Mata Hari was the stage-name for Dutch-born Margaretha Geertruida (Grietje) Zelle who was an exotic dancer and high class prostitute in Paris.
In 1905, after divorcing her husband, she began her career as an exotic dancer, taking the name Mata Hari. She posed herself as a princess from Java. During this period of her life she was often photographed in scant clothing or nude.
She mixed with the upper class and became a courtesan to many important high-ranking military men and politicians. This put her in a very good position to gather information.
During World War 1, the Netherlands remained a neutral nation, enabling Mata Hari, a Dutch national, to cross national borders freely. At one point she was interviewed by British Intelligence and she admittedly to being a spy for the French. The French later denied this. It is still unknown whether this was true.
In January, 1917, the German Military Attache in Madrid sent an encoded radio signal to Berlin, stating that they were receiving excellent information from a German spy codenamed H-21.
French intelligence intercepted the messages and were able to identify H-21 as Mata Hari.
On February 13, 1917, Mata Hari was arrested in her Paris hotel room. She was subsequently tried for espionage and found guilty. She was executed by Firing Squad on the 15th of September, 1917 at the age of 41.
