WORLD HISTORY AND FACTS

Mata Hari–world history and facts Mata Hari, born Margaretha Geertruida MacLeod, née Zelle (1876 — 1917) was a Dutch dancer and courtesan whose name has become a synonym for the seductive female spy.  She was shot by the French on charges of spying for Germany during World War I. The nature and extent of her espionage activities remain uncertain, and her guilt is widely contested. Margaretha Zelle was the daughter of a prosperous hatter who lost the family’s money when Margaretha was a teenager. Her parents subsequently divorced, and, following the death of her mother in 1891, Zelle lived with relatives.  She later attended a teachers’ college in Leiden. In 1895 she married Capt. Rudolph MacLeod, an officer in the Dutch colonial army. According to many reports, Rudolph was abusive, and he infected Margaretha with syphilis.  From 1897 to 1902 they lived in Java and Sumatra. The couple had two children, though their son died, allegedly poisoned by the nanny; however, some have speculated