High Treason and the Treason That No Longer Exists
Treason is betrayal of one's country. English law once had a second kind, petty treason, for betraying a household superior.
Treason is the offence of betraying one's sovereign or state. English law once divided it in two. *High treason* was against the Crown; *petty treason* covered a servant killing a master or a wife killing a husband, treated as a betrayal of a domestic hierarchy. Petty treason was abolished in 1828 and merged into murder.
- Betrayal of one's country. *Convicted of treason.*
- Betrayal of trust generally. *Political treason.*
- Treasonous — amounting to treason. *Treasonous correspondence.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | treason | An act of treason. |
| Adjective | treasonous | Treasonous conduct. |
| Adjective | treasonable | A treasonable offence. |
| Related | traitor | A convicted traitor. |
| Related | sedition | Charged with sedition. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Treason remains on the statute book.Though prosecutions are extremely rare.
- The letters were described as treasonous.Adjective.
- Petty treason was abolished in 1828.Legal history.
Related offences
- Treason — betraying the state or sovereign
- Sedition — inciting rebellion, now repealed in several countries
- Espionage — passing secrets to another power
- Misprision of treason — knowing of treason and not reporting it
- Lèse-majesté — offending a monarch's dignity, still an offence in some states
From Anglo-French *treson*, from Latin *traditionem*, a handing over — the very same word that gave English *tradition*, by a different route through French.
Are treason and tradition the same word?
They come from the same Latin noun, *traditio*, a handing over. One arrived through French as treason, the other directly from Latin.
What was petty treason?
Killing someone to whom you owed domestic allegiance, such as a master or husband. It carried harsher penalties than murder until abolished in 1828.