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Definition: treason from Philip's Encyclopedia

Any act the intention of which is to overthrow the recognized government or harm the head of state. Treason is an extremely serious criminal offence and is punishable by death in many countries. In Britain, treason is defined to include the infliction of death or injury on the monarch, violation of members of the royal family, levying war against the government, or giving assistance to the enemy.


treason

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
legal term for various acts of disloyalty. The English law, first clearly stated in the Statute of Treasons (1350), originally distinguished high treason from petit (or petty) treason. Petit treason was the murder of one's lawful superior, e.g., murder of his master by an apprentice. High treason constituted a serious threat to the stability or continuity of the state. It included attempts to kill the king, the queen, or the heir apparent or to restrain their liberty; to counterfeit coinage or the royal seal; and to wage war against the kingdom. Especially cruel methods were used in executing traitors. Court decisions developed the English law of treason into an instrument for suppressing resistance to governmental policy. Any degree of violence in expressing opposition to parliamentary enactments was held to be a levy of war and a threat to the king's life. In the 19th cent., the English law was reformed; petit treason was abolished, cruel methods of executing traitors were forbidden, …
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Full text Article Treason

From World of Criminal Justice, Gale
Treason is a criminal offense that involves the betrayal of allegiance to one’s own country and is punishable by death in most nations. The elements of proof required for a conviction differ in nearly every country. In democratic countries treason is generally defined more narrowly to give notice of…
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Full text Article treason

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
legal term for various acts of disloyalty. The English law, first clearly stated in the Statute of Treasons (1350), originally distinguished high treason from petit (or petty) treason. Petit treason was the murder of one's lawful superior, e.g., murder of his master by an apprentice. High treason…
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Full text Article Treason

From The Encyclopedia of Criminology and Criminal Justice
Treason has always been viewed as the most serious offense against a higher authority. It is considered an act against not only an individual but also society as a whole, embodied in the ruling authority, whether individually as in the monarch or collectively as in the government. It is indeed the…
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Full text Article treason.

From The Oxford Companion to British History
For centuries the evolution of the law of treason was to extend the number of offences and the ferocity of the punishment. Petty treason (abolished in 1848) was a breach of trust, such as the murder of a parent by a child, a husband by his wife, or a master by his servant. High treason was a crime…
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Full text Article treason

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
Act of betrayal, in particular against the sovereign or the state to which the offender owes allegiance. In the USA, treason is defined in the constitution as the crime of ‘levying war against [the USA], or adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort’. Congress has the power to declare…
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Full text Article Treason

From American Governance
“Treason against the United States,” as defined by Article III, Section 3 of the United States Constitution, “shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort.” Although treason is the only crime defined in the Constitution, very few people…
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Full text Article treason

From The Chambers Dictionary
betraying or attempting to overthrow one's government, country or sovereign; treachery; disloyalty. [Anglo-Fr tresun , OFr traïson (Fr trahison ), from traïr ( trahir ), from L tradere to betray] adj relating to, consisting of or involving treason. n. adv. adj. ❑ treason felony n any of several…
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Full text Article treason

From Palgrave Macmillan Dictionary of Political Thought
Breach of allegiance to the sovereign . Treason is defined in UK law by the Statute of Treasons 1351. It comprises, e.g., levying war against the sovereign in his realm, being an adherent to his enemies in his realm, or giving them aid and comfort elsewhere. The US constitution defines treason as…
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Full text Article Treason

From Encyclopedia of Capital Punishment in the United States
Article III, Section 3 of the federal Constitution provides for treason as follows: "Treason against the United States shall consist only in levying war against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort. No person shall be convicted of treason unless on the testimony of two…
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Full text Article Treason and Queerness

From Global Encyclopedia of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) History
Irish Nationalist Roger Casement. Casement was...
The belief that homosexuality makes public servants more likely to engage in treason, including famous cases in Europe and the United States . In the Christian West—the cultural tradition examined in this entry—nonnormative sexual behavior has been associated since the Middle Ages with disloyalty…
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