Author – The National Archives
Pages – 432 (hardback)
Publishing Information – John Blake, 10th November 2022
Blurb
The bloody history of Britain through the stories of its most notorious traitors.
A History of Treason details British history from 1352 to 1946, covering major historical moments in a fascinating and innovative way, using the history of high treason and deception as its theme.
Appealing to a range of audiences, it covers more than 650 years of momentous history through the use of both famous and lesser known events which shaped Britain. Using original documents and detailed research undertaken by The National Archives’ record specialists, it will cover moments in history which led to fundamental changes in eras. It will also include unique discoveries from these archives, uncovering mysteries and stories of how dealing with treason have brought about the changes which have influenced and shaped Britain throughout the centuries. Among these are:
the trial and execution of Anne Boleyn on the orders of her husband, Henry VIII
several major acts of sedition, including the Gunpowder Plot and the revolution plotted in the Cato Street conspiracy
the evidence brought against Sir Roger Casement, executed at Pentonville and his remains later exhumed and given a state funeral in Ireland
the trial and execution of the William Joyce who, as ‘Lord Haw-Haw’, broadcast Nazi propaganda from Berlin during the Second World War
The book covers many stories that explore the nature of treason and how the crown and state reacted to it—from the introduction of the Treason Act in 1352 right through to the twentieth century.
Review
Full title, A History of Treason: The bloody history of Britain through the stories of its most notorious traitors, this book is able to cover a broad chunk of British history through focusing on treason in particular.
Even so, as with any history you could write a full book on a much smaller topic than this, so certain things go into more detail than others and a decision has had to be made on the more prominent examples. I think in general, the right choices were made and we get a very thorough overview all in all. Partly it will depend on where your interests lie. Personally being more interested in the middle ages, I would have preferred a more concise examination of American independence and the Jamaican slave rebellions. Whilst undeniably important to know about and to world history, there is a fairly large section of the book devoted to these events and they’re only a small part of British history, where the latter doesn’t have much of a bearing on the overall history of treason itself. Of course, it’s just personal preference and it’s really interesting to see how the British government and crown labelled the colonists as traitors and ultimately the wheels being set in motion for independence.
Much of the rest of the book also focuses on what people’s interpretations of treason were. For the most part, we see that Kings and Queens used treason laws to control and manipulate for their own means, making adjustments to suit their actions. A large number of people convicted of treason hadn’t actually committed any treasonous acts, or at least had no credible evidence against them. We see that once they were in that courtroom, 99% of the time they were as good as executed.
I’d say the book has something for very casual readers and for academics too. What the book does best is showing you the evolution of treason laws and the effects they had on British people, from when being a traitor actually became a term and a named crime, all the way through to the end of the second world war when it was still punished by execution.
Traditionally to the crown and state the worst crime possible to commit (though we may of course disagree with this) we see that those convicted of treason are always made an example of, and it’s only in relatively modern times that some people were institutionalised rather than executed and the means of execution became a little more humane.
I acknowledge many readers have a morbid fascination with crime and punishment in ages past, but if you’re looking for sensationalist accounts and descriptions of the gory details, in that respect the book aligns with a more academic route. Of course, there are some accounts of unusual circumstances and it mentions the sentences handed down, how hanging, drawing and quartering was the traditional punishment (and how this changed to hanging and beheading) but often the end to a person’s story is described as ‘executed in the traditional method’ and is left at that. The focus of the book is on the crimes, the law and the way those in power have used it to their advantage rather than trying to disgust or horrify the reader by taking them to the scaffold itself. An example of a cook accused of poisoning being boiled to death after a change of the law by Henry VIII is a particularly grisly instance, though.
To me it’s equally horrifying and amazing to read about just how easily you could be convicted of treason and suffer a most horrendous death just for being a difficult person that needed to be gotten rid of, or for making a mistake, or for fighting on the wrong side. When Henry Tudor won the battle of Bosworth and was subsequently crowned king, although he was actually the usurper, he officially changed the date he was made king as the day before the battle, making those who fought for the true King, Richard, traitors. They weren’t all rounded up and killed but some were – it’s a scary example of how monarchs manipulated the treason laws for their own gain. (He actually later changed the law so that his trick couldn’t be repeated by later monarchs).
There’s also plenty of his son, the ultimate manipulator and tyrant of the treason laws, Henry VIII who you can see really abused his power tremendously. It’s useful through these laws to see how perception and power changed and through this we get a wider story of monarchy from absolute power to the constitutional monarchy Britain has today.
Whilst over time there is a clear devolution, it’s important to note that subsequent rulers through the timeline of the monarchy didn’t have less and less power; the strength of the monarch played a large role too. With the abuses to the law Henry VIII made though, it’s clear to see why the public and the gentry were less and less willing to accept more of the same from later rulers and this book is really useful in showing this without needing to spell it out for you. When Charles II is crowned 100 years later, he is only able to bring the signatories of his Father’s death warrant to justice because he has the support of the public. When they lose their thirst for blood, we see him having to follow suit. It’s really interesting to see this change in the power of the English and British crown in the early modern period told through the timeline of treason laws.
This is a really interesting book that will give you a thorough overview of treason in Britain without ever really getting too heavy for a casual reader to find plenty to take away. It’s not un-put-downable, but it’s not a narrative history of the likes of Dan Jones, Tracy Borman and Marc Morris and isn’t intended to be, mainly because it’s impossible to do with such a long time period. If you’re interested in treason and want to learn more, then you’ll find plenty to feel satisfied by here.
Spells and Spaceships 