Under English (and later, British) law, high treason is the crime of disloyalty to the Sovereign amounting to an intention to undermine their authority or the actual attempt to do so. Offences constituting high treason include plotting the murder of the Sovereign; having sexual intercourse with the Sovereign's consort, with his eldest unmarried daughter or with the heir to the throne's wife; levying war against the Sovereign and adhering to the Sovereign's enemies, giving them aid or comfort; and attempting to undermine the lawfully established line of succession. Several other crimes have historically constituted high treason; they have included counterfeiting money and being a Roman Catholic priest in the realm. A consort is somebodys spouse, usually a royalty. ... HRH The Prince of Wales, the Heir Apparent. ... For other uses, see Counterfeit (disambiguation). ...

The offence of high treason was once distinguished from petty treason (or petit treason), which was the murder of one's lawful superior. Petty treason comprised the murder of a master by his servant, of a husband by his wife, or of a bishop. Petty treason ceased to be a distinct offence from murder in 1828. The rest of this article is about high treason. {{main|Treason}} High treason, broadly defined, is an action which is grossly disloyal to ones country or sovereign. ... Petty treason is, in English common law, any betrayal of a superior by a subordinate. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      This article is about a title...

High treason was deemed greater than any other offence, and was often subject to extraordinary punishment, because it threatened the security of the state. A particularly horrific manner of execution known as hanging, drawing and quartering was often employed. Today the maximum punishment is life imprisonment. The last treason trial was in 1946. Seventeenth century print of the execution, by hanging, drawing and quartering, of the members of the Gunpowder plot. ... Life imprisonment is a term used for a particular kind of sentence of imprisonment. ...

Offences

High treason today comprises only:

• Treason Act 1351:
  • encompassing the Sovereign's death;
  • killing or conspiring or attempting to kill the Sovereign's wife or eldest son;
  • violating the Sovereign's wife, or the Sovereign's eldest unmarried daughter, or the Sovereign's eldest son's wife;
  • levying war against the Sovereign in the United Kingdom;
  • adhering to the Sovereign's enemies, giving them aid and comfort, in the realm or elsewhere;
  • killing the King's Chancellor, Treasurer (an office long in commission) or Justices; and
• Treason Act 1702:
  • attempting to hinder the succession under the Bill of Rights 1689 and the Act of Settlement 1701.

See the English History section below for detail about the offences created by the 1351 Act. The Treason Act 1351 is an Act of the English Parliament which attempted to codify all existing forms of Treason. ... The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor and prior to the Union the Chancellor of England and the Lord Chancellor of Scotland, is a senior and important functionary in the government of the United Kingdom, and its predecessor states. ... The Lord High Treasurer bears a white staff as his symbol of office. ... The Treason Act 1702 (1 Anne stat. ... English Bill of Rights (1689). ... Act of Settlement The Electress Sophia of Hanover The Act of Settlement (12 & 13 Wm 3 c. ...

In addition to the crime of treason, the Treason Felony Act 1848 (still in force today) created a new offence known as treason felony, with a maximum sentence of life imprisonment instead of death. Under the traditional categorisation of offences into treason, felonies and misdemeanours, treason felony was merely another form of felony. Several categories of treason which had been introduced by the Treason Act 1661 were reduced to felonies. While the common law offences of misprision and compounding were abolished in respect of felonies (including treason felony) by the Criminal Law Act 1967, which abolished the distinction between misdemeanour and felony, misprision of treason and compounding of treason are still offences under the common law. The Treason Felony Act 1848, which remains unrepealed into the 21st century, is law in the United Kingdom apparently protecting the Queen and the The Crown. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For the record label, see Felony Records The term felony is a term used in common law systems for very serious crimes, whereas misdemeanors are considered to be less serious offenses. ... Misdemeanors are lesser criminal acts which are generally punished less severely than felonies; but more so than infractions. ... The Treason Act 1661 (13 Car. ... Misprision (from O. Fr. ... Compounding a felony was an offence under common law in England. ... The Criminal Law Act 1967 (c. ... Misprision of treason is an offence found in many common law jurisdictions, committed by someone who knows a treason is being or is about to be committed but does not report it to a proper authority. ...

History: England and Wales

In England the common law knew no clear definition of treason. Instead, it was for the King and his judges to determine if an offence constituted treason. Thus, the process became open to abuse, and decisions were often arbitrary. For instance, during the reign of Edward III, a knight was convicted of treason because he assaulted one of the King's subjects and held him for a ransom of £90. It was only in 1351 that Parliament passed legislation on the subject of treason. Under the Statute of Treasons, or Treason Act 1351, which distinguished between high and petty treason, several distinct offences constitute high treason; most of them continue to do so, while those relating to forgery have been relegated to ordinary offences. This article concerns the common-law legal system, as contrasted with the civil law legal system; for other meanings of the term, within the field of law, see common law (disambiguation). ... This article is about the King of England. ... The Treason Act 1351 is an Act of the English Parliament which attempted to codify all existing forms of Treason. ... Forgery is the process of making or adapting objects or documents (see false document), with the intention to deceive. ...

First, it is high treason to "compass or imagine the death of our Lord the King, of our Lady his Queen, or of their eldest son and heir." The terms "compass or imagine" indicate the premeditation of a murder; it would not be high treason accidentally to kill the Sovereign or any other member of the Royal Family. However it has also been held to include rebelling against or trying to overthrow the monarch, as experience has shown that this normally involves the monarch's death. The terms of this provision have been held to include both male and female Sovereigns, but only the spouses of male Sovereigns. It is not sufficient to merely allege that an individual is guilty of high treason because of his thoughts or imaginations; there must be an overt act indicating the plot.

A second form of high treason comprehended by the Statute of Treasons was having sexual intercourse with "the King's companion, or the King's eldest daughter unmarried, or the wife of the King's eldest son and heir." If the intercourse is not consensual, only the rapist is liable, but if it is consensual, then both parties are liable (as Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, wives of Henry VIII, discovered to their cost). The jurist Sir William Blackstone writes that "the plain intention of this law is to guard the Blood Royal from any suspicion of bastardy, whereby the succession to the Crown might be rendered dubious." Thus, only women are covered in the statute; it is not, for example, high treason to rape a Queen-Regnant's husband. Similarly, it is not high treason to rape a widow of the Sovereign or of the heir-apparent. Diana, Princess of Wales admitted that she had an affair with her riding instructor, James Hewitt, between 1987 and 1992. As she was then the wife of the Prince of Wales, heir to the throne, this fit the definition of high treason, and a national newspaper briefly attempted [1][2] to have Hewitt prosecuted for what was then still a capital offence.[3] It has been suggested that Duration of sexual intercourse be merged into this article or section. ... Anne Boleyn, Queen Consort of England, 1st Marchioness of Pembroke[1] (ca. ... Catherine Howard (between 1520 and 1525 – 13 February 1542), also called Katherine Howard [1] was the fifth wife of Henry VIII of England (1540-1542), and sometimes known by his reference to her as the rose without a thorn. Her birth date and place of birth is unknown, (occasionally cited... “Henry VIII” redirects here. ... William Blackstone as illustrated in his Commentaries on the Laws of England. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Legitimacy (law). ... “Diana Spencer” redirects here. ... James Hewitt on Heads Up with Richard Herring Major James Hewitt (born in Dublin, on 30th April 1958), former British household cavalry officer, is famous for being the lover of Diana, Princess of Wales. ... This article is about the title Prince of Wales. ...

It is high treason "if a man do levy war against our Lord the King in his realm" or "if a man be adherent to the King's enemies in his realm, giving to them aid and comfort in the realm, or elsewhere." Conspiracy to levy war or aid the Sovereign's enemies do not amount to this kind of treason, though it may be encompassing the Sovereign's death. In modern times only these kinds of treason have actually been prosecuted (during the World Wars and the Easter Rising). There have been two World Wars, now more commonly known as World War I or First World War (from 1914 to 1918), and World War II or Second World War (from 1939 to 1945). ... Combatants Irish Volunteers, Irish Citizen Army, Irish Republican Brotherhood British Army Royal Irish Constabulary Commanders Patrick Pearse, James Connolly Brigadier-General Lowe General Sir John Maxwell Strength 1250 in Dublin, c. ...

The Statute of Treasons made it high treason to "slay the Chancellor, Treasurer, or the King's justices of the one bench or the other, justices in eyre, or justices of assize, and all other justices assigned to hear and determine, being in their places doing their offices." The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor and prior to the Union the Chancellor of England and the Lord Chancellor of Scotland, is a senior and important functionary in the government of the United Kingdom, and its predecessor states. ... The First Lord of the Treasury is the head of the commission exercising the ancient office of Lord High Treasurer in the United Kingdom, usually but not always the Prime Minister. ... Justices in Eyre north of the Trent Thomas Darcy, 1st Baron Darcy, 18 June 1509 - June 1537 Thomas Cromwell, 1st Baron Cromwell, 30 Dec 1537 - June 1540 (created Earl of Essex 17 April 1540) Thomas Manners, 1st Earl of Rutland, 9 August 1540 - 20 September 1543 Sir Anthony Browne, 16... The Courts of Assize, or Assizes, were periodic criminal courts held around England and Wales until 1972, when together with the Quarter Sessions they were abolished by the Courts Act 1971 and replaced by a single permanent Crown Court. ...

The last types of high treason ascertained by the Statute of Treasons were the forgery of the Great Seal or Privy Seal, the counterfeiting of English (later British) money and the importing of money known to be counterfeit. These offences, however, were reduced to felonies rather than high treasons in 1861. The Great Seal of the Realm is a British institution by which the monarch can authorise official documents without having to sign each document individually. ... The Privy Seal of England can be traced back to the reign of King John. ... For the record label, see Felony Records The term felony is a term used in common law systems for very serious crimes, whereas misdemeanors are considered to be less serious offenses. ...

Finally, the Statute of Treasons specified that the listing of offences was meant to be exhaustive. Only Parliament, not the courts, could add to the list. It provided that if "other like cases of treason may happen in time to come, which cannot be thought of nor declared at present", the court may refer the matter to the King and Parliament, which could then determine the matter by passage of an Act.

After the passage of the Statute of Treasons, several other offences were deemed to comprise high treason by Act of Parliament. Parliament seemed especially unrestrained during the reign of Edward III's successor, Richard II. Numerous new offences—including intending to kill the Sovereign (even without an overt act demonstrating such intent) and killing an ambassador—were declared treasonable. Richard II, however, was deposed; his successor, Henry IV, rescinded the legislation and restored the standard of Edward III. Richard II (January 6, 1367 – February 14, 1400) was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan The Fair Maid of Kent. He was born in Bordeaux and became his fathers successor when his elder brother died in infancy. ... Henry IV (3 April 1367 – 20 March 1413) was the King of England and France and Lord of Ireland from 1399 to 1413. ...

From the reign of Henry IV onwards, several new offences were made treasons; most legislation on the subject was passed during the reign of Henry VIII. It became high treason to deface money; to escape from prison whilst detained for committing treason, or to aid in an escape of a person detained for treason; to commit arson to extort money; to refer to the Sovereign offensively in public writing; to counterfeit the Sovereign's sign manual or signet; to refuse to abjure the authority of the Pope; to marry any of the Sovereign's children, sisters, aunts, nephews or nieces without royal permission; to marry the Sovereign without disclosing prior sexual relationships; attempting to enter into a sexual relationship (out of marriage) with the Queen or a Princess; denying the Sovereign's official styles and titles; and refusing to acknowledge the Sovereign as the Supreme Head of the Church of England. Some offences, whose complexion was entirely different from traitorous actions, were nevertheless made treasons; thus, it was high treason for a Welshman to steal cattle, or for an assembly of twelve or more rioters to refuse to disperse when so commanded. “Henry VIII” redirects here. ... The Skyline Parkway Motel in Afton, Virginia after an arson fire on July 9, 2004. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Wycliffe Tyndale · Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      The Pope (from Latin... The Church of England logo since 1998 The Church of England is the officially established Christian church[1] in England, and acts as the mother and senior branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion, as well as a founding member of the Porvoo Communion. ... For general information about the genus, including other species of cattle, see Bos. ...

All new-fangled forms of high treason introduced since the reign of Edward III were abrogated by a single act passed during the reign of Henry VIII's daughter, Mary. Later in Mary's reign, however, the offence of forging the Sovereign's sign manual or signet once again became high treason. Furthermore, the anti-counterfeiting laws were extended so as to include foreign money deemed legal tender in England. Thus, it became high treason to counterfeit such foreign money, or to import counterfeit foreign money and actually attempt to use it to make a payment. (But importing any counterfeit English money remained high treason, even if no attempt were made to use it in payment.) William III made it high treason to manufacture, buy, sell or possess instruments whose sole purpose is to coin money. He also made adding any inscription normally found on a coin to any piece of metal that may resemble a coin high treason. George II made it high treason to mark or colour a silver coin so as to make it resemble a gold one. William III of England (The Hague, 14 November 1650 – Kensington Palace, 8 March 1702; also known as William II of Scotland and William III of Orange) was a Dutch aristocrat and a Protestant Prince of Orange from his birth, Stadtholder of the main provinces of the Dutch Republic from 28... George II (George Augustus; 10 November 1683 – 25 October 1760) was King of Great Britain and Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (Hanover) and Archtreasurer and Prince-Elector of the Holy Roman Empire from 11 June 1727 until his death. ...

Aside from laws relating to counterfeiting and succession, very few acts concerning the definition of high treason were passed. Under laws passed during the reign of Elizabeth, it was high treason for an individual to attempt to defend the jurisdiction of the Pope over the English Church for a third time (a first offence being a misdemeanour and a second offence a felony), or for a Roman Catholic priest to enter the realm and refuse to conform to the English Church. Under a law of James I, it was high treason to purport to release a subject of his allegiance to the Crown and to reconcile him or her with a foreign power. Charles II's Treason Act 1661 made it treason to imprison, restrain or wound the king. Although this law was abolished in the United Kingdom in 1998, it still continues to apply in some Commonwealth countries. Under laws passed after James II was deposed, it became treasonable to correspond with the Jacobite claimants (main article), or to hinder succession to the Throne under the Act of Settlement 1701, or to publish that anyone other than the individual specified by the Act of Settlement had the right to inherit the Crown. Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Wycliffe Tyndale · Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      The Pope (from Latin... James Stuart (19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scots as James VI, and King of England and King of Ireland as James I. He ruled in Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567, when he was only one year old. ... Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was the King of England, Scotland, and Ireland. ... The Treason Act 1661 (13 Car. ... The Commonwealth of Nations as of 2006 Headquarters Marlborough House, London, UK Official languages English Membership 53 sovereign states Leaders  -  Queen Elizabeth II  -  Secretary-General Don McKinnon (since 1 April 2000) Establishment  -  Balfour Declaration 18 November 1926   -  Statute of Westminster 11 December 1931   -  London Declaration 28 April 1949  Area  -  Total... James II of England (also known as James VII of Scotland; 14 October 1633 – 16 September 1701) became King of England, King of Scots, and King of Ireland on 6 February 1685, and Duke of Normandy on 31 December 1660. ... Charles Edward Stuart, Bonnie Prince Charlie, wearing the Jacobite blue bonnet Jacobitism was (and, to a very limited extent, remains) the political movement dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England and Scotland. ... The Correspondence with James the Pretender (High Treason) Act 1701 (13 & 14 Will. ... Act of Settlement The Electress Sophia of Hanover The Act of Settlement (12 & 13 Wm 3 c. ...

History: after Union with Scotland

In 1708, following the Union of England and Scotland in the previous year, Queen Anne passed a law harmonising the treason laws of both former kingdoms. English treason law was extended to Scotland, and the treasonable offences then existing in Scotland were abolished. These were: "theft in Landed Men", theft in breach of trust, fire-raising, "firing coalheughs" and assassination. (The Act also made it treason to counterfeit the new Great Seal of Great Britain.) In general, treason law in Scotland remained the same as in England, except that slaying of the Lords of Session and Lords of Justiciary remained treason until 1945, and that when in England the offences of counterfeiting money or the King's Seal were reduced from treasons to felonies by the Forgery Act 1861 and the Coinage Act 1861, this change was not made in Scotland until the Treason Act 1945. For the record label, see Felony Records The term felony is a term used in common law systems for very serious crimes, whereas misdemeanors are considered to be less serious offenses. ...

When the Scottish Parliament was set up in 1998, treason was one of the "reserved matters" it was prohibited from legislating about, ensuring that the law of treason remains uniform throughout the United Kingdom. For the national legislative body up to 1707, see Parliament of Scotland. ... In the United Kingdom reserved matters, also referred to as reserved powers, are those subjects over which power to legislate is retained by Westminster, as stated by the Scotland Act 1998, Northern Ireland Act 1998 or Government of Wales Act 1998. ...

Between 1817 and 1820 it was treason to kill the Prince Regent. Prince Regent (or Prince Regnant, as a direct borrowing from French language) is a prince who rules a country instead of a sovereign, e. ...

Almost all treason-related offences introduced since the Statute of Treasons was passed have been abolished or relegated to felonies. The Statute of Treasons, on the other hand, has not been significantly amended; the only changes involve forgery, as explained above. For the state of the law today, see the Offences section above.

First World War

A notable treason trial occurred at the Old Bailey in 1916 when Sir Roger Casement was accused of siding with Germany in World War I for his role in the Easter Uprising in Ireland. The charge against him said he tried to encourage Irish soldiers in the British Army to desert and fight for Germany as means of securing Irish freedom. Casement tried to argue that as an Irishman, he was a foreigner and could not be tried in an English court. This argument failed because he had been in the employment of the British Government as a diplomat for almost all of his adult life and had accepted a Knighthood and a pension from the British Government on his retirement in 1911. He was hanged in Pentonville Prison on 3 August 1916 and is regarded as a martyr by the Irish Republican movement to this day. His case is often cited as a classic example of the politically divisive aspect of the crime of treason. Sir Roger David Casement (September 1, 1864 - August 3, 1916) was a British diplomat by profession and a poet, Irish revolutionary and nationalist by inclination. ... “The Great War ” redirects here. ... The Easter Rising (Irish: Éirí Amach na Casca) was a militarily unsuccessful rebellion staged in Ireland against British rule on Easter Monday in April 1916. ... Her Majestys Government, or when the Sovereign is male, His Majestys Government, abbreviated HMG or HM Government, is the formal title used by the Government of the United Kingdom. ... This page is about negotiations; for the board game, see Diplomacy (game). ... A statue of an armoured knight of the Middle Ages For the chess piece, see knight (chess). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Pentonville Prison is a prison built in 1842 in North London. ... is the 215th day of the year (216th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1916 (MCMXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar). ... Fianna Fáil - The Republican Party (Pronounced fee-na fall.) (English: Soldiers of Destiny) is the largest political party in the Republic of Ireland. ...

Second World War

The last execution for treason in the United Kingdom was held in 1946. William Joyce (also known as Lord Haw Haw) stood accused of levying war against King George VI by travelling to Germany in the early months of World War II and taking up employment as a broadcaster of pro-Nazi propaganda to British radio audiences. He was awarded a personal commendation by Adolf Hitler in 1944 for his contribution to the German war effort. On his capture at the end of the war, Parliament rushed through the Treason Act 1945 (1945 c.44) to facilitate a trial that would have the same procedure as a trial for murder. Before the Act, a trial for treason short of regicide involved an elaborate and lengthy medieval procedure. Although Joyce was born in the United States to Irish parents, he had moved to Britain in his teens and applied for a British passport in 1933 which was still valid when he defected to Germany and so under the law he owed allegiance to Britain. He appealed against conviction to the House of Lords on the grounds he had lied about his country of birth on the passport application and did not owe allegiance to any country at the beginning of the war. The appeal was not upheld and he was executed at Wandsworth Prison on 3 January 1946. This article is about the Second World War propagandist. ... Lord Haw-Haw was a propaganda radio program broadcast by Nazi German radio to audiences in Britain and Ireland on the mediumwave station Radio Hamburg and by shortwave to the United States. ... George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions from 11 December 1936 until his death. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Hitler redirects here. ... The Treason Act 1842 is a British law which was passed early in the reign of Queen Victoria. ... For other uses, see Regicide (disambiguation). ... The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is also commonly referred to as the Lords. The Sovereign, the House of Commons (which is the lower house of Parliament and referred to as the Commons), and the Lords together comprise the Parliament. ... Wandsworth Prison is a prison in Wandsworth in south London, England. ... is the 3rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

It is thought the strength of public feeling against Joyce as a perceived traitor was the driving force behind his prosecution. The only evidence offered at his trial that he had begun broadcasting from Germany while his British passport was valid was the testimony of a London police inspector who had questioned him before the war while he was an active member of the British Union of Fascists and claimed to have recognised his voice on a propaganda broadcast in the early weeks of the war. The burden of proof on the prosecution in any British trial is usually much higher. The flag of the British Union of Fascists showing the Flash and Circle symbolic of action within unity The British Union of Fascists (BUF) was a political party of the 1930s in the United Kingdom. ...

Treachery Act 1940

Main article: Treachery Act 1940

Until 1945 treason had its own rules of evidence and procedure which made it difficult to prosecute accused traitors, such as the need for two overt witnesses to the same act. Consequently in the Second World War it was perceived that there was a need for a new offence with which to deal with traitors more expediently. The Treachery Act 1940 was passed creating a felony called treachery, to punish disloyalty and espionage. It was a capital offence, and was the only time the death penalty was applied to a new offence in the UK during the twentieth century. Seventeen people were shot or hanged for this offence instead of for treason.[4] Theodore Schurch was the last person to be put to death for treachery, in 1946. He was also the last person to be executed for a crime other than murder. Josef Jakobs, a German spy executed for treachery, was the last person to be executed in the Tower of London. The Treachery Act of 1940 was a British law created during World War II to prosecute and execute enemy spies. ... For the record label, see Felony Records The term felony is a term used in common law systems for very serious crimes, whereas misdemeanors are considered to be less serious offenses. ... Theodore William John Schurch (May 5, 1918 – January 4, 1946) was an Anglo-Swiss soldier who was the last person to be hanged for an offence other than murder in Britain. ... Josef Jakobs, a German agent, was shot by firing squad in the Tower of London during the Second World War after conviction under the Treachery Act of 1940. ... For other uses, see Tower of London (disambiguation) Her Majestys Royal Palace and Fortress The Tower of London, more commonly known as the Tower of London (and historically simply as The Tower), is an historic monument in central London, England on the north bank of the River Thames. ...

The Treachery Act 1940 was suspended in February 1946, and was repealed in England and Wales by the Criminal Law Act 1967. The Criminal Law Act 1967 (c. ...

Liability

As a general rule, no British criminal court has jurisdiction over the Sovereign, from whom they derive their authority. As Sir William Blackstone writes, "the law supposes an incapacity of doing wrong from the excellence and perfection … of the King." Furthermore, to charge the Sovereign with high treason would be inconsistent, as it would constitute accusing him of disloyalty to himself. After the English Civil War, however, Charles I was tried for treason against the people of England. His trial and execution were irregular; they were more accurately products of a revolution, rather than a legal precedent, and those responsible were themselves tried for treason after the monarchy was restored (see List of regicides of Charles I). However, a person who attempts to become the Sovereign without a valid claim can be held guilty of treason. Consequently Lady Jane Grey was executed for treason for usurping the throne in 1553. For other uses, see English Civil War (disambiguation). ... Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was King of England, King of Scotland and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. ... Regicides of Charles I are considered to be the 59 Commissioners (Judges) who formed the tribunal that tried King Charles I of England and signed his death warrant, along with other officials who participated in his trial or execution, and Hugh Peters an influential republican preacher. ... Lady Jane Grey, formally Jane of England (1537 – 12 February 1554), a grand-niece of Henry VIII of England, reigned as uncrowned Queen regnant of the Kingdom of England for nine days in July 1553. ...

An alien resident in the United Kingdom owes allegiance to the Crown, and may be prosecuted for high treason. The only exception is an enemy lawful combatant in wartime, e.g. a uniformed enemy soldier on British territory.

A British subject resident abroad also continues to owe allegiance to the Crown. If he or she becomes a citizen of another state before a war during which he bears arms against the Crown, he or she is not guilty of high treason. On the other hand, becoming a citizen of an enemy state during wartime is high treason, as it constitutes adhering to the Sovereign's enemies.

Insane individuals are not punished for their crimes. During the reign of Henry VIII, however, it was enacted that in the cases of high treason, an idiot could be tried in his absence as if he were perfectly sane. In the reign of Mary I, the statute was repealed.

The Treason Act 1495 provides that in a civil war between two claimants to the throne, those who fight for the losing side can not be held guilty of a crime merely for fighting against the winner. The Treason Act 1495 is an Act of the Parliament of England which was passed in the reign of Henry VII of England. ...

Trial

Peers and their wives and widows were formerly entitled to be tried for treason and for felonies in the House of Lords or the Lord High Steward's Court, the former being used in every case except when Parliament was not in session. In the House of Lords, the Lord High Steward presided, but the entire House acted as both judge and jury. In the Lord High Steward's Court, the Lord High Steward was a judge, and a panel of "Lords Triers" served as a jury. There was no right of peremptory challenge in either body. Trial by either body ceased in 1948, since which time peers have been tried in the same courts as commoners. The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is also commonly referred to as the Lords. The Sovereign, the House of Commons (which is the lower house of Parliament and referred to as the Commons), and the Lords together comprise the Parliament. ... The position of Lord High Steward of England, not to be confused with the Lord Steward, a court functionary, is the first of the Great Officers of State. ... Peremptory challenge usually refers to a right in jury selection for the defense and prosecution to reject a certain number of potential jurors who appear to have an unfavorable bias without having to give any reason. ...

Commoners, and now peers and their wives and widows, are entitled to be tried for high treason, and also for lesser crimes, by jury. Formerly, commoners were entitled to thirty-five peremptory challenges in cases of treason, but only twenty in cases of felony and none in cases of misdemeanours; all peremptory challenges, however, were abolished in 1988. This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Another mode of trial for treason, and also for other crimes, is in the House of Lords following impeachment by the House of Commons. Normally, the Lord Chancellor presides during trials; when a peer is accused of high treason, however, the Lord High Steward must preside. By convention, however, the Lord Chancellor would be appointed Lord High Steward for the duration of the trial—the post of Lord High Steward ceased to be regularly filled in 1421, being revived only for trials of peers and for coronations. Whilst impeachments are still possible, no impeachment has occurred since 1806. Depiction of the impeachment trial of Andrew Johnson, then President of the United States, in 1868. ... The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor and prior to the Union the Chancellor of England and the Lord Chancellor of Scotland, is a senior and important functionary in the government of the United Kingdom, and its predecessor states. ... The position of Lord High Steward of England, not to be confused with the Lord Steward, a court functionary, is the first of the Great Officers of State. ... A asses is a ceremony marking the investment of a monarch with regal power through, amongst other symbolic acts, the placement of a crown upon his or her head. ...

Finally, it was possible for Parliament to pass an act of attainder, which pronounces guilt without a trial. Historically, acts of attainder have been used against political opponents when speedy executions were desired. In 1661, Parliament passed acts posthumously attainting Oliver Cromwell, Henry Ireton and Bradshaw—who were previously involved in Charles I's trial—of treason. These three individuals were posthumously executed, and are the only individuals to have suffered this fate posthumously under English treason laws. (In Scotland, an even more curious procedure was once employed in 1540, when a court summoned Robert Leslie, who was deceased, for a trial for treason. The Estates-General declared the summons lawful; Leslie's body was exhumed, and his bones were presented at the bar of the court. This procedure was never used in England.) A bill of attainder (also known as an act or writ of attainder) is an act of legislature declaring a person or group of persons guilty of some crime, and punishing them, without benefit of a trial. ... Oliver Cromwell (25 April 1599 – 3 September 1658) was an English military and political leader best known for his involvement in making England, Scotland and Ireland into a republican Commonwealth and for the brutal war exercised in his conquest of Ireland. ... Henry Ireton Henry Ireton (1611 - November 26, 1651), was an English general in the army of Parliament during the English Civil War. ... John Bradshaw (1602-October 31, 1659) was one of the judges to preside over the trial and subsequent death sentence of Charles I of England. ... Posthumous execution is the ritual execution of an already dead body. ... The parliament of Scotland, officially the Estates of Parliament, was the legislature of the independent Kingdom of Scotland. ...

Procedures and evidence

Certain special rules procedures have historically applied to high treason cases. The Privilege of the Peerage and Parliamentary privilege preclude the arrest of certain individuals (including peers, wives and widows of peers and members of Parliament) in many cases, but treason was not included (nor were felony or breach of the peace). Similarly, an individual could not claim sanctuary when charged with high treason; this distinction between treasons and felonies was lost as sanctuary laws were repealed in the late seventeenth and early nineteenth century. The defendant, furthermore, could not claim the benefit of clergy in treason cases; but the benefit of the clergy, as well, was abolished during the nineteenth century. The Privilege of Peerage is the body of special privileges belonging to members of the British Peerage. ... Parliamentary privilege, also known as absolute privilege, is a legal mechanism employed within the legislative bodies of countries whose constitutions are based on the Westminster system. ... Type Bicameral Houses House of Commons House of Lords Speaker of the House of Commons The Right Honourable Michael Martin MP Lord Speaker Hélène Hayman, Baroness Hayman, PC Members 1377 (646 Commons, 731 Peers) Political groups (as of May 5, 2005 elections) Labour Party Conservative Party Liberal Democrats... Ajax prepares to violate the sanctuary of Athena by abducting Cassandra by force: red-figure vase, c. ... In English law, the benefit of clergy was originally a provision by which clergymen could claim that they were outside the jurisdiction of the secular courts and be tried instead under canon law. ...

Formerly, if an individual stood mute and refused to plead guilty or not guilty for a felony, he would be tortured until he enter a plea; if he died in the course of the torture, his lands would not be seized to the Crown, and his heirs would be allowed to succeed to them. In cases of high treason, however, an individual could not save his lands by refusing to enter a plea; instead, a refusal would be punished by immediate forfeiture of all estates. This distinction between treasons and felonies ended in 1772, when the court was permitted to enter a plea on a defendant's behalf.

Formerly, an individual was not entitled to assistance of counsel in any capital case, including treason; the rule, however, was abolished in treason cases by the Treason Act 1695. The same Act restored a rule from 1661 which had made it necessary to produce at least two witnesses to prove each alleged overt act of high treason. Nearly one hundred years later this rule was incorporated into the US Constitution. The 1695 Act also provided for a three year time limit on bringing prosecutions for treason (except for assassinating the king) and misprision of treason, another rule which has been imitated in some common law countries. The Treason Act 1695 is an Act of the Parliament of England (citation 7 & 8 Will. ... Page I of the Constitution of the United States of America Page II of the United States Constitution Page III of the United States Constitution Page IV of the United States Constitution The Syng inkstand, with which the Constitution was signed The Constitution of the United States is the supreme... Misprision of treason is an offence found in many common law jurisdictions, committed by someone who knows a treason is being or is about to be committed but does not report it to a proper authority. ...

These rules made it difficult to prosecute charges of treason, and the rule was relaxed in 1800 to make attempts on the life of the King subject to the same rules of procedure and evidence as existed in murder trials (which did not require two witnesses). This change was extended to all assaults on the Sovereign in 1842. Finally the special rules for treason were abolished in 1945 when the rules of evidence and procedure in all cases of treason were made the same as for murder. However the original three-year time limit stated above survived into the present day. This meant that when James Hewitt was accused of treason because of his affair with the Princess of Wales, he could not be prosecuted because it could not be proved that he had done it within the foregoing three year period. James Hewitt on Heads Up with Richard Herring Major James Hewitt (born in Dublin, on 30th April 1958), former British household cavalry officer, is famous for being the lover of Diana, Princess of Wales. ...

In England and Wales a magistrates' court may not grant bail in a treason case. Bedford Magistrates Court A Magistrates Court or court of petty sessions, formerly known as a police court, is the lowest level of court in England and Wales and many other common law jurisdictions. ... The word bail as a legal term means: Security, usually a sum of money, exchanged for the release of an arrested person as a guarantee of that persons appearance for trial. ...

Punishment

The form of execution once suffered by traitors was often (though not invariably) barbarous and torturous. The condemned could not walk or be carried to the place of execution; the law required that he was to be drawn. It was possible to drag the traitor along the ground, but, almost always, he was instead placed on a hurdle and drawn to the place of execution by a horse. The individual would then be hanged by the neck, but not allowed to die: a noose would be tied around his neck, but there would be no "drop" to ensure that the neck broke. Whilst still alive, the offender would be cut down and allowed to drop to the ground. He would be stripped of his clothes, and his genitals cut off. The offender's viscera would be pulled out and burnt before his own eyes, then his heart and other organs would be torn out of his body. By this time, the offender would probably have died from damage to his vital organs; nonetheless, the gruesome process continued. The traitor would be decapitated, and his body cut into four quarters. The body parts would be at the disposal of the Sovereign; normally, they were gibbeted or publicly displayed. This tortuous sentence was amended in 1814 so that the offender would hang to death; the disembowelling, beheading and quartering continued to be performed posthumously. Torture, according to international law, is any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has... Hanging is the suspension of a person by a ligature, usually a cord wrapped around the neck, causing death. ... A sex organ, or primary sexual characteristic, narrowly defined, is any of those parts of the body (which are not always bodily organs according to the strict definition) which are involved in sexual reproduction and constitute the reproductive system in an complex organism; namely: Male: penis (notably the glans penis... In anatomy, the viscera are the internal organs of an animal, in particular the internal organs of the head, thorax and abdomen. ... Gibbet is a term applied to several different devices used in the capital punishment of criminals and/or the deterrence of potential criminals. ...

As the above sentence involved nudity, it was not applied to women, who were burnt to death instead, until this was abolished in 1790.

Individuals of noble birth were not subjected to either form of torture; instead, they were merely beheaded. Sometimes, even the sentences of commoners were commuted to beheading — a sentence not formally removed from the statute books until 1973. Men convicted of high treason for counterfeiting were subject to hanging, but not the subsequent torture; women convicted of high treason were in all cases burnt.

In addition to being tortured and executed, a traitor was also deemed "attainted." The first consequence of attainder was forfeiture; all lands and estates of a traitor were lost to the Crown. In cases of felony, the lands were confiscated only for one year and one day, but in cases of high treason the lands were forever lost to the Crown. A second consequence of attainder was corruption of blood; the attainted person could neither inherit property, nor transmit it to his or her descendants.

In 1870, both attainder and drawing and quartering were abolished; the sole punishment was hanging. (Drawing and quartering had however been carried out posthumously since 1814.) By 1965, capital punishment had been abolished for almost all crimes, but was still permitted for high treason until 1998, with the passing section 36 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998.[5]. By this Act the maximum punishment for high treason became life imprisonment. (See also Treason Act 1814.) The Treason Act 1814 (citation 54 Geo. ...

The last beheading of a peer for high treason was that of Simon Fraser, 11th Lord Lovat in 1747. The last execution by burning for high treason was that of Catherine Murphy in 1789. The last hanging, drawing and quarterings were those of the Cato Street Conspirators in 1820. In this case, however, the drawing and quartering were omitted but the beheading was not, by Royal command.) One of the last executions for high treason was that of John Amery also believed to be the only person in the United Kingdom to plead guilty to high treason. The last execution of any kind for high treason was that of William Joyce by hanging in 1946. Simon Fraser, Lord Lovat (c. ... Catherine Murphy (died March 18, 1789) was the last woman to suffer execution by burning in England. ... The Cato Street Conspiracy was an attempt to murder all the British cabinet ministers in 1820. ... John Amery (March 14, 1912–December 19, 1945) was a British anti-Communist who proposed to Hitler the forming of a British volunteer force (what became the British Free Corps), made recruitment efforts and propaganda broadcasts for Nazi Germany. ... This article is about the Second World War propagandist. ...

No person has been prosecuted for treason since Joyce. There have, however, been a number of instances of technical breaches of the treason laws (especially during the Northern Ireland Troubles) which have been prosecuted as ordinary murder or other crimes. The mandatory death penalty for treason was abolished by the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and replaced with a maximum life sentence. The Troubles is a term used to describe two periods of violence in Ireland during the twentieth century. ... The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 is a United Kingdom Act of Parliament. ...

Treason today

In autumn 2001 following 9/11, the British government threatened British citizens who fought for the Taliban army in Afghanistan against Anglo-American troops with prosecution for treason, although no one was subsequently tried--at least not for treason. Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... The date that commonly refers to the attacks on United States citizens on September 11, 2001 (see the September 11, 2001 Attacks). ... The Taliban (Pashto: , also anglicized as Taleban) are an extremist, terrorist, and ethnic fundamentalist Sunni Muslim Pashtun movement that ruled most of Afghanistan from 1995 until 2001, when their leaders were removed from power by a cooperative military effort between the United States, Great Britain and the Northern Alliance. ...

On 8 August 2005, it was reported that the UK Government was considering bringing prosecutions for treason against a number of British Islamic clerics who have publicly spoken positively about acts of terrorism against civilians in Britain, or attacks on British soldiers abroad, including the 7 July London bombings and numerous attacks on troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. [6] Following this threat one foreign cleric who the British government had failed to deport fled to Lebanon, only to request to be rescued by the British military during the 2006 Israeli-Lebanon War. However later that year prosecutors indicted Abu Hamza al-Masri for inciting murder (he was convicted in February 2006), and it now seems unlikely that anyone will be charged with treason in the foreseeable future. is the 220th day of the year (221st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... On Thursday, 7 July 2005, a series of four bomb explosions struck Londons public transport system during the morning rush hour. ... Combatants Hezbollah Amal LCP Islamic Courts Union (allegedly [6])  Israel Commanders Hassan Nasrallah (Secretary General and Commander of Islamic Resistance)[3] Dan Halutz (CoS), Moshe Kaplinsky[10], Udi Adam (Regional) Strength 600-1,000 active fighters (of 3,000 - 5,000 available and 10,000 reservists) [4] 30,000 ground... Abu Hamza al-Masri (أبو حمزة المصري) (born 15 April 1958) is a Khawarij (extremist Muslim) leader in the United Kingdom, currently serving a seven-year prison sentence for soliciting murder and inciting racial hatred. ...

Acts in force today

• Treason Act 1351 (most forms of treason)
• Treason Act 1495 (special defence to treason)
• Treason Act 1695 (statute of limitations)
• Treason Act 1702 (further form of treason)
• Treason Act 1814 (the penalty for treason)
• Treason Felony Act 1848 (still-existing offences which used to be treason, including advocating the abolition of the monarchy)

See also the Treason Act 1842 (assaulting the Queen), the Official Secrets Act (espionage) and the Terrorism Act 2000. The Treason Act 1351 is an Act of the English Parliament which attempted to codify all existing forms of Treason. ... The Treason Act 1495 is an Act of the Parliament of England which was passed in the reign of Henry VII of England. ... The Treason Act 1695 is an Act of the Parliament of England (citation 7 & 8 Will. ... The Treason Act 1702 (1 Anne stat. ... The Treason Act 1814 (citation 54 Geo. ... The Treason Felony Act 1848, which remains unrepealed into the 21st century, is law in the United Kingdom apparently protecting the Queen and the The Crown. ... The Treason Act 1842 is a British law which was passed early in the reign of Queen Victoria. ... Official Secrets Act warning sign, Foulness. ... The Terrorism Act 2000 is a current United Kingdom Act of Parliament - An Act to make provision about terrorism; and to make temporary provision for Northern Ireland about the prosecution and punishment of certain offences, the preservation of peace and the maintenance of order. ...