Mata Hari's entry rose at the beginning of the 20th century in Paris. The Parisian audience, spoiled by entertainment, yearned for new fun and was ready to shell out any money for some unusual and sensational show. Everyone who wanted to achieve success aspired here. Among them was the unknown Margaret McLeod, the wife of the Dutch officer Rudolf McLeod. After a divorce from her husband, she came to Paris without money, having no profession or acquaintances. The girl was interrupted by a penny part-time job as a model, and often she did not even have money for bread. Walking around the city, Margareta saw posters of Isadora Duncan's performances. Having conquered the audience with avant-garde performances in ancient Greek costumes, the "Queen of Dance" received her title in the French capital. It was a sign of fate - now Margareta knew that she would help her conquer spoiled Paris.
Looking through the newspapers, the girl saw an advertisement for the recruitment of dancers to perform at a charity ball. She decided that this was her chance. Margareta showed her dance to the organizers of the evening and they agreed to include it in the program. One of the guests liked her exotic performance so much that he hurried to meet the charming dancer. Emile Etienne Guimet, an influential industrialist and owner of the Oriental Art Museum, fell in love with a girl at first sight. For the sake of Margaretha Guimet forgot about everything. He dropped out of business and stopped communicating with his family. But one admirer was not enough for her, she wanted all Paris to lie at her feet.
Margareta set a condition - in exchange for her favor, Guimet arranges a private performance for the girl in one of the capital's salons. Soon, a performance was held at the house of Baron Henri de Rothschild, where all the Parisian world gathered. The performance was an overwhelming success. The guests were shocked - at the end of the sensual dance, Margareta appeared before them almost naked. The girl made the right bet - the audience had never seen such a thing. Margaret's speech became a sensation - the very next day all the newspapers were full of enthusiastic headlines about the birth of a new star. The dancer was allowed to enter any society. Men worshiped her, and women envied her and tried to be like her in everything.
It was then that she decided to change her name. From now on, her name was Mata Hari, translated from Malay - "eye of the day." Soon all of Paris started talking about the talented dancer. Isadora Duncan lost her title, the French chose a new "Queen of the Dance". Mata Hari comes up with the legend of his birth and becomes the new star of Paris. The best theaters in Europe open their doors to the ex-wife of a colonial officer.
However, Margareta understood that it was not enough just to grab the attention of the public, it was much more important to keep it. The success story of a divorced woman was too mundane and could soon bore Parisians. Mate Hari needed a legend. Something that would create an aura of mystery and cement the success. During one of the performances, a man in oriental clothes burst into the hall. He knelt down in front of Mata Hari and began to beg her for something in an incomprehensible language. Servants immediately brought the stranger out. The amazed guests demanded an explanation, but the dancer calmly continued her performance.
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At that time in Europe it was not difficult to find a Hindu, Polynesian or Moroccan. The rich French willingly brought exotic servants from the colonies. One of them was bribed by Mata Hari for the performance she planned. After the performance, Mata Hari told the press that it was a servant sent by her mother, an Indian princess, to bring her daughter home and marry the Raja. But, Mata explained to reporters, she does not like him and therefore she had to flee.
This story naturally piqued the interest of the public. The best Parisian theaters have opened their doors to the heiress of the Indian throne. The whole world in a whisper, from mouth to mouth, on the sidelines and in the salons, transmitted rumors about the life of an oriental dancer. Each time the story acquired new details. But, not a single person doubted the truth of the royal origin of Mata Hari.
Mata Hari's popularity grew every day. The most powerful men fought for her favor. Expensive jewelry, secular evenings. Enjoying such a life, the dancer completely forgot about her benefactor Guimet. He spent a lot of money to keep Mata Hari, but that was not enough for her. Monte Carlo's leading musical theater offered the rising star a lucrative contract. Guimet was jealous, but could do nothing. The Frenchman had a bad heart and begged Mata Hari to postpone the trip. But she was not going to sit in Paris and wait for the recovery of her elderly patron.
Mata Hari left Gime and went on tour with a new lover. The success of the trip was tremendous. In Monte Carlo, Mata Hari plays in a theater, where among her spectators is the Prince of Monaco Albert I. The dancer performs on the same stage with world stars - Fyodor Chaliapin, Emma Calvet and Geraldine Farrar. And the music for her dance numbers is ready to write at once two famous composers - Jules Massenet and Giacomo Puccini. Both musicians are passionate about Mata Hari. Puccini showered the young woman with expensive gifts, although he buys them with money intended for the troupe of his theater.
But Mata Hari is not interested in such details, she loves generous men. When Jules Giacomo-Puccini Massenet comes to the dancer to show the music he composed especially for her performance, the beauty points the loving composer at the door. The luxurious jewels that Puccini sends are more attractive to Mata Hari than any music. The outcast Massenet tries to commit suicide, but the "Queen of the Dance" finds out about this already in Verona, where he leaves with Giacomo Puccini.
In Italy, Mata Hari gives several concerts, but is forced to stop performing soon. Puccini gets into a car accident and can no longer support his mistress - all the money goes to treatment. And Mata Hari is used to living in luxury. She leaves Verona and abandons her famous lover. Mata Hari returned to Paris and opened her own salon. The richest men aspired here. The fame of the secular receptions that the dancer arranged spread throughout Europe. The guests were amazed by the luxury, sophistication and, of course, the defiantly frank speeches of the hostess herself.
Anyone who has ever visited Mata Hari's salon wanted to possess this dazzling woman. Now she Mata-Hari5 lived on a royal scale. By early 1914, Mata Hari was considered the highest paid courtesan in Europe. The discoverer of Mata's talent Hari Gime barely survived the betrayal of his beloved. The family of the industrialist, worried about the fabulous spending on the dancer, filed a petition in court for the transfer of Guimet's fortune. Relatives claimed that the old man was out of his mind. He was deprived of everything and forcibly taken to the south of France. When Mata Hari received a letter from the benefactor about the meeting, she did not even consider it necessary to answer him.
Mata Hari had already conquered France and was now striving for world fame. She was applauded by the theaters of Milan, Vienna and Madrid. With the same ease as the stage of the world's leading theaters, she changed her lovers. Only the wealthiest and noblest men got into her collection. In 1914, Mata Hari came to Berlin. Her new lover, a German officer, invited the dancer to the exercises of the Prussian army. The entire German nobility was present at the maneuvers. At the end of the exercise, Mata Hari was introduced to Crown Prince Wilhelm.
She knew that the heir to the throne patronized art and started a conversation with him about the theater. Wilhelm was so carried away by his interlocutor that he did not even notice the surprised looks of the courtiers. They had to greet the crown prince, and therefore bow their heads in front of his companion - a dancer and a kept woman. Mata Hari reveled in everyone's attention. It was about such a life that she dreamed. The heir to the throne easily succumbed to the dancer's spell and became her lover. By order of the Crown Prince, the Berlin Metropol Theater began hastily to prepare a new performance for staging. The main role, naturally, was to be played by Mata Hari.
It wasn't enough for Mate Hari to play leading roles on stage, she wanted to play them in real life. Wilhelm's patronage flattered the dancer, but she never remained faithful to anyone. At the court of the Kaiser there were many noble men who attracted her with their position and wealth. And soon the crown prince discovered that he was not the only lover of Mata Hari. Appearing without warning, Wilhelm found his cousin, Duke Ernst August, in the room of his beloved.
Mata Hari tried to save the day and quickly escorted the duke away. According to her, Ernst August dropped by to offer her participation in a new tour. Mata Hari's voice sounded so sincere that Wilhelm believed his mistress. Henceforth, the dancer tried to be more circumspect, after all, her main goal was the crown prince. Mata Hari understood that any rash step could lead to a break. She hoped that her relationship with the crown prince would become her pass to the royal family. But all plans were destroyed by the First World War.
The heir to the throne went deep into military affairs. Mata Hari wrote him gentle letters, but Mata-Hari6's letters were intercepted by German intelligence. The correspondence was reported to Kaiser Wilhelm. The emperor could not allow his son to get confused with the courtesan and gave the order to immediately expel the dancer from the country. Colonel Werner von Mirbach was instructed to convey the Kaiser's decree. Mirbach came to Mata Hari not only to inform about the emperor's decision. The colonel was tasked with recruiting a famous courtesan for German intelligence.
Mata Hari could be a source of invaluable information. In her salon, where Mirbach himself often visited, when he came to Paris, very influential people gathered. And among the lovers of this charming woman there were many military men who held prominent posts in the French army. Mata Hari understood that the glory of a dancer is not eternal. Therefore, in the German's proposal, she saw not only the only way to stay in Germany, but also the opportunity to play one of her best roles - the role of a spy. Without hesitation, Mata Hari agreed to Mirbach's proposal.
She returned to Paris and reopened the doors of her salon. Among those invited were many officers of the Allied forces. Mata Hari was not embarrassed by the new role, she knew how to use the trust of men to achieve her goals. At first glance, in the empty chatter of her lovers, Mata Hari skillfully sought out information of interest to her. Often she managed to find the most valuable documents, which the spy copied and sent to Germany.
If earlier the dancer was favored by rich and noble men, now she chose only those who could become a source of secret information. And yet, for some of her fans, Mata Hari felt sincere pity - they loved her, and she deliberately doomed them to death. Indeed, according to the laws of martial law, anyone guilty of leaking important information will be shot. But there was no turning back, and the spy continued to enjoy the trust of her lovers.
Not a single man who visited her boudoir even knew what the price was paid for the location of the seductive courtesan. Meeting with many French and British officers, the dancer obtained information that the best agents of German intelligence could not get hold of. The smug ministers who prided themselves on their position, the generals who attended the performances of Mata Hari in ceremonial uniforms, all of them fell under the power of her beauty. And the conversations that the dancer had with them were so sweet and naive that they did not cause any suspicion.
Russian officer Vadim Maslov idolized Mata Hari. But for her, he remained just another fan. Mata-Hari7 The thought of this was unbearable, and one day Maslov loaded his revolver and wanted to commit suicide. Mata Hari rushed to Vadim, begged him to stop. Looking at her, one might think that she was not at all indifferent to him. Tears streamed down the courtesan's beautiful face. The Russian officer's heart trembled. However, Maslov did not even realize that Mata Hari's prayers were not guided by love or pity. Captain Vadim Maslov served in the Russian expeditionary corps and was in the retinue of Nicholas II. Such a high position of a lover at court could allow Mate Hari not to worry about his own future. After the war, Maslov, according to her plan, was to present her to the Russian imperial family.
In the summer of 1916, there were bloody battles in Champagne. The wounded were placed in hospitals in the frontline zone, where civilians were not allowed. The German command demanded information from Mata Hari from this area, and she figured out how to get there.
From the moment the dancer started spying, she was incredibly lucky. Mata Hari has not yet made a single mistake, and such success turned her head. The courtesan understood the complexity of the task, but she was sure that she would cope. With her persistent desire to get into a closed military hospital, Mata Hari aroused suspicion from the French command. She was put under surveillance. It turned out that the dancer Mata-Hari8 had left Paris and headed towards Champagne.
At the border point, the chief of French military intelligence, Georges Lada, was already waiting for her. He charged Mata Hari with espionage. Imagine his surprise when the dancer, instead of making excuses, completely calmly informed him that she was going to the hospital to visit her seriously wounded lover Vadim Maslov. In the Battle of the Marne, the Russian captain came under a gas attack and lost an eye. Asking Mata Hari about her connections with German officers, the French intelligence chief, without realizing it, suggested to her a new plan of action.
The spy immediately told Lada about her relationship with Crown Prince Wilhelm and offered to send her to Germany. In this case, Mata assured, she would be able to obtain invaluable information for the allies. On the instructions of Lada, Mata Hari went to Belgium to get from there to Verdun. But she did not have time to meet with Wilhelm, the crown prince was recalled to Berlin. At this time, the situation in the Mediterranean worsened sharply. Both intelligence agencies, as if by agreement, sent Mata Hari to Spain.
The situation was heating up and the French command needed a loud scandal, which would temporarily distract attention from failures at the front. Lada was looking for a suitable culprit. For this role, a woman with a dubious reputation was ideally suited - Mata Hari. The French counterintelligence officers had information that the German agent operating in Paris was also a woman. In addition, the movement of the spy completely coincided with the route of Mata Hari's trip across Europe. That was enough to bring charges against her. In November 1916, the French command ordered the courtesan to return to Paris.
Mata Hari arrived in Paris in full confidence that she was called for a particularly important assignment. But Mata-Hari01 Lada never showed up, and in the evening French intelligence officers broke into the dancer's hotel room and began a search. Mata Hari tried to stop them. "There was some kind of misunderstanding …" "- she said," Soon everything will be clarified … ". But the officers did not pay attention to the woman's protests, they carefully checked every thing, paying special attention to the papers found.
On November 13, 1916, Mate Hari was charged with espionage in the interests of Kaiser Germany. She herself denied her involvement and demanded that she be released. The dancer insisted that her contacts with the Germans were exclusively love and she did not give any information to anyone. Once in prison, Mata Hari first started writing letters to her friends in France and the Netherlands. Her messages were restrained, there was no hysteria or panic in them. However, Mata Hari was truly confused and for the first time in her life asked for help.
The trial of Mata Hari was widely reported in the press. Journalists, who a few years earlier went crazy with delight only at the mention of her name, now happily mixed the former "Queen of the Dance" with dirt. In the summer of 1917, Mata Hari appeared before the Paris military tribunal. At the trial, she behaved proudly, did not ask for anything and did not make excuses. The jury delivered a verdict - guilty. The capital punishment was execution.
Mata Hari's case lasted eight months. During this time, none of her friends, acquaintances and lovers visited her in prison. Many refused to come to the trial, fearing that their reputation would suffer. Mata Hari asked many of her lovers for help. Instead of the elderly Guimet, his relatives sent an answer; the composer Puccini did not answer the letter at all. Vadim Maslov even sent a paper to the court, in which he called their relationship an accident and claimed that he had broken with the dancer long ago. And the officers, once her zealous admirers, now vied with each other to try to justify themselves, posing as victims of an insidious spy.
After the verdict was announced, Mata Hari realized that she had nowhere to wait for salvation. Now all the forces of the great spy, courtesan and dancer were directed to adequately play their last performance. Before the execution, Mata Hari wrote two letters - to her husband and daughter. But they never saw these messages; after the trial, all of Mata Hari's correspondence was transferred to the prison archive. In prison, on death row, she could only sleep peacefully one night a week - from Saturday to Sunday. Because on Sunday they were not taken out to be shot. The rest of the time she waited for this moment, when they would come for her.
On October 15, 1917, at 6 o'clock in the morning, Mata Hari was brought to Vincennes to the place of execution. She agreed to drink a sip of rum, due to the sentenced person, shook her head in response to a question that could have saved her life - "Are you pregnant?" And asked not to blindfold her. She wanted to face her executioners.
None of the many fans of Mata Hari had the courage to demand her body after the execution in order to bury it with dignity. And only ex-husband Rudolph Macleod, the first whom the "Queen of Dance" betrayed on the way to her success, after learning about the death of Margareta, said: "No matter how she lived, she did not deserve such a death."
