Module overview
Anne Boleyn, Louis XVI, Roger Casement, Vidkun Quisling: these are notorious figures who have been tried and executed for treason. Through the centuries ‘treason’ has always been one of the most serious crimes, as well as being a term of abuse in politics. It is a constantly topical subject as shown in the present-day: there are the violent accusations of ‘traitor’ in the recent struggle over Brexit, and in 2018 serious proposals were put forward to modernize the current British law on treason (which dates from 1351!). Despite this, the long history of treason is little known and often misinterpreted.
In this module we will explore the turbulent history of modern treason in Europe over five centuries, from the early modern era through to the present day. We will see how there was always some continuity in the meaning of treason and how regimes interpreted it. But there has also been change: for in Tudor England treason was mainly a crime against the monarch, but from the 20th century it became far more associated with espionage and the betrayal of secrets to a foreign enemy. What we can say is that treason has always been a political concept and crime, tied in some way to the urgent security of the state. Therefore it has surfaced especially in time of war or when a regime feels threatened. Yet because treason law is drawn up by the regime in power, that regime has often been able to manipulate the law to its advantage, even manufacturing ‘traitors’ in order to remove threats to itself. Treason law is therefore a flexible and dangerous tool in the hands of any regime if there are not safeguards against misuse.
A key purpose of this module is to understand when and why regimes have used treason law, how that law has been interpreted, and what results emerged from such prosecutions. Through a range of case studies, we pay due attention too to the viewpoint of the ‘traitors’ themselves, how they behaved, and how their actions might be interpreted by wider society. Both the regimes and the ‘traitors’ usually took up a moral stance: claiming that God or humanity was on their side, and in turn attacked their opponents as violent and immoral. In short, treason is always both a moral and a power struggle, and the regime is usually victorious.
While the theme of treason runs through the whole module, there is ample opportunity for you to focus attention on case studies of particular interest. Each of these is examined through primary sources, including trial material and treason laws. The result is a course which has dramatic content and personal histories, and is also challenging in terms of conceptual and theoretical engagement.
Aims and Objectives
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge and Understanding
Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
- The language of treason
- A comparative historical framework for treason
- Conceptual and historiographical interpretations of treason, including various legal definitions
Transferable and Generic Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Formulate and communicate critical judgements coherently and effectively, in formal written exercises
- Apply analytical techniques to a wide range of evidence
Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Study primary sources critically, reading against the grain in interpreting the use of language
- Analyse and interpret historical sources on treason in new ways
- Think comparatively in historical terms, both chronologically and geographically, about case studies across several centuries
- Reflect on how a historical theme has been treated differently by contemporary observers and by historians to suit particular political agendas
Syllabus
Indicative topics include:
The meaning of treason; treason law
Language of treason: the Gunpowder Plot
Treason law in Tudor England
‘Constructive treason’: 1640-1660
The legal extremes: treason fabricated and formalized
The era of the French Revolution
Punishments and pardons
Regime crisis in WW1: nationalist traitors
‘Collaboration’ as treason
Cold War traitors: the treason of extremes
Is treason still a modern crime?
Learning and Teaching
Teaching and learning methods
Teaching methods:
Two weekly lectures
Seminars focusing on key course themes and the analysis of primary sources, including texts and images
Learning activities include:
In-depth analysis of primary sources
Preparatory reading and individual study
Individual participation in seminars, group work and short presentations on seminar themes
Type | Hours |
---|---|
Lecture | 24 |
Independent Study | 264 |
Seminar | 12 |
Total study time | 300 |
Resources & Reading list
Journal Articles
F. Prochaska (1973). English State Trials in the 1790s: A Case Study. Journal of British Studies, 13, pp. 63-82.
Mark Cornwall (2019). Treason in an Era of Regime Change: the Case of the Habsburg Monarchy. Austrian History Yearbook, 50.
Textbooks
John Laughland (2016). A History of Political Trials: from Charles I to Charles Taylor. Oxford.
John Bellamy (1979). The Tudor Law of Treason. London.
Rebecca West (1982). The Meaning of Treason. London.
Oddvar Hoidal (1989). Quisling: A Study in Treason. Oslo.
Nachman Ben-Yehuda (2001). Betrayal and Treason: Violations of Trust and Loyalty. Oxford.
Stephen Alford (2013). The Watchers: A Secret History of the Reign of Elizabeth I. London.
Lisa Steffen (2001). Defining a British State: Treason and National Identity. Basingstoke.
Assessment
Summative
This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.
Method | Percentage contribution |
---|---|
Essay | 50% |
Written assignment | 50% |
Referral
This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.
Method | Percentage contribution |
---|---|
Resubmit assessments | 100% |
Repeat
An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.
Method | Percentage contribution |
---|---|
Resubmit assessments | 100% |
Repeat Information
Repeat type: Internal & External