Mata Hari was the alias of the Netherlands dancer Margaretha Geertruida cell (* 7 August 1876 in Leeuwarden; "† 15 October 1917 in Vincennes). Apart from its artist name it used occasionally the names Marguerite Campbell and lady Gretha MacLeod.

Mata Hari was in the time before and during the First World War as an exotic naked dancer well-known. After a disputed process before a French military court it was executed 1917 as an alleged spy for the German Reich.

Life history

The reports on the life and the career/development Mata Haris are as numerous as contradictory. Many details from their personal record are disputed and by some bio graphs are doubted. The reason for the many versions of their personal record are numerous stories, which Mata Hari invented during their lifetimes themselves ""and changed. Beyond that the circumstances of a possible espionage activity are occupied only by few certifications.

Their life history was described in far over 200 books. Only a fraction of these books is however based on sources of original. The actual life data were all too often blended with arbitrarily invented stories, disputed anecdotes and one-sided representations of the espionage reproaches. Thus Friedrich Wencker Wildberg in the source proofs of its 1936 wrote for the first time published biography:

"Over Mata Hari in the course of the last twenty years a rather extensive literature collected. If one submits the individual writings of a critical investigation, then very much chaff and little wheat remain, one are surprised cordially that over a woman nevertheless for a while in the bright footlights of the public confessed and employed authorities, press and literature, contradiction-fullest and most improbable stories were almost spread"Â… "

Also its bio graph SAM Waagenaar makes true tide from fairy tales ", inventions and simply untruths from each other copied in the descriptions of its life one ".

Childhood and youth

Margaretha Geertruida cell was born 1876 as an only daughter of the Hutmachers Adam cell and his Mrs. Antje van the Meulen in the Netherlands city Leeuwarden. It lived a part of its childhood in an old Patrizierhaus in the Grote Kerkstraat 28, which had referred the family 1883. It had three brothers, Johannes Henderikus as well as the twins Ari Anne and Cornelis Coenrad.

Her father Adam cell, which a cap business in Leeuwarden operated, went about 1891 due to his participation in speculative business bankruptcy. In the same year their nut/mother died. The family pulled to Amsterdam. Here Adam cell married quite fast again and opened from the money of its second wife a little productive retail trade with Petroleum.Die nut/mother of Antje van the Meulen took care of the children of their daughter and paid also for their education. Grietje, how Mata Hari was called at that time in the family, came into the house of its uncle Visser into Sneek, which was married with a sister by Adam cell. The family of their uncle sent it on a Pensionat after suffering, in order to let it train as a It broke its training off and pulled then to their uncle after Taconis the Hague.

By a newspaper advertisement in Nieuws van Grietje their future married man became acquainted with the Trade Union of German Employees in the year 1895. John McLeod was about 20 years older and to his existence than bachelor had already resigned itself. One of its friends put however despite the reservations McLeods a text on, according to which an officer, who just returned "from the westIndian islands ", the acquaintance of a marriage-willing young lady searched. Despite the age difference was done Grietje of McLeods occurrence as well as its numerous medal and the officer uniform.

Before and stay in Netherlands India

On 11 July 1895 she married the Netherlands colonial officer Campbell Rudolph (John) at the age of nineteen years MacLeod. The family of John MacLeod originates from the clan of the MacLeods from Scotland. The first documentary mentioned Leod was the son Olafs of the black one, that as a king of the island one toward end 12. Century lived. Dunvegan Castle was and is until today the master seat of the Scottish branch of the family.

The Flitterwochen spent Grietje and its man in Wiesbaden. On 30 January 1896, knappe seven months after the wedding, came its son Norman John to the world.

At the 1. May 1897 went the family MacLeod, on board the steamer "Prinses Amalie ", after Batavia - today's Jakarta - on Java. Their man received there the order after Ambarawa, to a small place in the middle on the island Java to resettle. To 2. May 1898 was called the daughter Luisa Johanna, Non, born.

The accession of queen Wilhelmina became in Malang, which MacLeod, a Operette should play residence at that time of the family specified, into the Gretha, how she called herself at this time, the main role. This was at the same time their first public appearance. In March 1899 John MacLeod, in the meantime major, was shifted after Medan to Sumatra.

By the removal the pair was about two months separate. In this time it came particularly into the letter and telegram contact to first difficulties in its relationship. John MacLeod admonished his young wife to more thriftiness and the age and personality difference of both led again and again ever more frequently to problems. The pair became alienated appreciably. On 28 June 1899 Norman - the only son of the family - at the consequences of a poisoning died. One revealed few weeks after the incident to the Cholera gotten sick house maid of the family on its dying bed that it had poisoned standard to the meal, in order for the punishment of its lover by McLeod to itself. The small Non escaped this fate - depending upon version - only by the fast assistance of a physician and/or due to the fact that she was still satisfied by the nut/mother. Also standard to death was not to be stopped the break between the married people finally no more.

In September 1900 major MacLeod was granted before to be requested parting from the army. In October the family moved to Sindanglaja. The marriage problems became stronger and John submitted to its wife the suggestion to be able to be separated. Whereupon it was not received, since their man demanded the custody for the common daughter. In March 1902 the pair traveled back to Holland and referred there separate dwellings. It came again and again to reconciliations, which degenerated after few weeks however again in controversy and separation. In October 1903 Gretha drove for the first time to Paris, in order to plan a career as an actress. Their hopes were however disappointed and around its scarce financial means to up-improve, had to stand them in the long run for model for different painters. The painter Octave Guillonnet rejects it first as unsuitable, portraitiert her then however after a faint accumulation from compassion for a poster of the theatre. Also its colleague Gustave ASS ASS engaged it uniquely as model. Further work was missing however and Gretha turned thereupon disillusions to Holland back.

Articles in category "Mata Hari"

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