mistress not experienced. While she spoke frankly about her promiscuous lifestyle, she was adamant that she had never committed espionage for any country other than France. A spy, never!" Wheelwright said she became an exotic dancer after fleeing an abusive marriage. Hari consorted across national borders with influential lovers of various nationalities. Her execution merited a scant four paragraphs inside The New York Times, which called her "a woman of great attractiveness and with a romantic history.". The Art of Expressing Gratitude: Graduation Thank You Cards. Though Margaretha was initially awarded custody, Rudolf refused to pay the agreed allowance. For some reason (perhaps excessive secrecy, or just fear of looking amateurish to his British colleagues) Ladoux now denied any connection with Mata Hari. As it happened, May 1914 found Mata Hari in Berlin, where she had a brief affair with a German officer in the morals (vice) division. About the Book Find at your local library Description The famous courtesan and exotic entertainer Margaretha Zelle (Mata Hari) reaches her middle years disillusioned with life until she meets and falls in love with the dashing Russian soldier Captain Vladimir de Masloff. Vladimir de Masloff, of the Russian army, stationed in France. The prosecutors never presented any proof that she had actually been working for German intelligence, except for a mysterious receipt showing a payment of 5,000 francs, which it turned out was actually a gift from her old lover the baron (sent anonymously, of course, to protect his reputation). Zelle and John had two children together, Norman-John MacLeod and Louise Jeanne MacLeod. Perhaps not the tone we might employ to make that remark now, but this is another nod towards historical accuracy. Much of her prison interrogation statement concerns mundane thoughts, not troop movements. When a radio from Kalle detailing new information was intercepted by the French, the code name H-21 was quickly assigned to Hari. It is often argued that her famed sensuality, at a time when overt female sexuality was unacceptable, heightened the threat that Hari was perceived to present. She went to Paris and reinvented herself as "a native of Java", debuting at a salon in 1905. "Biography of Mata Hari, Infamous World War I Spy." Rosenberg, Jennifer. He was a loving husband, devoted father, and caring son and brother. She really did not pass on anything that you couldnt find in the local newspapers in Spain, said Julie Wheelwright of City University in London, the author of The Fatal Lover: Mata Hari and the Myth of Women in Espionage. After her mother's death, the Zelle family was split up and Zelle, now 15, was sent to Sneek to live with her godfather, Mr. Visser. . "I have always lived for love and pleasure.". In real life, Zelle had a hot young Russian lover called Captain Vladimir de Masloff, whom she protected just as Mata Hari tries to protect Rosanoff in the film. Zelle lived to regret her decision to marry MacLeod, he beat her, kept a courtesan and gave her syphilis, then common among soldiers. 5, 2023, thoughtco.com/mata-hari-1779223. Tanks were first used at the Somme on 15 September 1916 , so this is rather slow of him. In school, Zelle was known to be flamboyant, often appearing in new, flashy dresses. It was an improbable end for the exotic dancer and courtesan, whose name became a metaphor for the siren spy who coaxes secrets from her paramours. Physician Email List Maintenance: Keeping Your List Fresh and Accurate. Hired by army captain Georges Ladoux, agreeing to pass military information gleaned from her conquests to the French government. Geni requires JavaScript! to colleagues, clients or customers, or inquire about That file also notes her German spymasters gave her vials of invisible ink. Mata Hari was the stage name for Gertruda Margaretha Zelle, who was born July 8, 1876, in the Dutch East Indies to a Dutch father and a Javanese mother. Mary, Queen of Scots Not Just the Tudors Lates, Queen Victorias Favourite: Disraeli and Hughenden, The Defeat of Rome: Crassus and the Battle of Carrhae, How the Nile River Defeated Alexander the Greats Top General, Who Was Harald Hardrada? The trio was seized and Vlad and Radu would remain prisoners for years in exchange for their father's freedom. The fact that she portrayed herself as an exotic other might have enabled the French to use her capture as propaganda, separating the blame for the lack of success in the war from themselves. Her final words: It is unbelievable.. But were not. She was the first woman and the first Jew to hold that office. The Truth About How Vlad The Impaler Died. Sophie Masloff, a Democrat who campaigned with a big black pocketbook, charmed voters with homespun verbal gaffes and from 1988 to '94 was the first woman and the first Jew to . On the outbreak of war she tried to return to Paris, hoping to reconnect with old patrons there, arousing the suspicions of German officials who confiscated all her property, leaving her destitute. Desperate for adventure, at age 18 she answered a newspaper ad and wed a much older army captain named Rudolf MacLeod. She was now nearly 40, and she had watched her dancing career slowly stagnate. Despite a 21-year age difference, they wed on July 11, 1895, when Mata Hari was just shy of 19. The marriage was an unpleasant one. Why Was England Invaded So Much During the 14th Century? Husband of Helli Malka If you do not yet have a Torstar account, you can create one now (it is free), Copyright owned or licensed by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. Mata Hari only sank deeper into wartime intrigue in 1916. Her life has spawned numerous biographies and cinematic portrayals, including, most famously, the 1931 film Mata Hari, starring Greta Garbo as the courtesan-dancer and Ramon Novarro as Lieutenant Alexis Rosanoff. When faced with her acquaintances with officers of all ranks and all nations, she replied that she loved all officers, and would rather have as her lover a poor officer than a rich banker, the MI5 files note. Featured articles Share: Comments Comments on the article Vadim Maslov: as a Russian officer became a lover Mata Hari Please log in to leave a comment! .css-m6thd4{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;display:block;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-family:Gilroy,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.2;font-weight:bold;color:#323232;text-transform:capitalize;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-m6thd4:hover{color:link-hover;}}Tuskegee Airman Clarence D. Lester Broke Barriers, Biography: You Need to Know: Rick Thornton. They threw her in a rat-infested cell at the Prison Saint-Lazare, where she was allowed to see only her elderly lawyer who happened to be a former lover. When a scandal broke out, Zelle was asked to leave the school, so she went to live with her uncle, Mr. Taconis, in The Hague. Vladimir Masloff . Round The 'Ole Pot-Bellied Stove. The story carries . At the school, the headmaster Wybrandus Haanstra became enchanted by Zelle and pursued her. However, things became dangerously disordered for the Dragon when he and his sons, Vlad and Radu, attended a diplomatic meeting with Ottoman Sultan Murad II. As younger dancers took the stage, her bookings became sporadic. Noticing the effect her exotic appearance seemed to have on men, when she was 19 years old she responded to a newspaper personals ad placed by a Dutch colonial officer, Rudolf MacLeod, serving in the Dutch East Indies (today Indonesia), seeking a wife. The government did present evidence of her numerous encounters with French officers and officials suggesting (but hardly proving) that she had extracted secrets from them; unsurprisingly, virtually none of her old lovers came forward to testify on her behalf, as this would have tarnished their reputation as well. Her chief foil, Captain Georges Ladoux, made sure the evidence against her was constructed in the most damning wayby some accounts even tampering with it to implicate her more deeply. The couple returned to the Netherlands, separated and eventually divorced. She was paid 20,000 (francs) in advance and her number was H.21.. As does Garbo, in this pre-Hays Code film, Zelle usually ended up starkers. Also Known As: "Vlado" Birthdate: February 18, 1894: Birthplace: Turku, Finland: Death: March 19, 1944 (50) Mynmki . Rudolf was an abusive alcoholic. During their rocky, nine-year marriage marred by MacLeod's heavy drinking and frequent rages over the attention his wife garnered from other officers Mata Hari gave birth to two children, a daughter and a son. expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Toronto Zelle wanted to support him financially, so she accepted an offer to spy for France in mid-1916. Jennifer Rosenberg is a historian and writer who specializes in 20th-century history. Mata Hari had been passing information with her German military attach lover, Arnold Kalle. Someone is fooling with me, and blaming French counterespionage, since I am in its service, and I have only acted on its instructions. Nonetheless her notorious reputation, and her habit of embellishing or fictionalizing parts of her own past, effectively signed her death warrant: the French press and public were all too ready to believe that a foreign woman, famed for her loose morals and ability to seduce powerful men, had sold out the Republic, leading to the deaths of thousands of brave young Frenchmen. "Biography of Mata Hari, Infamous World War I Spy." The documents from her trial were sealed for several decades, but many of the researchers whove since studied them have concluded that the case against her was flimsy. Others, of course, believe that she was in fact a German double agent. I never considered myself a German agent with a number, she pleaded, because I never did anything for them.. It is the first time she has fallen in love and perhaps the first time she has met a man who did not simply desire her for sex. But two academics who have studied her case say they dont believe she provided Germany with any useful information for its war effort. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. Rosenberg, Jennifer. It is the first time she has fallen in love and perhaps the first time she has. He had them decapitated, skinned, disemboweled, and boiled alive. Smithsonian writes that 1476, a barrel of honey preserving the severed head of Vlad Dracula the Impaler, not the vampire arrived in Ottoman-controlled Constantinople. The famous courtesan and exotic entertainer Margaretha Zelle (Mata Hari) reaches her middle years disillusioned with life until she meets and falls in love with the dashing Russian soldier Captain Vladimir de Masloff. There are memories of a Soviet diplomat Alexei Ignatiev, in which he wrote that Vadim Maslov after the emigration took monastic vows. When the ship put in at Cornwall, however, British agents arrested her on suspicion of being a spy and took her back to London. When he was blinded and injured at the front and sent to recover in France, Zelle desperate to see him, asked French army Captain Georges Ladoux permission to see him. When Mata Hari in February 1917 in Paris arrested by French intelligence, Maslov fought with the Germans in the area of Fort Brilon in the part of the 1st Special brigade. IMDb's advanced search allows you to run extremely powerful queries over all people and titles in the database. You." This led her to agree to spy on the Germans on behalf of the . Suspected of being a double agent, she was executed in 1917. Mata Hari was born Margaretha Geertruida Zelle in Leeuwarden, Netherlands, on August 7, 1876, to father Adam Zelle, a hat merchant who went bankrupt due to bad investments, and mother Antje Zelle, who fell ill and died when Mata Hari was 15 years old. She supplemented her income by seducing government and military men; sex became strictly a financial practicality for her. She was 41 years old. She was accused of espionage and was executed by firing squad in October 1917. The Toronto Star and thestar.com, each property of Toronto Star In one memorable garden performance, Mata Hari appeared nearly naked on a white horse. Their divorce became final in 1906. Arrested on 13 February, Margaretha pleaded innocence; a courtesan, I admit it. After a short trial conducted in private in front of a military court, she was found guilty of spying for Germany and sentenced to death by firing squad. That summer, a French intelligence operative named Georges Ladoux approached her in Paris with yet another lucrative espionage offerthis time to spy for France. Here she told interrogators that she was indeed a spy but one working for French counterintelligence. She sent a striking photo of herself, raven-haired and olive-skinned, to entice him. Although, according to the writer, sharing a photo spy with Maslov with a passionate inscription on the back made in one of the French cities (counterintelligence watched Mata Hari), was one of the proofs of exposure of a double agent. ThoughtCo, Apr. The Germans were aware that the Allies had cracked this particular cipher, and were using it with the knowledge any messages they sent would be decoded, all in an attempt to sow confusion and hopefully trick the French into revealing some of their intelligence assets. Mata Hari maintained that the young Captain Vladimir de Masloff was the only man she had really ever loved. 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